Research Portal – Dutch and Netherlands East Indies Air Forces in Australia during World War II

Published by DACC on

Following the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942, surviving Dutch and Indonesian air-force personnel, naval aviators, civilian aircrews and aircraft escaped to Australia. From Australian bases they reorganised, trained and returned to active service as part of the wider Allied campaign against Japan.

Australia became the centre of Dutch air power in exile in the Southwest Pacific. Dutch aircrew served alongside Australian personnel in joint Netherlands East Indies–RAAF squadrons, while Dutch transport aircraft operated from Brisbane and other Australian bases. The Royal Netherlands Navy’s flying boats maintained reconnaissance, transport and clandestine connections across the region.

Two joint Dutch–Australian combat squadrons became operational. No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF flew B-25 Mitchell bombers from northern Australia against Japanese positions and shipping. No. 120 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF operated Kittyhawk fighters from Merauke in Netherlands New Guinea. A proposed third combat formation, No. 119 Squadron, did not become operational.

Dutch military transport services, drawing heavily on former KNILM aircraft and personnel, were centred at Archerfield in Brisbane. These services were progressively reorganised and ultimately became No. 19 (Netherlands East Indies) Transport Squadron. They carried personnel, equipment and supplies across Australia and the Southwest Pacific and later assisted with relief, repatriation and reconstruction.

Dutch naval aviation formed another important part of this history. Dornier Do 24 and Catalina flying boats evacuated civilians and military personnel, conducted reconnaissance and transport missions, and maintained dangerous links with isolated and Japanese-occupied territories. The destruction of numerous Dutch flying boats during the Japanese raid on Broome on 3 March 1942 was one of the most tragic episodes in this story.

These operations depended upon close cooperation with the Royal Australian Air Force. Australia provided bases, training facilities, ground personnel, maintenance and operational support. Dutch, Indonesian and Australian personnel consequently served together in a complex multinational organisation that reflected the wider Allied war effort.

This portal brings together the DACC’s research about the squadrons, transport services, naval aviation, aircraft, Australian bases and the people who participated in these operations. The articles are intended to make this important shared history accessible to a broad audience and to provide starting points for further investigation. Additional information and personal stories will be added as research continues.

General overview

Evacuation, organisation and training

The evacuation of personnel from the Netherlands East Indies was followed by the difficult task of rebuilding Dutch military aviation. Initial training took place in Australia before many students and instructors were transferred to the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School at Jackson, Mississippi. Personnel returning from the United States provided aircrew for the Dutch squadrons operating from Australia.

No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF

No. 18 Squadron was formed at Canberra in April 1942. Its Dutch and Netherlands East Indies aircrew flew American-supplied B-25 Mitchell bombers, while the RAAF provided a large part of the squadron’s ground organisation and operational support.

After training and maritime patrol duties, the squadron moved to the Northern Territory. From McDonald and Batchelor airfields it conducted bombing, reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations against Japanese targets throughout the eastern Netherlands East Indies. In 1945 the squadron moved to Balikpapan.

Nos. 119 and 120 Squadrons

Plans were developed in 1943 for a second B-25 Mitchell bomber unit, designated No. 119 Squadron. Difficulties involving personnel, aircraft, Australian support and changing operational requirements prevented it from becoming an operational squadron.

No. 120 Squadron was formed at Canberra in December 1943. Equipped with P-40 Kittyhawks, it deployed to Merauke in southern Netherlands New Guinea. The squadron defended the strategically important Merauke area and supported the Allied advance through New Guinea and the Netherlands East Indies.

Military air transport and No. 19 Squadron

The Netherlands East Indies military air transport organisation drew upon aircraft and experienced personnel from KNILM, the civil airline of the Netherlands East Indies. Archerfield Airport in Brisbane became its principal Australian centre.

Dutch transport crews operated dangerous courier, supply and personnel flights between Australian bases, New Guinea and other parts of the Southwest Pacific. The transport organisation underwent several changes before becoming No. 19 (Netherlands East Indies) Transport Squadron in August 1945.

