By Paul Budde
No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF was a joint Dutch–Australian bomber squadron formed in Australia following the Japanese conquest of the Netherlands East Indies. Operating North American B-25 Mitchell bombers from Australian bases, it became an important part of the Allied air campaign against Japanese shipping, airfields and military installations across the eastern Netherlands East Indies.
The squadron brought together Dutch, Indonesian and Australian personnel in an unusual multinational organisation. Dutch officers commanded the squadron and its aircraft, while Australians served throughout its flying, technical and ground organisation.
Rebuilding Dutch air power in Australia
Following the surrender of the Netherlands East Indies in March 1942, Lieutenant General Ludolph van Oyen, commander of the Military Aviation Service of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army—the ML-KNIL—began reorganising the air personnel and aircraft that had escaped to Australia.
A small ML-KNIL detachment of approximately 43 men was already based at Archerfield in Brisbane. Dutch planners initially considered forming a B-25 bomber unit there, but Archerfield had become an extremely busy Allied air base and was unsuitable for the extensive training required.
RAAF Station Canberra, later known as Fairbairn, was selected as the squadron’s principal formation and training base.
No. 18 Squadron was formally established at Canberra on 4 April 1942. On that day, 105 Netherlands East Indies personnel—five officers and 100 other ranks—arrived to begin organising the unit.
The original planning envisaged approximately 125 ground personnel and 60 flying personnel, including fourteen four-man aircrews. However, Dutch authorities did not have enough escaped personnel to fill all the required positions. The RAAF therefore supplied co-pilots, bombardiers, air gunners, photographers, technical personnel and much of the squadron’s ground organisation.
A joint Dutch–Australian organisation
The squadron operated under RAAF operational control but retained its Dutch identity. Dutch personnel remained subject to Netherlands East Indies military regulations, while the Australian contingent was administered separately through the RAAF.
The Netherlands East Indies authorities provided the aircraft, pilots and many other aircrew. The United States supplied aircraft, equipment and stores through the wartime Allied supply arrangements, with much of the equipment having originally been ordered or paid for by the Netherlands East Indies.
Aircraft were normally captained by Dutch officers, while the remaining crew positions could be filled by Dutch, Indonesian or Australian personnel.
Captain Boot, previously commander of the ML-KNIL detachment at Archerfield, became the squadron’s first temporary commanding officer. Major B.J. Fiedeldij arrived at Canberra on 28 April and assumed command on 1 May 1942. He would become closely identified with the establishment and early operations of No. 18 Squadron.
Squadron Leader Dawson arrived on 25 May as the senior RAAF officer. He became Fiedeldij’s Australian deputy and was responsible for the administration of the RAAF personnel.
Other officers involved during the formation period included Captain R.E. Jessurun, First Lieutenant Janssen, Second Lieutenant B. Wetters and Second Lieutenant W.F.A. “Gus” Winckel.
By the end of June 1942, the squadron had approximately 242 Dutch and Netherlands East Indies personnel and 207 Australians. These figures illustrate the genuinely combined character of the unit.
Obtaining the B-25 Mitchells
No. 18 Squadron’s principal aircraft was the North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber. Aircraft originally ordered for the Netherlands East Indies became the subject of difficult negotiations after the fall of Java, as both the United States and Australia urgently required additional combat aircraft.
The squadron received its first five B-25s in April 1942. Shortages and competing Allied demands delayed further deliveries, and the squadron did not receive its full complement of eighteen Mitchells until September 1942.
The initial aircraft were used for conversion training, bombing practice, air-to-air gunnery and maritime patrols.
Training and coastal patrols
While based at Canberra, No. 18 Squadron conducted training and operational patrols along the New South Wales coast. Bombing and gunnery training was also undertaken at Nowra.
In June 1942, a B-25 piloted by Captain Gus Winckel attacked what was believed to be a Japanese submarine off the New South Wales coast near Moruya. The attack was initially considered successful, but subsequent research found no evidence that a submarine had been sunk.
