Author(s): Lee McCarthy

Military

In 1945 a Royal Australian Air Force C47 vanishes on a flight from Ambon to Darwin with 25 servicemen on board. The aircraft had flown head-long into a severe tropical storm and was thought to have crashed or ditched somewhere in the Banda Sea. The next day, when the plane could not possibly be in the air, two cryptic messages sent via morse code, crackle into military radio receivers in Darwin. Then a third message, from an unknown source, is received by a civilian radio operator, and an extensive search ensues. Despite all efforts, the men and the aircraft were never seen again.This book investigates the likelihood of the men's survival, the possible outcomes of the incident, and the flawed Court of Inquiry that followed. A must-read for anyone interested in war-time aviation and survival in the Pacific War.