FLIGHTPATH | 71clouds hid impressive yet dangerous moun-
tains. He had no radio with which to com-
municate with Arita as all of the unit’s air-
craft had had them removed due to their
consistent failure to work properly. Maeda
had a more serious problem, however, a
medical issue. W hen he first arrived in thea-
tre at Rabaul on 15 March 1942, he had been
hospitalised for five weeks suffering from
vertigo and giddiness. Now flying in turbu-
lent cloud, the chance of his affliction reap-
pearing was high. In the poor visibility he
had no option but to climb as high as possi-
ble to get above the cloud. Once having es-
tablished visual reference with New Guin-
ea’s northern coast he could head back to
Lae. Unaware that he was flying in the
wrong direction, Maeda was in fact headed
in an easterly direction towards the tip of
New Guinea instead of westward and home.
As he climbed, he turned on his oxygen and
put on his mask, but the regulator failed.
Then he blacked out.
Maeda’s ‘Zero’ entered a spin, over the
southern coast of New Guinea, from which
he somehow effected a low altitude recovery
when he came to. Close to fuel exhaustion,
Maeda had to put down so force landed in a
kunai grass clearing behind Abau, a good
108 nautical miles (200 kilometres) south-
east of Port Moresby. The impact cut his
scalp and dazed him badly. As he gathered
his senses in the cockpit, he remained badly
incapacitated from the lack of oxygen, an
observation later recorded in the official
Australian Army report describing his cap-
ture. The forced landing was observed by
villagers and Australian patrol officer M.J.
Duffy. Maeda, who was in no condition to
resist, was taken prisoner by Duffy. When
captured, Maeda indicated to his captor
that he wanted to be killed. Duffy observed
that Maeda was rather a “good type of Japa-
nese, handsome”, and estimated him to be
about his own age, nineteen years. Maeda
claimed during interrogation that, by be-
coming captured, he had automatically lost
his nationality and could never return to Ja-
Also on board the M.V.Matomawas a col-
lection of stray Allied aircrew, including
Mitchell pilot Colonel Hal Maull and other
bomber crew. The vessel also called in on
the way to collect an Airacobra pilot, Sec-
ond Lieutenant Harley Brown, from the
wharf at Iokea village. Brown had force
landed on the Papuan coast two days after
Maeda had bellied in. It was this same vessel
that would later return to collect Maeda’s
downed ‘Zero’ which had been dragged to
the coast by the local villagers. Once the
Matoma docked at Port Moresby, the Aus-
tralian Army cut off the wings of the fighter
so it would fit into the back of a truck. Even
by then souvenir hunters had removed prac-
tically every instrument, metal tag, indica-
tor, and lever they could pry off. Even the
cables and pulleys were missing!
After arriving at Port Moresby, Maeda,
under escort, boarded the S.S. Taroona
during the late afternoon of 6 May and
sailed a few hours later for Australia. Ironi-
cally, Maeda shared the voyage with several
returning 75 Squadron RAAF Kittyhawk
pilots including Arthur Tucker:
“We were a bit curious about him. But
no-one intruded upon him; but he
wouldn’t look at anyone, and I remember
him sitting on the deck ... he was obvi-
ously unhappy.”
After Maeda’s preliminary interrogation
in Australia, on 20 July the Department of
Information, without RAAF permission,
published in Australian newspapers a photo
of Maeda boarding the Taroona at Port
Moresby. The Japanese pilot saw his photo
in the newspaper and tried to take his life
later that day. The incident elicited a strongpan. The resultant New Guinea Forces In-
telligence Report gives further details:
“The pilot wore long trousers, flying
boots, belt, cotton shirt and flying helmet;
‘Mae West’ was worn, and parachute also
carried. Parachute and helmet have been
forwarded to RAAF. He carried no pistol.
Although not seen, Provost reported that
he had a watch, which he carried in his
trouser pocket ... the prisoner stated, as
might be expected, that Allied Prisoners of
War were being well treated; also that he
had sighted two American Flying Officers,
portion of crew of a B-26 that had been
forced down; date could not be given.” [Au-
thor’s note: these were Corporal Sanger Reed
and Staff Sergeant Theron Lutz who bailed
out of a Marauder bomber on 18 April 1942].
Anglican Bishop Strong was aboard the
vessel M.V. Matoma en route to Samarai
when it anchored offshore Otomata Planta-
tion in the late afternoon at the same time
as the Japanese fighter’s last moments were
unfolding. A while later Strong saw Maeda’s
‘Zero’ approach low and was aghast when it
turned around, thinking it would strafe
them. Strong woke the skipper who fumbled
to retrieve machine gun ammunition, but by
the time he located some the fighter had
disappeared. Duffy appeared shortly there-
after in a canoe with Maeda in tow. Aboard
the vessel, Strong ascertained the prisoner’s
needs and, after his wounds were bound,
Maeda was fed and searched. Then he lay
dejected on a mattress below deck where-
upon, through sign language, he again asked
to be executed. He was handed over to Dis-
trict Officer Claude Champion at Abau and
again made the same request.As he gathered his senses in
the cockpit, he remained badly
incapacitated from the lack
of oxygen
Maeda makes his inal approach with laps
down. By cutting of the wings, Australian Army
engineers did more harm to the airframe than
the forced landing that had left the ighter
largely undamaged. [[email protected]]