The episode should not be confused with the Japanese midget-submarine attack on Sydney Harbour. Winckel did not sink a submarine inside Sydney Harbour.
Training continued throughout 1942 as aircraft, equipment and personnel gradually became available. Dutch aircrew were also trained at the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School at Jackson, Mississippi. Personnel returning from the United States later provided reinforcements for the Dutch squadrons operating from Australia.
The six officers commissioned at Canberra
On 30 August 1942, six new officers were sworn in at Canberra airport:
- J. Daanen
- A. Hagers
- A.L.N. Swane
- F. Olsen
- F. Pelder
- C. Busser
Major Fiedeldij conducted the ceremony. Surviving film of the event is held by the Netherlands Institute of Military History.
Move to McDonald Airfield
No. 18 Squadron began moving from Canberra to the partly completed McDonald Airfield in the Northern Territory in December 1942.
The move required personnel, equipment and supplies to be transported overland through central Australia. A surviving Australian War Memorial photograph shows members of the joint squadron unloading equipment from a train at Alice Springs.
The squadron flew its first operational mission against Japanese-held territory on 18 January 1943.
McDonald Airfield proved unsuitable as a permanent operational base. Its distance from the squadron’s intended targets imposed serious limitations on aircraft range and bomb loads. Fully laden B-25s sometimes had to land at Darwin to take on additional fuel before continuing their missions.
Operations from Batchelor
In May 1943, No. 18 Squadron relocated to Batchelor Airfield, south of Darwin. From there it conducted bombing, maritime reconnaissance and anti-shipping operations against Japanese targets across the eastern Netherlands East Indies.
Operational areas included Portuguese Timor, Dutch Timor, the Tanimbar Islands, the Kai Islands, the Aru Islands and surrounding sea routes.
The missions were frequently long and dangerous. Crews faced Japanese fighters, anti-aircraft fire, tropical storms, mechanical failures and the constant possibility of running short of fuel over the Timor and Arafura seas.
On 7 October 1943, B-25 Mitchell N5-136 was shot down by Japanese fighters near Sumbawa. Only one member of its six-man crew survived.
Modifying the B-25s
The early B-25s did not possess sufficient range or forward-firing power for all the missions required of the squadron. Aircraft were lost or forced to make emergency landings because of fuel shortages.
Major Fiedeldij strongly pressed for modifications before continuing the most demanding operations. B-25s were subsequently sent to Eagle Farm in Brisbane, where they received additional fuel capacity and heavier forward-firing armament.
A 300-gallon fuel tank could be installed in the bomb bay for long-range missions. Later Mitchells were also fitted with additional forward-firing .50-calibre machine guns, allowing pilots to suppress defensive fire during low-level attacks.
One of the techniques used against enemy shipping was skip bombing. The aircraft approached at very low altitude and released its bombs short of the target. The bombs skipped across the water before striking the hull or superstructure.
Captain Hans de Vries later described how the squadron’s Mitchells were progressively modified for these specialised attacks. Skip bombing could be highly effective, but the low approach exposed the aircraft and crews to concentrated fire from the target.
No. 79 Wing RAAF
In December 1943, No. 18 Squadron became part of No. 79 Wing RAAF at Batchelor. The wing was commanded by Group Captain Charles Eaton.
The wing initially included:
- No. 1 Squadron RAAF, operating Beaufort bombers;
- No. 2 Squadron RAAF, operating Beaufort bombers;
- No. 31 Squadron RAAF, operating Beaufighters; and
- No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron, operating B-25 Mitchells.
No. 79 Wing participated in the New Guinea and North-Western Area campaigns. By the end of the Pacific War, Nos. 2 and 18 Squadrons, both operating Mitchells, formed part of the Australian First Tactical Air Force.
After the war, Charles Eaton became Australian consul in Portuguese Timor and later served in Batavia during the Indonesian struggle for independence.
No. 119 and No. 120 Squadrons
As more Dutch-trained personnel began returning from the United States, plans were developed to form additional Netherlands East Indies squadrons in Australia.
