大象传媒

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14th Feb 1942

It was only a matter of time before we received attention from the Japanese. Not only were we now the most "forward" airbase -- indeed insofar as the Japs knew, the only one in Sumatra, but there were large oil installations across the road at Pladjoe.

However the pointlessness of sitting by a u/s telephone switchboard soon became apparent. Our other friends who were, still at the airport during the day said that there was very little to do there and so on due consideration, the following morning the four of us decided to give ourselves a day off.

Things had been getting pretty hot with raids at the airport and in the town, particularly the shipping and oil installations at Pladjoe, but at least our planes could be seen in the air and even in dogfights with the Japs, and we began to feel that we were putting up some sort of show.

However this was but an illusion. Our self appointed holiday on the 15th may well have saved our lives.

I was sitting with some of my friends getting a certain amount of mild enjoyment at Madjoe鈥檚. The sirens sounded and bombs started to drop rather heavily. The raid finished but large numbers of planes could still be heard in the sky. So long as no bombs dropped we didn't feel any urge to investigate. We had long outgrown any curiosity we may have once had about airplanes flying overhead.

Kelly --

"February 15th -- paratroops had landed and captured airport. A large Japanese sea borne force was proceeding up the River Moesi fast. Orders were received to evacuate all personnel to P2 aerodrome. This evacuation proceeded throughout the morning to midday. All available personnel being taken across Palembang ferry -- the only exit to the railhead and the camp and the Oustenhaven Road. All stocks of petrol and rubber were destroyed.

During that morning the large additional force of parachutists were landed at P1 quickly followed by troop Carriers .
All personnel were evacuated to P2 about 50 miles away but complete retreat to Oustenhaven ordered.

We sat comfortably drinking our coffee and eating our cakes. After a while I became conscious that things were not as quiet as usual and that there was a constant coming and going of airmen and soldiers with rifles, hot and perspiring, dashing in for drinks and dashing out again. Some sort of manoeuvres possibly, I thought. Whatever they were up to it was obviously work of some sort, and hot work at that, so I didn't let my curiosity get the better of me. One or two of them cast rather strange looks at us.

Eventually, an army sergeant (apparently with an eye for our welfare) came up to us and said that we had better get moving as things were pretty lively. "Report back to your unit at once but keep your eyes skinned or you mightn鈥檛 get there alive."

On top of this rather disturbing remark he also vouchsafed the following information -- the Japs had dropped parachutists in large numbers on both sides of the river, but mostly around our drome, which was already in their hands.

Feeling far from brave, we headed back to our billet, peeping around every corner first.

Perhaps I should mention two things of interest here --

Firstly, as you already know, we had been issued with rifles and had carted them halfway round the world with us, but a few days after reaching Palembang we had handed them in. When the Japs dropped on to our drome therefore, most air men hadn't anything to defend themselves with apart from a few chaps with revolvers and the army personnel.

Secondly, one of the beauties of our capitalist system is that it enabled the Japs to drop their parachutists from a Lockheed Hudson bought from the allies shortly before they declared war on us.

Kelly -- Battle for Palembang

"We saw aircraft approaching and identified them as Hudson's. We thought "they're friendly aircraft, our 鈥︹�� aircraft. And then they circled slowly and we then realised there were fighter aircraft with them which looked like Navy Zeros. And then parachutes began to drop in."

May I quote Churchill from "The Hinge of the Fate鈥濃��
(February 14th 1942)

"On February 13 a Japanese convoy of 25 or more transports were attacked by all available bombers but without any decisive effect. Seven of our aircraft were lost. The next morning 700 Japanese parachutists descended on Palembang and all day a hot battle was fought for the airfield. Had they been unsupported the parachutists in time could have been destroyed, but on the 15th the advanced echelon of the powerful invasion force arrived on the scene equipped with landing craft which carried them up the river approaches. Every available aircraft was used against the ships and landing craft, great losses were inflicted and the attack was stayed -- only to be resumed as our air effort inevitably declined. Our strength at Palembang was now but a score of Hurricane and 40 bombers, many of them serviceable, and all based upon an as yet undetected airfield (P2 hidden in the jungle 50 miles away and with billets鈥︹�� not yet completed. H.T.)
By nightfall it was obvious that our scanty forces must withdraw and that all Southern Sumatra would fall into Japanese hands. That day also saw the fall of Singapore"鈥�.

