Another historical photo brought to you by Aerothentic

General Douglas MacArthur in Townsville, Australia, late 1942. If you look carefully you will note the B-17 in the background which has just flown him up from Brisbane. The photo contains a star-studded cast. Moving from left to right we see Brigadier-General Ralph Royce, MacArthur, General Thomas Blamey, General George Churchill Kenney, an unknown Australian and Brigadier-General Kenneth Walker.

Royce led the infamous 'Royce mission' when a squadron of Mitchells, all of which were sidetracked from the Dutch Air Force, were assigned from Australia to fight against against the blockade of Bataan to assist the beleaguered General Wainwright. However, with the fall of Bataan on 9th April 1942, this plan was changed to attacking shipping in Philippine's waters three days later. Royce's Mitchell strike force was complemented by three Fortresses. The first leg staged from Brisbane to Darwin, thence a flight to Del Monte Field on Mindanao. From here the Mitchells struck Nichols Field, Davao and Cebu. All eventually returned safely to Darwin, and a few days later were transferred to the 3rd Attack Group.

Blamey was the Commander-in-Chief for Austarlian land forces, and his relationship with MacArthur was never smooth, one of the reasons Australian forces were relegated to rear combat positions as the war moved northwards.

Walker disappeared in a Fortress over Rabaul mid-morning of 5 January 1943 whilst Kenney of course, was the Commander of the Fifth Air Force, a position he assumed in Australia on 28th July 1942 when he landed there at dusk. The rest is history . . .

 

OUR HERITAGE      SERVICES      PRODUCTS      HISTORICAL     HOME     CONTACT US   LINKS