4 February 1942 - C-53 shot down by Japanese aircraft at Bathurst Island

C-53 SHOT DOWN BY JAPANESE AIRCRAFT
AT BATHURST ISLAND
ON 4 FEBRUARY 1942

visits since 23 May 2000

On 4 February 1942, C-53 aircraft, #41-20051, of the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron of the 374th Troop Carrier Group, USAAF, was returning from Java and found that Darwin was closed in. It turned back to Bathurst Island, 60 miles north of Darwin, where it landed on an emergency airfield for light aircraft. While landing in a crosswind, the plane damaged its left wing tip and aileron, and before repairs could be carried out, a Japanese Zeke A6M destroyed the aircraft on the ground on 19 February 1942 while it was on its way to a large attack on Darwin.

The aircraft, a C 50B-DO was delivered to USAAF on 17 October 1941. The aircraft was stripped of all usable items and bulldozed into Aspley Strait.

This may be the same incident as when, a USAAF C-53 was bombed by Japanese aircraft on Bathurst Island on 20 February 1942.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I'd like to thank Bob Livingstone and Norman Weeding for their assistance with this home page.

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