Anyway, back to my personal experiences.

Signals personnel at the drome (P1) suffered heavily when the Japanese attacked. Our Flight Sergeant and one of my best friends, Roland Presdee were among the victims.
As we reached the billet, the survivors of our squadrons were forming up outside (Providentially our losses weren't too heavy in the circumstances.) We were told to form up with steel helmet on, but with no other kit except what we stood up in. Naturally we assumed that we were going to be given rifles to fight. As I have already pointed out Dutch Sumatra was in the hands of a mere handful of Dutch troops, augmented by whatever British or Australian troops had managed to escape from Singapore. The main Dutch and British forces were concentrated in Java.

No rifles were issued -- I suspect that there weren't any and we were taken down to the river and the ferry worked overtime getting us -- and everyone else including many civilians -- across in small parties.

Just as the ferry started crossing, more Japanese planes roared overhead. A mild state of panic ensued during which the coolest man on board was the Dutch East Indies engineer at the helm.

Here I must pay tribute to the Dutch troops in Palembang. For 24 hours they maintained a local superiority, mopping up many of the parachutists and giving most of the civilians and English troops and airmen time to get away.

On the other side of the river we marched a few miles to the railway station and were taken by rail about 40 miles to the small camp that was in course of erection. This was on the fringes of the P2 -- the aerodrome that the Japanese hadn't yet found. It was evening by this time and we had been moving about all day without food or drink. It was hot and we were damn thirsty. The water in the streams and pools was definitely unfit to drink unless boiled. To light the fire would have drawn attention to us and would have been dangerous. A few of us located a small village and we bought a concoction made with smoky water and some kind of leaves that they had picked from the bushes nearby. Thirsty as I was, I could only drink half a mug of it as it tasted vile, but at least I felt a little better after it.

Kelly "The Battle of Palembang"

This remarkable country (Sumatra) is one of great contrasts at once beautiful beyond belief and evil beyond words. Between the mountain ridges and swamps the land is largely covered with Jungle of such impenetrability that from the air nothing breaks its endless unvarying green. It contains huge areas, even to this day, virtually unexplored. It is the country plagued by disease, dysentery, cholera, typhoid, malaria, blackwater fever and Dengue. Mosquitoes, snakes and leeches swarm in unconscionable numbers. The rivers abound with crocodiles, the sea with sharks. Panthers and tigers roam the forests undisturbed.

1942 February 14th

The grass roofed huts we slept in were similar style, but more primitive and unfinished, as the ones at Seletar transit camp. There were no lights, water or bedding. Late at night, the thirst problem became so acute that it was decided to risk a small fire under cover of the Jungle and so we got a further half a mug of water apiece.

It still left everyone feeling thirsty, but there was nothing we could do about it except settle down and try to get a little sleep.

I presume that our night at this camp was to wait until the position clarified. The Dutch indeed, for a short time held control of Palembang and even released a few of our squadron who had been taken prisoner.

Here again, I must in all fairness say that the behaviour of most of the Japanese paratroops had been exemplary. Paratroopers cannot normally be expected to bother themselves much with prisoners, but to their credit, they did and there was little unnecessary killing. Members of our squadron who had been taken prisoner for a short time admitted very decent treatment. For instance, one fellow was put in a slit trench with his hands tied behind his back. As it was during the heat of the day, his captor gave him a drink from his water bottle and wiped his brow for him. It should also be remembered that back in December when the Japanese air force sank the "Prince of Wales" and the " Repulse鈥�, as the British destroyers "Vampire" and "Electra" closed into pick up survivors, Japanese planes overhead signalled to the ships, "We have completed our task. You may carry on". Nearly 800 out of 1300 officers and men were saved.

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