Indonesia, Morotai, etc.

[HarvardIV]

Hi guys:

Finally got back to Singapore. I went to Morotai, what a place! Also went to Ternate. Very interesting part of the world. Also found out about some planes in a lake.

Anyway Morotai is a long story, but I'll tell you guys about it in a few days. Not enough time to explain everything right now.

Bye Bye,

Chris

[Randy Haskin]

Good to hear that you're back safely.

[Robbie Stuart]

Glad you resurfaced Chris, We were a little concerned how you were with the earthquake down there.
Regards,
Robbie

[tom d. friedman]

chris hope my book is having a good time!!! glad you checked in!! can't wait to hear the details!! my dad will be most interested too!! be safe & enjoy!! tom

[george]

Chris - its great to hear you are okay. I was starting to sweat bullets, with the earthquake, on top of you being in that part of the world. So you actually set foot on the most isolated, mysterious island in the most forgotten corner of the world, Morotai. You have been to the place I would imagine most of us who study the Pacific airwar and their boneyards would choose as the one place we would want to see above any other. I know people who have been to all the major islands, but Voll, the Australian vet and yourself are maybe the only ones to come ashore on Morotai. When you are able, please let us know all, i.e., the ravines, burial pits, "dismantling factories", etc. Thanks very much.

George

[HarvardIV]

Hello guys:

I am quite surprised to hear that you were worried about me. In fact I would think some of you would say "I wish this guy was in the earthquake so he will leave us alone" Just kidding..

Anyway, Morotai is quite mysterious. As soon as I landed there, I saw several 4 bladed Spitfire props laying around with the cranks still attached. I also saw a wingtip from a spitfire laying near the tower. Midfield there is a smelter where the aircraft scrapyard was. The majority of the scrapyard is now gone. This main scrapyard was between runway 2 and 3, midfield where the smelter is. If there was a second scrapyard, it is still there, because everything is covered over with jungle brush and coconut palms. The obvious and well known main scrapyard is gone. I was not allowed to explore Morotai airport by the TNI forces.

I met with 2 TNI-AU Lieutenants stationed at Morotai who will assist us with research. If any of you know where the Japanese boneyard was located; we can notify the 2 lieutenants, and they will search the area. Also, if there was a second scrapyard, we can give the location to the TNI lieutenants, and they will provide assistance in verifying that the aircraft are there.

They would not let me look around even under their own supervision. To keep Morotai airport secure, they also tell the local people that they will get haunted by "spirits" and lose their minds if they explore the airport.

Furthermore, one of the lieutenants mentioned that he saw various P-47 parts where the main scrapyard was. Including a tailplane and landing gear. I was told by a native that one Mustang was spared from the main scrapyard, and put on display in a small village named Palang. I can verify this later.

Lastly, if there is another scrapyard it is probsbly still there, because the lieutenants told me they keep hearing rumors about it from the natives.

Bye,

Chris

[Swiss Mustangs]

Chris - thanks for this interesting report

re. the P-51 - I've heard rumors of an existing ex-AURI (TNI-AU) P-51D at "Jalang" (sic!) - and at one time this was given as serial "F-332", a former NEIAF example (N3-632 / H-332). My Indonesian contact said that "Jalang" doesn't point to any location, but your "Palang" could clear the haze here......I really hope so!!!
[as a sidenote - there also is a Cavalier "F-362" preserved at Malang].

I'd love to see the mere existance of a Mustang on Morotai being confirmed.

Cordially
Martin / Swiss Mustangs

[george]

Chris - Your information on the scrapping location and parts is very informative. This had to be the location, between the runways, where the mass scrapping occured after the war. The inventory in 1986 did not include Spitfires or P-47s, so this is not the location of the Voll jungle graveyard. Also, I doubt that the smelter area between the runways was jungle covered, or had very high jungle growth surrounding it closely. And remember, the spin was that in '88 the 30 or so planes were hauled to Java, not smelted at Morotai. Sounds like they have tightened the screws on looking around since 1989 when the Australian vet visited. At least they showed him some ravines filled with jungle-covered war relics, and he was allowed to walk Wama. Of course, many areas he wanted to visit were "closed" or off-limits. I'm sure you are exhausted, but when you get rested up some, could you go into some detail re: how you got permission to get on the island, how long you were there, what its like trying to get around, etc. With the location of this smelting site you described, I hate to say it, but it appears the mystery of Morotai only deepens.

[tom d. friedman]

chris, glad your safe!! did you feel the quake??? thanks for the tidbit of info, can't wait to hear more in depth. long shot at best but i'll ask my dad if he remembers the location of the scrap yard, or location of where Japanese planes were located. as an infantry captain their he probably saw more of the island than most people to this day. even though it's 60 years since he's been their it's worth a shot, because the old man, while 89 & still full of piss & vinegar is sharp as a tack!!! as to the spitfire parts i'll enlighten you on an interesting fact ....... an australian air force fighter group was was stationed their in 1945. the most notable member of that unit was none other than group captain clive "killer" caldwell, 1 of the few aces that shot down german, italian & japanese planes. he got the italian / german kills in north africa, but the majority of his kills were japanese. i believe his total was 28 in all. my dad remembers caldwell vividly!!! he never met him, but he was of cult status their among all troops!! my dad said he shot some japanese planes down at night. also in 1945 caldwell was part of the "morotai mutiny", it made big headlines almost to scandal proportions, but caldwell had ground to stand on. his opinion on all this was his fighter group was being wasted on needless ground attacks on worthless japanese targets on morotai & surrounding islands. the majority of the fighter group members resigned their commissions in protest. how much longer will you be their??? hopefully some of this might help. keep in touch, tom

[HarvardIV]

Hello guys:

As far as Manado is concerned. There is nothing there. I even talked to the CO, a TNI-AU Major, and he said there is nothing there. Anything else he said is in Malang.

