Flying boats designed for the Netherlands East Indies
The Dornier Do 24 was a three-engined flying boat designed by the German Dornier company to meet requirements established by the Royal Netherlands Navy.
The Netherlands needed an aircraft capable of patrolling the enormous maritime territory of the Netherlands East Indies. The Do 24’s long range, seaworthiness and ability to operate without conventional airfields made it particularly suitable for reconnaissance, patrol, rescue, transport and evacuation work throughout the Indonesian archipelago.
The Dutch version, designated Do 24K, was powered by three Wright Cyclone radial engines. It had a broad parasol wing and distinctive stabilising sponsons attached to the sides of its hull.
Thirty-seven Do 24s were delivered for service in the Netherlands East Indies before further Dutch production was interrupted by the German occupation of the Netherlands in May 1940.
Wartime losses and evacuation
Following Japan’s entry into the war in December 1941, the Marine Luchtvaartdienst—the Royal Netherlands Navy Air Service—used its Dorniers for reconnaissance, bombing, transport and evacuation operations.
Many were destroyed during the fighting or abandoned during the retreat. Five Dutch Dorniers—X-1, X-3, X-20, X-23 and X-28—were destroyed on Roebuck Bay during the Japanese attack on Broome on 3 March 1942.
The detailed history of those losses is covered in The Drama of Broome, 3 March 1942.
The six Dorniers that became associated with the Australian organisation arrived under different circumstances.
Five older aircraft—X-5, X-7, X-8, X-9 and X-10—were flown to Australia on 19 February 1942 as part of the planned evacuation of the MLD flying school. They were intended to permit Dutch naval aircrew training to continue in Australia.
The sixth aircraft, X-24, made the final Dornier evacuation flight from the Netherlands East Indies on 8 March 1942. Running short of fuel, it landed near Wallal on the Western Australian coast, approximately 320 kilometres south of Broome. After refuelling, it continued to Perth and subsequently to Rathmines.
The Dutch flying school at Rathmines
The six Dorniers assembled at RAAF Rathmines on Lake Macquarie in New South Wales, where Dutch naval aviation personnel had regrouped.
Personnel and Ryan STM floatplane trainers evacuated from the Netherlands East Indies also operated from Rathmines. Dutch cadet pilots briefly continued their training there before many were transferred to the United States.
The Dorniers reached Rathmines in poor condition. They had been heavily used during the retreat and evacuation and arrived without adequate beaching equipment, specialised tools, documentation or spare parts.
No. 41 Squadron pilot Philip Matheson later recalled that the aircraft were run into the mud at the edge of the lake because no beaching gear was available. He also remembered badly damaged hulls and temporary repairs reportedly made with concrete during the evacuation.
This recollection demonstrates the condition in which at least some of the aircraft reached Australia, although the extent to which concrete repairs were used on each individual Dornier has not been established.
Transfer to the RAAF
The six aircraft were formally taken over by the RAAF effective 29 April 1942 and assigned the serials A49-1 to A49-6.
The transfer was subsequently approved at a total price of £A56,280. The Air Board considered using the aircraft for seaplane training, transport and air-sea rescue, thereby preserving more capable Catalinas for operational duties.
Their former Dutch and new Australian identities were:
| Dutch identity | RAAF identity | Construction number | Principal role |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-5 | A49-1 | 765 | Training and transport |
| X-7 | A49-2 | 767 | Training and transport |
| X-8 | A49-3 | 768 | Transport with No. 41 Squadron |
| X-9 | A49-4 | 769 | Transport with No. 41 Squadron |
| X-10 | A49-5 | 770 | Transport; destroyed by fire at Darwin |
| X-24 | A49-6 | 785 | Dutch intelligence and special-duty flights |
Although X-24 was assigned the serial A49-6 as part of the acquisition, it initially remained in Dutch operational use and was not employed as an ordinary RAAF transport.
Repairing the aircraft
Restoring the Dorniers to service required substantial Australian effort. Their electrical wiring, engines and hulls all required attention, while spare parts and specialised equipment were extremely scarce.
RAAF technicians stripped and replaced wiring, repaired hull plating and rebuilt aircraft systems. No. 1 Flying Boat Repair Depot at Lake Boga in Victoria became particularly important in maintaining and overhauling the Dorniers.
The electrical condition of the aircraft caused such concern that in August 1942 orders were issued that they were not to be armed until repairs had been completed.
Even after overhaul, the aircraft suffered very low serviceability. For example:
- A49-1 spent approximately 60 per cent of its period with No. 41 Squadron unserviceable; and
- A49-4 was unserviceable for approximately 68 per cent of its period with the squadron.
