In late 1942, No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF began moving from Canberra to McDonald Airfield in the Northern Territory. This complex transfer brought the Dutch–Australian B-25 Mitchell squadron closer to Japanese-occupied territory and marked its transition from training and coastal patrols to offensive operations.
The move involved hundreds of Dutch, Indonesian and Australian personnel, dozens of vehicles, the squadron’s aircraft and approximately 500 tons of equipment and supplies. The journey across Australia was complicated by incomplete facilities, heavy rain, transport delays and the isolated location of the new base.
McDonald Airfield
McDonald Airfield was located approximately 16 kilometres northwest of Pine Creek in the Northern Territory.
It was initially known in some records as Burkholder Field, occasionally spelled Burkeholder. Construction was undertaken by Company A and the headquarters detachment of the United States Army’s 808th Engineer Aviation Battalion between 11 May and 16 July 1942, with assistance from the Australian Allied Works Council.
The original facilities included:
- a runway approximately 6,000 feet long and 100 feet wide, with 50-foot shoulders;
- four inches of gravel surfacing on the runway;
- approximately 5,000 feet of taxiways;
- eighteen aircraft dispersal areas without protective revetments; and
- camp and support buildings.
No. 54 Operational Base Unit RAAF and No. 1 Airfield Construction Squadron subsequently occupied the site and continued improving the airfield and its facilities.
Named after Joshua Roger Gray McDonald
The airfield was named after Wing Commander Joshua Roger Gray McDonald, commanding officer of No. 13 Squadron RAAF.
McDonald was killed with three other crew members on 10 December 1941 when Lockheed Hudson A16-69 crashed into the sea near Ambon in the Netherlands East Indies.
Historical records use both McDonald and MacDonald for the airfield. As it commemorated Joshua McDonald, this article uses the spelling McDonald, while recognising that Australian War Memorial and other wartime records sometimes use MacDonald.
Planning the move north
No. 18 Squadron had been formed at Canberra on 4 April 1942. By late 1942, it had completed much of its initial training and received its operational complement of B-25 Mitchell bombers.
Preparations for a possible move had begun by 25 September 1942, when the squadron issued Mobility and denial orders for movements of three echelons. These orders followed Instruction No. 24/1942 from Allied Air Forces Headquarters in Brisbane. They provided general guidance for moving a squadron during an emergency and became the basis for the transfer to the Northern Territory.
The direct distance between Canberra and McDonald was approximately 3,100 kilometres. The actual overland journey was considerably longer and involved several changes between rail and road transport.
The squadron was divided into four groups:
- the advance party, also described as the vanguard or quartermaster party;
- the main party;
- the air echelon, comprising the aircraft and associated personnel; and
- the rear party.
The original timetable provided for the advance party to depart on 26 November, followed by the main party approximately two weeks later. The air echelon would leave after the main party reached McDonald, with the rear party departing last.
Problems preparing the airfield
On 17 November, the squadron was informed that an adequate water supply had not been established at McDonald. Water trucks would therefore be required.
Drilling for water had been unsuccessful, camp construction was behind schedule and considerable work remained to be done on the airfield. The engineers responsible for McDonald were also working on other defence projects across the region.
The runway presented another problem. Its granite-gravel surface broke down during heavy tropical rain and required continual maintenance.
Air Commodore Francis Bladin, Air Officer Commanding North-Western Area, considered using Pine Creek Airfield as an alternative. He was advised against this because conditions at Pine Creek were considered unhealthy.
Despite the difficulties, Allied Air Forces and the RAAF wanted No. 18 Squadron operational as quickly as possible. Work therefore continued to make McDonald sufficiently usable and habitable.
The advance party
The advance party departed Canberra on 25 November 1942, one day earlier than originally planned.
It consisted of approximately:
- 130 ML-KNIL and RAAF personnel;
- 45 vehicles; and
- 100 tons of camp equipment and supplies.
Two trains carried the party to Alice Springs. From there, the personnel and equipment travelled approximately 900 kilometres by road to Birdum.
At Birdum they transferred back to rail for the journey to Pine Creek. The final section from Pine Creek to McDonald was completed by road.
The advance party reached McDonald at approximately one o’clock in the morning on 11 December. Its journey had taken sixteen days.
Captain R.E. Jessurun accompanied the early movement to supervise preparations by the advance party.
The main party
The main party departed Canberra on 5 December 1942. It comprised approximately:
- 185 personnel; and
- 200 tons of equipment and supplies.