No. 119 Squadron was established at Canberra in September 1943 as a proposed second B-25 Mitchell squadron. Shortages of Dutch aircrew, disagreements over personnel and changing operational requirements prevented it from becoming operational. It was disbanded in December 1943.
No. 120 Squadron was a separate fighter unit. It was formed at Canberra in December 1943, equipped with P-40 Kittyhawks and subsequently deployed to Merauke in southern Netherlands New Guinea.
The history of these two units is covered separately in the DACC Air Force Research Portal.
The Western Australian Emergency
In March 1944, aircraft and personnel from Nos. 18 and 120 Squadrons were temporarily sent to Western Australia during the so-called Western Australian Emergency.
Allied intelligence had raised concerns about a possible Japanese naval attack on Fremantle or Perth. No attack occurred, and the No. 18 Squadron detachment subsequently returned to Batchelor.
Operations during 1944
No. 18 Squadron continued attacking Japanese airfields, shipping and supply routes during 1944.
On 19 June 1944, Dutch and Australian crews participated in a major attack on the Japanese airfield at Cape Chater in Portuguese Timor. Almost 30,000 pounds of bombs were dropped, causing fires and explosions across the airfield and its dispersal areas. All participating aircraft returned safely.
A contemporary account of this raid appeared in The West Australian. A copy of that report is reproduced with this article.
On 23 June 1944, the squadron’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel E.J.G. te Roller, was killed during an anti-shipping operation near Tioor Island.
The final campaigns
In February 1945, part of No. 18 Squadron moved to Jacquinot Bay in New Britain. Plans to transfer the entire squadron there were abandoned following Dutch requests that it be deployed closer to the Netherlands East Indies.
The detachment subsequently moved to Morotai.
On 7 April 1945, No. 18 Squadron aircraft participated in an attack that damaged the Japanese cruiser Isuzu north of Sumbawa. American submarines sank the cruiser later that day.
In July 1945, the entire squadron relocated to Balikpapan in Borneo following the Allied capture of the area.
After Japan’s surrender, the squadron dropped information leaflets, searched for prisoner-of-war and civilian internment camps and delivered supplies. It also supported the movement, relief and repatriation of people throughout the devastated Netherlands East Indies.
Casualties
No. 18 Squadron’s service came at a heavy human cost.
The Australian War Memorial records that 90 Dutch personnel and 25 Australians were killed while serving with the squadron. The total recorded by the Memorial is therefore 115.
The squadron flew more than 900 operational sorties during its wartime service.
A casualty document is included below this article. It should be retained as a historical record, although its scope should be clearly identified because it may include casualties from the wider Military Aviation Service of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army rather than only No. 18 Squadron.
After the war
The RAAF component of No. 18 Squadron was disbanded on 25 November 1945. The squadron passed fully to Dutch control in January 1946 and moved to Tjililitan airfield near Batavia in March.
It subsequently undertook operations during the Indonesian War of Independence.
Following the transfer of sovereignty to Indonesia, No. 18 Squadron was disbanded on 26 July 1950. Its remaining aircraft and equipment were transferred to the Indonesian Air Force.
A surviving photograph records the squadron’s disbandment parade with B-25 Mitchell N5-246.
Named members and personal stories
The DACC collection contains further information about the following members of No. 18 Squadron:
- Major B.J. Fiedeldij, the squadron’s first long-serving commanding officer
- Hans de Vries, B-25 pilot
- Joop van Doorn, radio operator, telegraphist and navigator
- David Groen—No. 18 Squadron
- Max Horstink, bombardier and former Timor guerrilla fighter
- Gerard Johan Lugt Flight Commander at 18 NEI Squadron in Australia
- Gus Winckel
- Dirk Stellema
- WWII Pilot Guus Hagers, Lienke and the Forgotten Story
- Profile of Joop van Doorn former radio/telegraphist/navigator of the 18 Squadron
- Harry Burgers wireless operator and air gunner
- Jeff Crosbie – Australian Gunner at the 18 NEI RAAF Squadron
- The “Pulk” restored B25 bomber from the 18 NEI Squadron RAAF
- Lieutenant W.J. Burck, Sergeants E.H.J. de Lyon and H. Kelder – treason case
- Other identified members of No. 18 Squadron
These personal accounts complement the operational history by recording the experiences of the people who served together in the squadron.
