Urgent need to replace aging planes – 162 new planes ordered The Netherlands nor NEI and nor Australia for that matter were well prepared for war. In NEI the ML-KNIL were using the no longer up-to-date Martin bombers (from the Glenn L. Martin Company in the USA). They were the Read more…
On 26 February, a ML-KNIL Douglas Dakota caught fire and crashed into the ocean about 23 minutes into a test flight from Archerfield, killing all six people – three Dutch servicemen and three Australian crew members – onboard. ML-KNIL = Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger – Royal Netherlands Read more…
The following story was told by Les Bryant and recorded in World War II Stories from Brisbane’s South West My aunt was one of MacArthur’s drivers in Brisbane, but her story started overseas. She actually arrived back in Australia about the same time as Macarthur, as an evacuee from the Read more…
This article is produced with the assistance AI. Corrections and additions are welcome. Who Were the Boers? The Boers were descendants of Dutch, German, and French Huguenot settlers who arrived in southern Africa in the 17th and 18th centuries, primarily under the auspices of the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (Dutch East Read more…
Marijke van Faassen In “Polder and Emigration,” the Dutch emigration policy is analyzed as an integral part of the Netherlands’ social and economic policy between 1945 and 1967. The book delves into how various key players from government and civil society collaborated post-1945 to shape this policy, situating it within Read more…
This paper by Dr.Nonja Peters presents a comprehensive exploration of Australia’s involvement in Indonesian independence and the complex historical narrative surrounding the Dutch East Indies during and after World War II. It addresses the “History Wars” between Dutch and Indonesian perspectives on Indonesian independence, focusing on critical issues such as Read more…
This paper written by Dr. Nonja Peters, explores the social and political context of two evacuations out of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) into Australia, the first from just before the Kalidjati capitulation on 8 March 1942 the second in the aftermath of war from 1945 to 1948. Who were Read more…
The Dutch government of the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) ordered several Douglas A-20 Havoc (DB-7) aircraft from the United States just before the start of WWII in the Pacific, intending to strengthen their defenses. These aircraft, used as light bombers and attack planes, were adopted by various Allied forces during Read more…
Born on December 15, 1905, in Groningen, the Netherlands, Berendina Annagena (Dien) Knol (née Freese) led a remarkable life marked by resilience, faith, and service. Her family migrated to Australia in 1928 after her father, Jurjen Peter Freese, faced financial ruin in the Netherlands. Dien, aged 23 at the time, Read more…
General Sir John Winthrop Hackett, better known as “Shan,” was an Australian-born British soldier who played a pivotal role in one of World War II’s most ambitious military operations, Operation Market Garden. Born on November 5, 1910, in Perth, Western Australia, Hackett’s early life was steeped in both Australian and Read more…