Despite these difficulties, the surviving aircraft performed valuable transport duties.
No. 41 Squadron operations
Five Dorniers were eventually associated with No. 41 Squadron RAAF, which operated maritime transport services from Townsville.
The aircraft carried personnel, freight and supplies between northern Australia and Allied bases in Papua and New Guinea. Destinations included Port Moresby, Milne Bay and Goodenough Island.
Because of their age, condition and limited availability, they were employed principally as transports rather than in their original armed maritime-patrol role.
Available operational figures record the following contribution:
| Aircraft | Flying hours | Passengers | Freight |
|---|---|---|---|
| A49-1 | 236 hours 45 minutes | 168 | 57,821 lb |
| A49-2 | 62 hours 25 minutes | 45 | 14,049 lb |
| A49-3 | 516 hours 45 minutes | 733 | 259,882 lb |
| A49-4 | 463 hours 40 minutes | 700 | 289,888 lb |
| A49-5 | 418 hours 33 minutes | 322 | 147,230 lb |
Collectively, the five aircraft flew approximately 1,697 hours, carried 1,968 passengers and transported more than 768,000 pounds—approximately 349 tonnes—of freight.
These totals demonstrate that, despite their chronic mechanical problems and comparatively short Australian service, the Dutch Dorniers made a substantial contribution to Allied transport operations.
The six Australian Dorniers
X-5—A49-1
X-5 became A49-1. After being allotted initially to the training organisation at Rathmines, it suffered a landing accident in September 1942 and required extensive repairs.
It was eventually returned to service and operated with No. 41 Squadron before being transferred to Lake Boga for storage in 1944.
X-7—A49-2
X-7 became A49-2. It spent prolonged periods under repair at Rathmines and was reportedly the first Dornier used there for the conversion training of RAAF pilots.
It later joined No. 41 Squadron with the code DQ-E, but continuing defects and a leaking hull severely restricted its service.
X-8—A49-3
X-8 became A49-3. Following overhaul, it served with No. 41 Squadron and became the most heavily used of the Australian Dorniers.
It carried 733 passengers and almost 260,000 pounds of freight before being withdrawn and placed in storage at Lake Boga.
X-9—A49-4
X-9 became A49-4 and operated with No. 41 Squadron under the code DQ-G.
Although it spent much of its service life under repair, it carried 700 passengers and almost 290,000 pounds of freight—the greatest freight total recorded for any of the five operational RAAF Dorniers.
X-10—A49-5
X-10 became A49-5 and carried the squadron code DQ-H.
On 11 March 1944, it was destroyed by an overnight fire at Darwin while undergoing minor electrical work in preparation for a mission. The aircraft’s persistent electrical problems may have contributed to the fire.
X-24—A49-6
X-24 followed a different path from the other five aircraft. Although included in the RAAF acquisition and allocated the serial A49-6, it remained with the Dutch special-duty organisation originally known as Groep Aernout.
Operating from bases including Rathmines and Rose Bay, X-24 carried Dutch officials, intelligence personnel, agents, equipment and communications to Merauke, Tanah Merah, the Digul region, the Wissel Lakes and the Tanimbar, Kai and Aru islands.
On 8 June 1942 it departed on a mission associated with the recovery of Dutch naval officer Commander A.J. de Bruin from the Wissel Lakes area. De Bruin subsequently helped establish a Dutch special-duty organisation operating through Netherlands New Guinea.
X-24 continued these special flights until it was replaced by a newly delivered Dutch Catalina in 1943. It was handed back for RAAF disposal in June 1943 but required further work at Rose Bay before receiving its Australian markings.
It never operated as an ordinary RAAF transport. When photographed at Lake Boga after withdrawal, it still retained much of its Dutch colour scheme.
Read more in The secret and dangerous operations of Australian and Dutch flying-boat crews.
Withdrawal at Lake Boga
By the middle of 1944, the remaining RAAF Dorniers had been withdrawn from operational service. Increasing mechanical problems and the absence of spare parts made their continued use impractical.
Five surviving aircraft were assembled at Lake Boga. On 20 December 1944, RAAF Headquarters authorised their conversion to components. Engines and reusable equipment were removed, and most of the remaining airframes were sold as scrap.
- Royal Netherlands Navy flying-boat operations from Australia, 1942–1945
- The Drama of Broome, 3 March 1942
- The secret and dangerous operations of Australian and Dutch flying-boat crews
- Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum and the Dutch Dornier Do 24K
- A Dutch flying boat remembered: the Dornier Do 24 engine at Broome
- DACC Air Force Research Portal
