Throughout World War II, the Dutch Merchant Navy (Koopvaardij) played a crucial role in the global war effort, especially in the Pacific following the fall of the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia) to Japanese forces in early 1942. This article explores the enduring legacy of the Dutch Merchant Navy in Read more
Republished with permission. Section Five of the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf of the book click here. Introduction chapters of the book: Touch of Dutch
Republished with permission. Chapter 31 of the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf of the book click here. Introduction chapters of the book: Touch of Dutch
Republished with permission. Chapter 29 of the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf of the book click here. Introduction chapters of the book: Touch of Dutch
Republished with permission. Chapter 28 of the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf of the book click here. Introduction chapters of the book: Touch of Dutch
Republished with permission. Section Four of the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf of the book click here. Introduction chapters of the book: Touch of Dutch
Republished with permission. Introduction chapters of the book: A Touch of Dutch. For the full pdf of the book click here. Full index of the book with links to each chapter see below. Section One: Dutch Maritime history in Australia Chapter 2 Aboriginals and Shipwrecks – The arrival of Australia’s first Read more
On the eve of the Netherlands East Indies’ capitulation, a series of evacuation flights brought Dutch citizens to the safety of Australia, with Broome emerging as a key evacuation hub. Among the heroic pilots, Dutch-Russian Captain Iwan Smirnoff stood out for his multiple successful evacuation missions, regarding it as a Read more
This article was created with the permission of, and with information made available by, Mr. Bijvoet’s grandchildren, Dr. Shanti Wong and Mr. Mark Wardle. Cornelis Bijvoet (1890–1964) was a Dutch shipping engineer who served his country with distinction as a ship designer, a World War II naval officer, and a 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