Pai Bridge

The Pai River bridge is often cited as the most visible evidence of the presence of Japan's Army in Northern Thailand during WWII.
But the bridge was actually built after the war. This website attempts to correct both that misconception and others about the period.

Lanna-ww2

Japan in Northwest Thailand during World War II

N18°47.30
E98°59.15[1]
Chiang Mai[1ä] (Th: เชียงใหม่ / Jp: チャンマイ )
USAAF Aerial Photo Intelligence
Page 1 of 1

Major transport hub

 

Text Notes

 

Flight reports here record aerial photo coverage of Chiang Mai by only the 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron. Other coverage exists, but I have not found it as yet.


09 January 1944
: "Chiengmai A/D" [Chiang Mai airdrome]:

Chiang Mai aerial 09 Jan 1944[2]


07 February 1944
: "Chiengmai A/D & Road W of Town . . . RR Yards"
[Chiang Mai airdrome & road west of town . . . railroad yards]:

Chiang Mai aerial 07 Feb 1944[3]


24 February 1944
: Chiang Mai, general:

CNX aerial aerial 24 Feb 1944 [3a]


26 February 1944
: Chiang Mai obscured by haze:

CNX aerial 26 Feb 1944[3b]


04 March 1944
: Chiang Mai --- two separate photo passes:

CNX aerial 04 Mar 1944[3c]


12 March 1944
: Chiang Mai "town":

CNX aerial 12 Mar 1944[3d]


24 April 1944
: Chiang Mai (general):

[3e]
CNX aerial 24 Apr 1944


29 May 1944
: Chiang Mai "& RR . . ., A/D" [Chiang Mai town, railroad yard, and airdrome]:

CNX aerial 29 May 1944[4]


16 September 1944
: "Chiengmai town & A/D" [Chiang Mai town & airdrome]:

Chiang Mai aerial 16 Sep 1944[5]


26 October 1944
: "Chiengmai RR & A/D" [Chiang Mai railroad & airdrome]:

Chiang Mai aerial 26 Oct 1944[6]


26 October 1944
: Mission: "Tri-met of roads in Chiang Mai - Chiang Rai area"

Result: "Road from Chiengmai to Ngai . . . (N19°27 E98°58)" [Thai Route 107 north from Chiang Mai about 75 km to Muang Ngai, which is in turn just north of the junctions of Thai Routes 107 and 1178 (1178 leads to the border point, Kiew Pha Wok (N19°46.13 E98°57.00), northwest of Arunothai. It connected at one time with what is now Burma Route 45)] :

Chiang Mai-Ngai tri-met 26 Oct 1944[7]

Trimet: see definition.


01 November 1944
: Chiang Mai obscured by "overcast":

CNX aerial 01 Nov 1944[8]


02 November 1944
: "Chiengmai town, RR yards & A/D . . . strip from (N18°55 E99°03) to (N19°30 E99°00)" [Chiang Mai town, railroad yards, & airdrome . . . plus 65 km strip between current intersection of Thai Routes 107 and 1178, near Ngai, and current intersection Thai Routes of 1001 and 1260, north of Maejo, and very approximately following / paralleling the north-south Thai Route 107]:

Chiang Mai 02 Jan 1944 aerial[9]


11 November 1944
: "Chiengmai A/D & RR yards" [Chiang Mai airdrome & railroad yards]:

Chiang Mai aerial 11 Nov 1944[10]


27 November 1944
: "Chiengmai town & RR yards" [Chiang Mai town & railroad yards]:

Chiang Mai 27 Nov 1944[11]


23 December 1944
: "Chiang Mai Town & A/F" [Chiang Mai town & airdrome]:

CNX aerial 23 Dec 1944[12]


05 January 1945
: "Chiengmai town, RR Yds & A/D . . . Bks area 2 mi N of Chiengmai" [Chiang Mai town, railroad yards & airdrome . . . barracks area two miles north of Chiang Mai (ie, current location of Army Provincial Unit 33)]:

05 Jan 1945[13]


13 January 1945
: "Chiengmai town & RR yards" [Chiang Mai town & railroad yards]:

13 Jan 1945[14]


29 January 1945
: "Chiang Mai Town & A/D" [Chiang Mai town & airdrome]

CNX aerial 29 Jan 1944[15]


17 February 1945
: "Chiengmai town & RR yards" [Chiang Mai town & railroad yards]:

17 Feb 1945[16]

 

 

Revision List
Rev
Date
Description
0
2012 Dec 05
First published on Internet.
1
2013 May 13
Deleted "bad weather" runs; added relevant texts of images.
2
2013 Oct 21
Reinserted "bad weather" runs + added many new listings.

 

 

 

See Key for interpreting page content.

Revision list. See bottom of Text column on this page.

1.^ Source: Google Earth fix on apparent center of town.

1ä.^ For variations on the name Chiang Mai, see What's In A Name?

2.^ 21st Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron (hereafter 21PRS) Report Mission No. 13-4A, 09 Jan 1944 (USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0197).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 14/6 A, 07 Feb 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0155).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3a.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 14/22 A, 24 Feb 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0122).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3b.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 14/23 A, 26 Feb 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0118).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3c.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 51, 04 Mar 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0108).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3d.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 15/3 A, 12 Mar 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0095).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3e.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 62, 24 Apr 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0053).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 72, 29 May 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0010).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 116, 16 Sep 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0441).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 133, 26 Oct 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0552).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 133, 26 Oct 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0552).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 156, 01 Nov 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0567).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 139, 02 Nov 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0568).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 149, 11 Nov 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0586).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

11.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 170, 27 Nov 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0621).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

12.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 4 MA 41 W, 23 Dec 1944
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0682).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

13.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 5 MA 4, 05 Jan 1945
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0815).

Note that form is incorrectly dated with 1944, not 1945: the first digit of the report number 5 MA 4 confirms by being in the same series as the next mission (5 MA 9).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

14.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 5 MA 9, 13 Jan 1945
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0807).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

15.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 5 MA 15 W, 29 Jan 1945
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0785).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

16.^ 21PRS Mission Report No. 5 MA 39, 17 Feb 1945
(USAF Archive microfilm reel A0878 p0769).