Following Japan’s surrender, its aircraft carried supplies, personnel and former prisoners and internees. Dutch military transport operations continued from Australia until 1947.

Royal Netherlands Navy aviation and flying boats

The Marine Luchtvaartdienst, the Royal Netherlands Navy Air Service, operated Dornier Do 24 and Catalina flying boats throughout the Netherlands East Indies. These aircraft conducted reconnaissance, bombing, transport and evacuation operations.

Many aircraft and crews escaped to Australia during the Japanese invasion. Several Dutch flying boats were destroyed during the Japanese attack on Broome on 3 March 1942. Surviving aircraft and personnel subsequently operated from Australia or continued to Ceylon, where they contributed to No. 321 (Dutch) Squadron RAF.

A Dutch naval air detachment remained active in Australia, undertaking transport, reconnaissance, training and clandestine flights to New Guinea and islands under or near Japanese occupation.

Aircraft and operations

The Dutch air services in Australia used or were associated with an extraordinary variety of aircraft. These included B-25 Mitchell bombers, P-40 Kittyhawk fighters, C-47 Dakotas, Dornier Do 24 and Catalina flying boats, Lockheed transports and several types of civil aircraft taken over for wartime duties.

Some aircraft ordered and paid for by the Netherlands East Indies were diverted to American or Australian forces after the fall of the colony.

Airfields and bases

Dutch military aviation operated through a network of Australian bases. Archerfield was the principal transport, technical and administrative centre. Canberra/Fairbairn was central to the formation and training of the combat squadrons. No. 18 Squadron operated from McDonald and Batchelor, with Pell and Gould serving important supporting and maintenance functions.

Other places—including Nowra, Bundaberg, Broome, Charleville, Lake Boga, Rathmines and Rose Bay—also formed part of the Dutch aviation network.

Personal stories

Behind the squadrons and aircraft were Dutch, Indonesian and Australian pilots, navigators, bombardiers, wireless operators, air gunners, engineers, technicians and ground personnel. These individual accounts reveal the dangers of combat and transport operations as well as the personal relationships created through Dutch–Australian cooperation.

No. 18 Squadron personnel

Other aviation personnel

Casualties, remembrance and aviation heritage

Dutch, Indonesian and Australian personnel lost their lives during combat missions, training, transport flights and accidents. Their service is remembered through cemeteries, memorials, museums, restored aircraft, family collections and the activities of squadron associations.

Continuing research

This portal brings together research undertaken by the DACC and its contributors. The collection is continuing to develop. We particularly welcome further information about:

  • No. 120 Squadron and its operations from Merauke;
  • the Netherlands East Indies military transport services and No. 19 Squadron;
  • Indonesian personnel serving in Dutch aviation units;
  • Australian ground personnel attached to the Dutch squadrons;
  • Dutch naval aviation detachments in Australia;
  • aircrew, technical personnel and their families;
  • photographs, diaries, letters, logbooks and other surviving records.

People with additional information or relevant family material are invited to contact the Dutch Australian Cultural Centre.

Categories: Aviation and ShippingMilitary and Political HistoryNetherlands East Indies - Australia HistoryPersonal stories

Related Posts

Military and Political History

NEFIS Research Portal – Dutch and Indonesian Intelligence in Australia during WWII – Copy

Introduction Following the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies in early 1942, Australia became the principal base from which Dutch military, intelligence and government organisations attempted to maintain contact with the occupied territories and Read more

Military and Political History

Australians at Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery – and the Dutch who remember them

In the quiet grounds of Arnhem Oosterbeek War Cemetery in the Netherlands lie more than 1,750 Allied servicemen, most of whom died during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Among them are four members Read more

Military and Political History

A Bridge Too Far – Australians at Arnhem remembered on the Gold Coast

A large diorama at the Gold Coast War Museum in Mudgeeraba depicts one of the most famous battles fought in the Netherlands during the Second World War: the struggle for the bridge at Arnhem in Read more