After the Clark Field disaster, the Far East Air Force (FEAF) was left with a very small number of fighter jets operating in the Philippines, insufficient to guarantee air superiority around the islands, which were surrounded by the Japanese Navy, preventing the arrival of supply convoys.
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| The Pensacola Convoy was diverted to Brisbane when the route to the Philippines was cut off. |
The missing aircraft of Pursuit Group 35 were in transit aboard the Pensacola Convoy, diverted to Australia, to be assembled there and flown to the Philippines. Although there were no aircraft, enough pilots had survived and were taken to Australia to fly the planes. However, the situation had deteriorated so severely by the time the aircraft were assembled that there was no longer any way to send them to their original destination. Furthermore, the Dutch East Indies were in great danger; Allied air forces had suffered heavy losses, and fighters were urgently needed.
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| El unico escuadron en llegar a Java fue el 17 PS Prov. |
Under these conditions, several fighter squadrons were created with the newly assembled aircraft in Amberley, Australia. The first was the 17th Pursuit Squadron Provisional, with newly arrived pilots and a few veterans from the Philippines. Due to the serious needs of the fighting in Java, the squadron was sent there. With new aircraft arriving gradually, the 3rd and 20th Provisional Pursuit Squadrons were formed, also destined for Java. The 20th PS was the first to be sent by air, but upon reaching Timor, they were intercepted by Japanese aircraft, and only 6 planes survived. The 3rd PS was sent by air, but only 8 fighters reached Blimbing; the others were either lost in accidents or had to return to Darwin due to malfunctions. Of these, aircraft number 54, flown by Second Lieutenant Robert Buel, was assigned to protect a naval convoy against a Japanese Mavis that had been following them. The lieutenant managed to shoot down the Japanese aircraft, but then disappeared without a trace. This is the aircraft that inspired this model.
MODELISM
This is the old Lodela 1/144 scale model, manufactured in the late seventies. It was a magnificent model, easy to assemble, and very well detailed. It hasn't been produced since. This scale is perfect for modeling aircraft with such simple markings, like the planes from the Java campaign, of which I'm still missing two squadrons.
GALLERY
The model is a Lodela Revell, H-1000 series, 1/144 scale. The Old Marine paint scheme uses the USAAF 1941 paint pack in Olive Green 41 and Neutral Gray. All the work is done by hand, including the insignia, which is a bit difficult at this scale. There is very little information about that period of the war. Many aircraft were only delivered in basic colors, with the national star in the center of the fuselage instead of the squadron symbol. They often had the economic numbers painted on the fixed rudder in white or black, and sometimes on the lower part of the nose. Due to the limited evidence, it is possible that the aircraft were customized in the field.
