Marinus Willem Reith’s military career followed an extraordinary path from the Netherlands East Indies through Japanese captivity in Java and Thailand to aviation training in the United States and postwar service with Dutch military aviation in Australia and New Guinea. His surviving military personnel record helps reconstruct this journey. It Read more
Willy Erkelens was a Netherlands East Indies military pilot whose career extended from prewar flying training through Japanese captivity and into the violent struggle surrounding Indonesian independence. After qualifying as a military pilot shortly before the Pacific War, he was captured following the surrender of Java. He survived more than Read more
Introduction In early 1942, following the rapid collapse of the Netherlands East Indies under Japanese attack, large parts of the Dutch military, administrative and maritime infrastructure were relocated to Australia. Among those who arrived were thousands of Indonesian seamen employed on Dutch merchant vessels, suddenly operating in an unfamiliar environment Read more
The story of the B-25 Mitchell N5-185, known as “Lienke”, is one of the most compelling examples of how wartime aviation, personal history and Allied cooperation came together in Australia during World War II. Operated by No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF, this aircraft was not only part of Read more
The 18 Netherlands East Indies squadron RAAF was established on April 4 1942 They destroyed many Japanese operations on NEI, sunk 6 Japanese ships and numerous smaller boats.
Seven men survive a forced landing in remote Northern Territory country On 25 March 1947, Royal Netherlands Navy Douglas C-47 Dakota W-12 made a forced landing in extremely remote country northeast of Katherine in the Northern Territory. The aircraft, carrying seven Dutch servicemen, had suffered a complete electrical failure during Read more
The reintroduction of KLM’s air service to Australia in 1951 must be understood against the backdrop of an earlier Dutch aviation network that had already reached the continent before the war—and had then been abruptly dismantled by it. During the 1930s, KNILM (Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij) operated an extensive network Read more
The Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum in northern Victoria preserves the forward fuselage of what is believed to be the last surviving Dornier Do 24K from the six former Netherlands Naval Aviation Service flying boats taken over by the Royal Australian Air Force during the Second World War. This unusual Read more
Dutch bombers over northern Australia During 1942 and 1943 No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) RAAF Squadron operated North American B-25 Mitchell bombers from northern Australian airfields as part of Allied operations against Japanese forces in Timor and the Netherlands East Indies. These missions included armed reconnaissance, strike operations and maritime Read more
The Broome Historical Museum preserves one of Australia’s most important collections relating to the Japanese attack on Broome on 3 March 1942 and the Dutch and Netherlands East Indies evacuees caught in the raid. Operated by the Broome Historical Society, the museum occupies the former Customs House and other historic Read more