Fly Past

Three days later a more aggressive

mission was planned with ’464,

crewed by veteran Field Unit 13

operators Lt Everett and Sgts Plant

and Powers, who played a lead role

in supporting the strike. It was

planned to have a B-24 light up the

target area with flares, but its H2X

radar was inoperative and ’464

quickly made two passes, dropping

ten flares.

Five Liberators attacked at one-

minute intervals. They originally

intended to hit ships in the

harbour but, owing to limited

visibility, selected port facilities

instead. Searchlights and anti-

aircraft guns appeared to be

controlled visually, with the

bombers only encountering

inaccurate ground fire.

Japanese radars started tracking

the raid at 225 miles out. Jamming

did not start until the B-24s were

75 miles away, with Window

dropped at the 20-mile marker.

One of the three RCM observers on

’464 noted that the jamming was

“very effective”.

An ad hoc – dual role – Ferret

with Unwin as the RCM observer

joined the strike, leading the

bombers over the target area,

dropping Window when seven

minutes out and monitoring the

jamming coverage of ’464.

Fourteen signals were monitored,

including Type 11, Type 12, and

Type 13 sets.

The B-24s then set course for

Truscott, Australia, landing just

before 1800hrs. That evening they

returned to Morotai, conducting

an armed shipping search of south

Makassar Strait on the way home.

By the time the crews returned to

their bunks they were physically

and emotionally drained from the

multi-day mission. There was no

time to rest; the pace of the war was

quickening as the sun set on the

Japanese empire.

Frags and napalm

The war in the southwest Pacific

was nearing its climax and the

southern Philippines were being

cleared. Australian forces had

landed on Tarakan Island, a few

miles off the coast of Borneo, in

preparation for their main assault

on Balikpapan planned for July.

On May 10, Unwin climbed

into ’464 for a low-level visual

and photo search against the

radars at Dongala and Lemo, on

northern Celebes Island. Joining

him as RCM observers were Major

Newbury and Sgt Powers. The

skies were still dark as the Ferret

B-24 departed the Morotai runway

at 0450hrs.

Transiting across the northern

Gulf of Tomini at 7,000ft, Unwin

started to receive signals from

Lemo. Pilot Lt Gilman angled

the B-24 a few miles inland, and

on reaching the Celebes isthmus

turned south and began dropping

to 700ft and 5 miles offshore.

As the Ferret closed to a few miles

the emissions suddenly shut down,

a standard defensive manoeuvre by

Japanese technicians. Gilman

the sun at her back flew due west
to Saigon, French Indo-China.
Seven radars were active, including
Imperial Japanese Navy Type 11
Modification 2, Type 12, Type 13,
and Imperial Japanese Army
Tachi 6s.
A sortie on April 21 to Brunei
revealed no radars, but the next
two weeks provided a change of
pace for the crew of ’983 who
flew five missions to Indo-China
between April 22 and May 6 – the
B-25 acting as a pathfinder for
fighter sweeps into the area and as a
stimulus for radar signals.
On April 25, the B-25 Ferret
tried to stir up Japanese activity in
northwest Borneo by flying near
the airfields at Kudate, Jesselton
and Labuan. No radars were heard
operating. On a similar mission
the following day the target was
Kuching on the west coast of
Borneo. Still no emissions to track.

Long day
Two 868th BS B-24Js and Ferret
’464 took part in a night raid
against Soerabaja Harbor, Java, on
April 24. This was a major naval
base and shipping terminal for oil
from local refineries.
The Ferret, fitted with three radar
jammers and carrying CHH-2
‘Rope’ Window, entered the
target area at 14,000ft. It blocked
searchlight and fire control radars
and dropped the chaff at five-
second intervals to support the
two bombers attacking shipping
and warehouses.

November 2018 FLYPAST 29

“The Ferret, fi tted with three radar jammers... entered the target

area at 14,000ft. It blocked searchlight and fi re control radars and

dropped the chaff at fi ve-second intervals”

returned to Morotai, conducting returned to Morotai, conducting

an armed shipping search of south

Above left

B-24L Liberator 44-

41464 ‘Lady June II’ was

converted to a Ferret by

Field Unit 13 and operated

by crews of the 868th

BS. T/Sgt Leonard William

Cavalier, radar observer

and right waist gunner, is

standing second from left.

DARRYL FORD

Above

The direction-fi nding

antenna fi tted to an

early 868th BS B-24 at

Noemfoor, December

1944. HOCKEN COLLECTIONS,
      UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO