The Dutch Naval Air Force Against Japan: The Defense of the Netherlands East Indies, 1941-1942 by Tom Womack

Author:Tom Womack [Womack, Tom]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: World War II, Military, Aviation, General, history, General Fiction, Transportation
ISBN: 9780786423651
Google: 0OdmAAAAMAAJ
Publisher: McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers
Published: 2006-02-14T00:13:30.732523+00:00

“Convoy Hit by Bombers”

At this point, ABDA High Command determined that Billiton was untenable and attempted to evacuate the infantry company deployed to the island just two weeks earlier. On February 17, the Dutch destroyer Van Nes and KPM passenger ship Sloet van de Beele were ordered to execute the operation. Admiral Helfrich had opposed the troop transfer to Billiton from the beginning. He thought the island was too small and isolated to be effectively defended and was now extremely annoyed with having to expend valuable Navy resources to withdraw the troops.26

Nonetheless, the evacuation initially went well. The transport embarked the KNIL troops and a large number of European civilians without problems, and both ships then raised anchor and sailed for Java. However, shortly after their departure, a Japanese seaplane from the heavy cruiser Mogami sighted them and signaled, “Large Merchant Ship and Destroyer Sailing Southward of the Gaspar Straits.” In response, 15 G3M “Nells” of the Genzan Bomber Wing and 10 B5N “Kate” level bombers from Ryujo were immediately dispatched and quickly found Van Nes and Sloet van de Beele sailing alone without air cover.

As the Japanese bombers appeared overhead, the Dutch cruiser Tromp and Y-45 picked up a signal from Van Nes reading “Convoy Hit by Bombers.” Soon after, the PBY received another signal reporting that the destroyer had been “Slightly Damaged.” A third signal reported that Sloet van de Beele had been lost and that the destroyer was under heavy air attack. There were no more radio transmissions as Van Nes was sunk under a hail of bombs at 1615.

On the 17th, X-17 and X-18 sighted a Japanese destroyer in the Banka Strait off Tandjoeng Lelari. Although both Dorniers made a number of bomb runs on the ship, the squadron commander, Lieutenant-Commander W. van Prooijen, was confused by the actions of the ship and refused to let them drop any bombs. He initially believed that the destroyer might be Allied because it held a steady course and speed, even when the seaplanes threatened to attack.

However, when Van Prooijen went down for a closer look, a barrage of AA fire lightly damaged X-17. At that point, still unsure of the ship’s nationality, he withdrew without attacking. One possibility for the destroyer’s erratic behavior was the fact that the Banka Strait offered such little maneuvering room. Her captain might have concluded that the risk of damage from the two seaplanes was smaller than trying to evade their bombs in such a confined area.

By the morning of February 19, KM HQ in Soerabaja had not received a transmission from Van Nes since the previous afternoon. Harboring no illusions as to her fate, Dutch naval authorities issued a position report and ordered all available Allied air and naval units to initiate search-and-rescue efforts. Within hours, X-28 of GVT.6 sighted the first group of survivors while on a reconnaissance patrol out of Morokrembangan. Setting down on the water, it rescued 21 men from Sloet van de Beele and flew them to the ME.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.