Dutch WW2 Aviators Killed in Pacific

The Dutch involvement in the WW2 air War in the Pacific area has been described by René Wittert van Hoogland in the autobiographical 'Het Vergeten Squadron', Franeker, 1976, reprinted Amsterdam, 1983. The Squadron intended is the Dutch 18 NEI Squadron. NEI = Netherlands East Indies. It operated with Dutchmen as well as RAAF personnel, flying, amongst other aircraft, Mitchell B-25.

The reprint of the book includes a Roll of Honour, period 30/11/1941 to 31/1/1950. According to Wittert van Hoogland, in the period to 9/5/1945 a total of 249 Dutch military aviators lost their lives during flying training or operations in the Pacific area. That's 14 more than those lost in Europe. This puts the losses suffered in Europe, described here, into the wider perspective. 'Het Vergeten Squadron' is highly recommended as the only written survey of this part of the history of Dutch military aviation.

These losses occurred in military aviation under both the Dutch and the British flag. ML-KNIL personnel was stationed with the Royal Air Force in Singapore, early 1942. RAF 321 (Dutch) Squadron suffered losses during the many and very long patrols with Catalina's and Liberators. Author did not check to differentiate which loss occurred under which flag. Dutchmen flying with the Fleet Air Arm in the Pacific did not suffer fatal losses.

The Roll of Honour published in 'Het Vergeten Squadron' is not entirely complete. I became involved with helping Commodore-vlieger b.d. Steve A. Netto prepare the Roll of Honour, 1913 to the present, of all Dutch military aviators. The names are to be engraved on a Monument to be erected at Soesterberg. Steve Netto took the initiative for this Monument. High offices decided that names were to be limited to Airforce aviators only. That would have excluded the about 450 Dutch Navy aviators, lost worldwide in the period 1913-1962. It would have excluded the losses suffered by 320 Squadron during World War Two. This Squadron, so very present in the current study, suffered 62% of all Dutch RAF losses in Western Europe. Surely interservice rivalries should not stretch out over the lost ones. Steve Netto adopted my argument, and so did the highest office available at the time, General Dick Berlijn. This effectively meant an expansion of the monument by a factor 4.

The full Roll of Honour, 1913 to present, is to be published in 'Jachtvliegers' by Steve Netto, and shall be made available as a register next to the Monument. Therefore, author has decided to refrain from reproducing in the current study a Roll of Honour, Dutch military aviation in WW2, in the Pacific area.