The Army Air Forces in World War II, Vol. 1 (archived PDF)

L O S S O F N E T H E R L A N D S E A S T I N D I E S
with a four-inch layer of soil to provide a usable though sometimes
boggy runway. Local Dutch residents opened their homes to the
Americans, who had not enjoyed such “good baths, good food, good
whiskey, good beds” since leaving the United States. But there were
only two mechanics available for upkeep of the planes, and for four
days the crews worked from dawn to late a t night getting their planes
into shape. For parts, they cannibalized one of the aircraft, and they
lost still another when it came down in Soerabaja Bay. Then after a
week of preparation a t Mod jokerto, the remaining seven planes flew
to Malang to secure adjustment of shackles and adapters for use of the
Dutch There on the fateful 19th of February they were
ready for operations.
T h e honor of carrying out the initial low-level bombing attack had
already gone to the pursuit planes of the 17th Squadron. T w o days
earlier, on 17 February, eight of the P-40’s had flown seventy-five
miles to Madioen to pick up a bomb load of four zo-kilogram bombs
per plane. Another hop, this time of 3 2 5 miles, brought them to
Batavia, whence they flew 275 miles across the Java Sea for a bombing
and strafing attack on Japanese shipping and aircraft in the region of
recently captured Palembang. Though the weather favored the attack,
Japanese fighters intercepted so spiritedly that only three of the
American planes were successful in breaking through to the targets.
Bombs were dropped among enemy landing barges, and the Americans
accounted for four of the Japanese fighters with no loss to themselves.
All of the P-40’s returned safely to Ngoro the next day.’2
That was the day the Japanese landed on Bali in an action that
would effectively cut the ferry route from Australia. T h e prospect of
this interference with plans for reinforcement of Java naturally had
been a source of great concern to Allied commanders, and as early as
I 7 January, General Wave11 had decided to attempt a reinforcement
of Timor. By 4 February arrangements had been completed for
strengthening the defenses of this key point along the way by sending
from Australia an antiaircraft battery, most of an American field ar-
tillery regiment, and an additional infantry battali~n.’~But the prob-
lem of protecting from air attack the ships on which they were to be
transported and other factors delayed their deparrure from Darwin
until 1 5 February, when four transports escorted by the US. cruiser
Houston and the destroyer Peary-Wave11 and Brett had hoped to
provide air cover-sailed for T i m ~ r . ~ ~Unhappily, the convoy was
39’