Acknowledgements, Sources and further reading
- Australian War Memorial—No. 18 (NEI) Squadron
- Australian War Memorial—No. 18 (NEI) Squadron RAAF
- Royal Australian Air Force—Establishment of RAAF Base Fairbairn
- No. 18 (N.E.I.) Squadron RAAF: The First Difficult Year, 4 April 1942–1943
- De Militaire Luchtvaart van het KNIL in de jaren 1942–1945
- Operations Record Books of No. 18 Squadron, National Archives of Australia
- Peter Dunn OAM has written a detailed history of the 18 NEI RAAF Squadron. Thanks also to Ingrid Schodel (Children of the 18th Squadron) for her assistance with the research of this article.
The following website also offers information on the Air Force of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army. Key in Netherlands East Indies for an overview of available files.
Dutch squadron choir in wartime Australia: voices of resilience and diplomacy
Related DACC research
For the broader history of the Dutch air presence in wartime Australia, including No. 18 Squadron’s bases, aircraft, operations and personal stories, see:
Research Portal—Dutch and Netherlands East Indies Air Forces in Australia during World War II
Historical photographs, film and records
Skipbombing
There is an interesting story from B 25 Commander Hans de Vries.
As the war progressed, the B-25’s he and his colleagues were flying were progressively modified for the specialist attacks they were undertaking. ‘Skip Bombing’ was found to be the most effective technique against enemy shipping. The technique had been perfected in New Guinea, against an old wreck off Port Moresby. The concept of ‘skip-bombing’ was a low, flat approach to drop bombs short of the target in such a way that the bombs bounced off the water and struck nose first against the hull or superstructure of the target ship, where they detonated. The major disadvantage was heavy fire from the target; attacking low and fast meant there was no margin for error or mishap. The early B-25s lacked sufficient forward firing armament to suppress this fire. Later versions of nearly all Mitchells featured local modifications to increase the number of fixed forward firing .50 cal machine guns. As many as eight could be controlled by the pilot and co-pilot.
Radio transcript
This is a link to a transcript of a radio talk presented by ABC war correspondent Haydon Lennard, who visited the Dutch Bomber Unit in Northern Australia in 1944. This must have been the 18 Squadron.
Major raid reported in the Western Austrlian
This contemporary report in the West Australian describes a major raid by the Dutch No. 18 Netherlands East Indies Squadron against the Japanese airfield at Cape Chater in Portuguese Timor on 19 June 1944. Dutch and Australian aircrew dropped almost 30,000 pounds of bombs, causing fires and explosions across the airfield and its dispersal areas. All aircraft returned safely.
Records from the Australian War Memorial
There are also a number of records of the No. 18 Squadron in the Australian War Memorial archives.
The record below is from Operations Record Book for 18 Squadron NEI-AF at the National Archives of Australia:
Film: Swearing-in ceremony for six new officers
The following video shows the ceremony during which the six new officers were sworn in at the Canberra airport 30 August 1942. These officers are J. Daanen, A. Hagers, A.L.N. Swane, F. Olsen, F. Pelder en C. Busser. The function was carried out by Major Fiedeldij, commanding officer of the 18 Squadron. Source: Nederlands Instituut voor Militaire Historie
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1911733265757602
First difficult year of the Squadron 1942-1943
List of casualties
Below is a list of the casualties of the Air Force of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army.
Source: De Militaire Luchtvaart van het KNIL in de jaren 1942-1945
No. 18 Squadron artefacts at the Darwin Aviation Museum
The Darwin Aviation Museum preserves several objects associated with No. 18 Squadron. Their descriptions and identifying names should remain part of the historical record.
No18 NEI(Netherlands East Indies) RAAF SQN. “United We Stand 1942”.