It followed the same general route as the advance party. Heavy rain delayed the train for three days between Terowie and Alice Springs.
The main party arrived at McDonald on 24 December, after a journey of nineteen days.
Conditions were exhausting. Twelve personnel became ill during the journey. On the difficult road section, a vehicle overturned after its overtired driver fell asleep.
Photographs below are of the movement record personnel, vehicles and equipment being transported across Australia. These images should document the scale and difficulty of the relocation. Source: De Militaire Luchtvaart van het KNIL in de jaren 1942-1945
The air echelon
The movement of the squadron’s B-25 Mitchells was delayed by aircraft modifications.
On 2 December, the squadron learned that the installation of additional fuel tanks at No. 1 Aircraft Depot at Laverton was behind schedule. It was initially estimated that nine aircraft would not be ready to leave for McDonald until 26 December. The remaining aircraft would follow later.
To establish an operational presence in the Northern Territory, several unmodified aircraft were sent north earlier than planned. Two aircraft departed on 3 December and another two on 5 December. These aircraft were expected to return to Melbourne later for modification.
The remaining B-25s reached McDonald progressively. The final aircraft arrived on 18 January 1943.
The move completed
The transfer of No. 18 Squadron from Canberra to McDonald was considered complete on 18 January 1943, when the last of its aircraft arrived.
The squadron now received its operational instructions directly from the North-Western Area operations room. Supplies were obtained through No. 9 Stores Depot, while periodic aircraft maintenance was undertaken by No. 1 Repair and Servicing Unit at Manbullo.
The move had transported approximately:
- 384 personnel in the three principal ground parties;
- 56 vehicles; and
- 500 tons of camp equipment, stores and other material.
These figures do not include all personnel travelling with the aircraft or personnel already sent ahead by other means.
First operations from McDonald
The arrival of the final aircraft on 18 January did not mean that the squadron flew its first attack that day. Operational preparation and reconnaissance continued after the transfer was completed.
Under the command of Lieutenant Colonel B.J. Fiedeldij, No. 18 Squadron flew its first bombing raid from McDonald against Dili in Japanese-occupied Timor on 31 January 1943.
From McDonald, the squadron began flying patrols, bombing missions and attacks on Japanese shipping and installations in Timor, the Tanimbar Islands and the Kai Islands.
The missions often operated near the limit of the B-25s’ range. McDonald was too far south for efficient operations against many of the intended targets. Heavily loaded aircraft sometimes had to stage through Darwin to obtain additional fuel.
The undeveloped base, poor water supply, difficult runway and long distance from the operational area made McDonald an important but temporary home for the squadron.
Visit by the Chief of Air Staff
During 1943, Air Vice Marshal George Jones, Chief of the Air Staff of the RAAF, visited the joint Dutch–Australian squadron at McDonald.
Australian War Memorial photographs record Jones meeting Lieutenant Colonel Fiedeldij, inspecting the base and watching bombs being prepared for loading into No. 18 Squadron’s B-25 Mitchells.
These photographs provide an important visual record of the squadron’s short operational period at McDonald.
Move to Batchelor
Between April and May 1943, No. 18 Squadron moved from McDonald to Batchelor Airfield.
Batchelor was closer to Darwin and the squadron’s operational routes. It also offered substantially better facilities. From there, the squadron expanded its bombing, reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations against Japanese forces across the eastern Netherlands East Indies..
Pine Creek Airfield
The following pictures are from the nearby Pine Creek Airfield which was also used by the Dutch. It was also used as mentioned above in the move of the 18 Squadron from Canberra to McDonald Airfield.
The pictures below are from the book Het Koninklijk Koloniale Nederlands-Indische Leger 1930-1950 . The captions are: Pictures taken early 1945 at an advanced position, mechanics working on the B25 Mitchells working on their planes,
Paul Budde
See also:
- No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF during World War II
- The Dutch at Batchelor Airport in the Northern Territory
- Research Portal—Dutch and Netherlands East Indies Air Forces in Australia during World War II
Sources
- De Militaire Luchtvaart van het KNIL in de jaren 1942–1945, O.G. Ward
- Australian War Memorial—No. 18 (NEI) Squadron
- Australian War Memorial—No. 18 (NEI) Squadron RAAF
- Australian War Memorial—Wing Commander Joshua Roger Gray McDonald
- Australian War Memorial—George Jones and B.J. Fiedeldij at McDonald
- Oz at War—McDonald Airfield