As far as Morotai is concerned there is high kunai grass everywhere. My point earlier was that the scrapyard between runways 2 and 3 is the only one very well known. It is gone except for some P-47 pieces the lieutenant reported to me. There is a huge smelter similar to the type in Tucson, Arizona right where that particular scrapyard was.

If there were other boneyards at Morotai, notify me, and the 2 lieutenants said they'd look for everybody.

They also reported that a native drew them a picture of a Hien, and so the lieutenants think that the Japanese scrapyard still exists as well.

Also, the two officers have told me that they have had miscellaneous reports of aircraft hidden around Morotai by various natives.

So it's up to all of you to report where the other scrapyards are based on your own resources, knowledge and research.

[HarvardIV]

Hi Guys:

If you have any more questions, let me know! Oh yeah, by the way I think the quake was 1500 miles away. Didn't feel a thing.

Tom,

Thanks for the info on your dad at Morotai. As soon as you find out where the Japanese scrap area was, let me know so I can relay it to the 2 officers who said they'd explore and photograph the unknown portions of the airport for us.

Ask him if there were any other smaller scrapyards other than the main one between runways 2 and 3. Also if you could ask if there were any individual airplanes that were simply pushed aside, and not into the large scrapyard itself. Those have a high liklihood of being found. Obviously, the reason the main scrapyard is now gone, is because it had huge B-24s in it, and was very obvious up until the time the scrapping occured. As far as an individual Beaufighter, Spitfire or Mustang being set aside, the kunai grass would conceal it.

As a note, the Marston matting was mostly reused for fences around peoples yards in Daruba. I saw at least 50 500lb bomb fins reused as table legs at different houses.

I even found and photographed what looked like a B-24 prop blade w/ a bullet hole in it.

Lastly, I visited the water refill pit under supervision by the two officers. The concrete stairs were still there. THat too was hidden by trees, and very high kunai grass. Do you all have any more research/knowledge available?

Thanks,

Chris

[tom d. friedman]

chris will do. another thought, call the author of the morotai book upon your return home. better yet, i'll try, he doesn't live far from me, i'll call information, & relay info to you, he may still be alive & maybe you can glean info from him for this trip or your next expedition. also a blatant hint that might be under your nose....... if you remember my dad's morotai pics that i posted on pacific wrecks, you'll remember a pic of a twin engine Japanese plane set on fire, & in the background was a parked navy pby. point being try to locate some of the old seaplane bases their, that Japanese plane could have been bulldozed anywhere. & who knows what else lies in the vicinity??? best, tom

[RobC]

Hello guys:

IAnyway, Morotai is quite mysterious. As soon as I landed there, I saw several 4 bladed Spitfire props laying around with the cranks still attached. I also saw a wingtip from a spitfire laying near the tower. Midfield there is a smelter where the aircraft scrapyard was. The majority of the scrapyard is now gone. This main scrapyard was between runway 2 and 3, midfield where the smelter is. If there was a second scrapyard, it is still there, because everything is covered over with jungle brush and coconut palms. The obvious and well known main scrapyard is gone. I was not allowed to explore Morotai airport by the TNI forces.



Chris

Chris, you found "Spitfire props laying around?" I guess those must have been the special metal Rotol blades unique to the Morotai Spitfires?

I sure hope you took pictures. When can we see them?

[HarvardIV]

I don't know Rob, but they looked exactly like the ones in pictures I saw from Morotai. They are small with a narrow chord. I will post some photos on my webshots account.

[HarvardIV]

chris will do. another thought, call the author of the morotai book upon your return home. better yet, i'll try, he doesn't live far from me, i'll call information, & relay info to you, he may still be alive & maybe you can glean info from him for this trip or your next expedition. also a blatant hint that might be under your nose....... if you remember my dad's morotai pics that i posted on pacific wrecks, you'll remember a pic of a twin engine Japanese plane set on fire, & in the background was a parked navy pby. point being try to locate some of the old seaplane bases their, that Japanese plane could have been bulldozed anywhere. & who knows what else lies in the vicinity??? best, tom

Hi Tom:

Please do that, after all I went through the trouble to go there, and it wouldn't take much to do a little homework. Those Lieutanants will not help us forever. I am certain there are more planes tucked away there, as the natives have reported it to the Morotai caretakers. We could simply find an answer by searching the AWM photos, and looking for any lone aircraft set aside.

In fact I saw a photo on AWM of a Beaufighter dismantled after a crash pushed off to the side. If anyone can verify the exact location we could get it quite easily. Our TNI-AU officers said they'd photo any plane we direct them to, and verify its existence.Time is short, after a year or so our friends will transfer on.

Also, we may want to ask questions to a Morotai vetrans group online. I will need to anyway as I have found someone's dogtag.