Irian Jaya - Help needed from our Dutch friends

[airmanual]

Good morning,

As many of us, i've always had a strong interest in WWII wrecks and relics left in New guinea after the end of the war.

I had the chance to meet Ch. Darby a few years ago and received from him a lot of documentation and photos of what was left in the 70's in the PNG side and the Solomons; but very little from Irian Jaya (Morotai for example was off limits to foreigners).

But as Irian Jaya was part of Dutch New Guinea up to the early to mid sixties, The RNAF surely had some units based over there.

So, could anybody tell us which units were based there after WWII and if possible where.

I guess that if any unit was based in the Vogelkop peninsula, Biak or Morotai, it must be possible to find/contact veterans who documented what was left at the time of their stay.

Have a nice day,

Laurent

[Cees Broere]

Laurent,

A friend of mine served in Indonesia during the early sixties. He visited Biak once and mentioned that some Japanese aircraft wrecks were scattered around the jungle. There were also some photographs as posted a long time ago on WIX showing dozens of allied wrecks in the vicintiy which was also used by the Dutch to scavenge for parts in the fifties and possibly early sixties.

Cheers

Cees

[happymeal]

Laurent,
Max, the Dutch guy running Irian Diving (www.iriandiving.com) has a bug for WWII planes and has discovered many wrecks while exploring the costs of Irian Jaya before seeting is diving base at the xtreme north. I was told by another Dutch dive operator in Indonesia, who helped him explore the costs, that he has a very good knowledge of what is around, not only in the water. You may try to contact him via his website.

[tom d. friedman]

my dad was a rifle company commander at dutch new guinea, morotai, & mindanoa. search for www. pacificwrecks.com go to veterans, u.s. army, major martin m. friedman (my dad) & you will find fabulous warbird pics shot by him during his tour of late 1943 to 1945. please email me for any questions. regards, tom

[Walrus 7]

People,

Don't forget that Irian Jaya is now part of Indonesia ... and a part that they control very tightly. Few foreigners are allowed in the centre because they don't want people to see their "resettlement" of the local tribes.

Irian Jaya was also under the control of the Australian First Army and the Torres Strait Force. It was thought that the Japanese might try to bypass Port Moresby and attack through Merauke in the south. A small perimeter was set up at Merauke, from which the Australians harrassed the living daylights out of the Japanese. There is bound to be some un-plundered wrecks in the jungles, but whether or not they are obtainable is a different thing.

The records of 32 Sqn RAAF might have some indication of what was thought lost. They operated Hudsons from Thursday Island early in the war.

Walrus

[Jeffrey]

there was also a wartime airstrip at merauke from which operated P40's and vengeances and possibly a couple other things. I remember my father mentioning the P40's from when he was there flying the vengeances with 12 squadron.

[Mick Grinter]

Land of the morning star,I worked with a guy from Biak,his father was locked up for a while.
They used to go looking for wrecks and removing the contents of the bombs for fishing.
He got caught.
All the good wrecks are in West Papua but i have an alergy to being shot.
There is a little known war going on there.

[Digger]

I have a close friend who has recently stopped working in that region.

He says the tourists all wear Green and carry guns instead of camera's.

Having said that, I recall other destinations in the past have been similar but other researchers persisted............and this persistence paid off.

good luck

Digger