Susumu Tomomatsu recently died in January aged 102. He had been an official photographer with the Japanese army in WWII. His family found albums of his photographs that had never been published. Some have recently been shared on a Japanese news website. A member of the WIX Forum just highlighted this find.
Amazingly, one of the pictures depicts a dump containing numerous allied aircraft. It was reportedly on Java. Prominent in the picture is a Miles cabin monoplane which looks to be a Whitney Straight in RAF colours. Here is a link to that site / image:
http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/photo/AS20181113004675.html
By: avion ancien - 20th November 2018 at 10:08
Done!
By: Arabella-Cox - 19th November 2018 at 20:17
AA…………. You can correct/edit your original post. (Oh maybe not,depending on performance of forum ?!!!)
By: avion ancien - 19th November 2018 at 15:08
Sorry. I’ve just realised that I made a mistake in referring to the MVAF as the Malaysian, rather than Malayan, Volunteer Air Force.
By: DaveF68 - 19th November 2018 at 14:56
Direct link to photo
http://www.asahicom.jp/ajw/articles/images/AS20181113004675_comm.jpg
By: ericmunk - 19th November 2018 at 14:27
Correct. The “B-10” is Martin 166 (or 139WH-3A as it was also known) M589 of the KNIL. At least three Brewster Buffaloes are visible too, including model 339D B-3156 and 339C B-397. The USAAF B-17, and an unidentified fuselage frame also stand out. Not sure if the tail with an “O” is a Buffalo too, could be.
By: Tin Triangle - 19th November 2018 at 13:31
A fascinating photo – thanks for posting! It took me a fair amount of head scratching to work it out, but I think the tail to the left is a Martin B-10 – presumably one of the Dutch order?
By: DaveF68 - 19th November 2018 at 11:22
First recollection I have of a MVAF aircraft in camouflage
By: Consul - 18th November 2018 at 22:34
We expected Peter to come up trumps – thanks for sharing this information Chris.
By: Chris Royle - 18th November 2018 at 21:00
This from an e mail to a friend from Peter Amos regarding the photo.
History of aircraft: c/n 504 M.11A Whitney Straight; colour not recorded. CofA No.6204 issued 27.1.38 (as “SA-SBB”) to the Royal Singapore Flying Club; dd 1.2.38. Regd VR-SBB (CofR 31) 18.3.38 to Royal Singapore Flying Club,Kallang. The Miles Magazine September 1938 reported that: The longest ‘out-and-home’ flight by an aircraft of the Royal Singapore Flying Club was completed on June 22nd, when a fast new machine returned from a trip to Bangkok. The Whitney Straight was chartered and piloted by Mr EC Whiteley who had to visit Siam on business in connection with Metropolitan Vickers Electrical Co Ltd, for whom he is the local representative. To ‘A’ Flight MVAF 1.12.41 with serial 12. Badly damaged in heavy landing Andir, Bandoeng, Java 20.2.42 and abandoned there.
By: Consul - 18th November 2018 at 17:14
Thanks AA. I will also look at Peter M’s Air-Britain tomes on Miles aircraft, when I get chance, to check what his more recent findings say.
By: avion ancien - 18th November 2018 at 10:50
I think that the Whitney Straight depicted is VR-SBB (c/n 504), of which Peter Moss (Impressments Log, Vol. IV) commented that:
[it] was owned by the Royal Singapore Flying Club before it was impressed into ‘A’ Flight of the M.V.A.F. [Malayan Volunteer Air Force] on 1.2.41, and operated services between Kallang and various airfields in Java and Sumatra. Evacuated to Java in February 1942, VR-SBB was damaged beyond repair in a heavy landing at Andir Aerodrome, Bandoeng, circa 20.4.42
If anyone has Air-Britain Digest of November 1955 (!), it contains an article by R.Golby detailing the history of the Malayan Volunteer Air Force and this might expand upon the foregoing comments.
By: flyernzl - 18th November 2018 at 08:49
A fascinating series of photographs.
Thanks for the link.
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November 17, 2018 at 10:46 pm