[Milsurplus] OSS in Burma

[Hue Miller]

American Guerilla: My War Behind Japanese Lines.  Roger Hilsman, 1990. 
Author chose
to join "Detachment 101" of the OSS, as he'd heard of their exploits and it 
seemed to
him this OSS branch, which operated solely in Burma, was the most active in 
the
guerilla warfare he sought.  Interesting point, ambushes and attacks were 
planned
to last no longer than 40 seconds, which allowed time for one magazine from 
the Bren
guns, and a withdrawal covered by mortar shots.
Also this:
"Eddie's equipment was a radio specially built by 101, a telegraph key, and 
a hand-
operated generator".
This is the third reference to this radio I am aware of. Elsewhere, altho I 
can't cite
the source at this moment, I had read about these theater-built radios being
built from parts from the Lend-Lease radio "V-100" by Pilot Radio Company,
U.S.A.   The V-100 was sent to Russia and also apparently China - and maybe
thus, thru Chinese guerilla forces to the OSS, or maybe direct from US gov't
to OSS. No V-100 were retained in the USA that I am aware of, none.  I 
believe
the V- 100, also seen in some Russian online military radio display, was 
rather
like the BC-654 but with 807 final, not instant-heating 2E22 or 307A. Why 
this,
I don't know. Maybe it made replacing the final easier where the instant 
heating
bottles were scarce.
As I stated before, I had seen one of these 101 sets in a documentary on the
History Channel, this on "transportation in the CBI", something like that,
believe it or not. But - the view was only from the back side, not front 
panel.
I would say it was between 1/2 to 3/4 size of the BC-654. I have no idea why
the want for a special-built radio; perhaps it was to get higher frequencies 
than
available on the BC-654 or V-100, which worked approximately in the "combat
frequency range", low HF to approximately 6 Mc/s or so.
I have not read of any other radio used by US forces in the CBI except the
BC-654.
I had wondered what radio was carried by the very brave men who parachuted
into Japanese prison camps after the surrender agreement, to aid the Allied
POWs and make arrangements for their evacuation. This not knowing their
welcome; in fact, they were sometimes welcomed by desultory shooting.
I had thought the 2 man and 3 man teams parachuted in with the SCR-694 /
BC-1306 radio, but it struck me that it could as well have been the "101 
Radio",
particularly if it offered the higher "skywave" frequencies.
If you have any further clues, based in real history,  I welcome hearing 
them.
-Hue Miller