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Nefis bir gezinin arkasından iste bunlar kaldı geriye ...Cengiz harika bir geziydi tesekkurler ve bizi misafir eden tum arkadaslar misafirperverliginiz icin tekrar tesekkurler
sevgilerr:)))
Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
This photo was taken during the Van den Brandeler mission and shows typical Jaqai houses high above the ground on dozens of poles.
Courtesy Bierens de Haan family archives
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
On Explore
Yakınlık
Neye yaklaşsam, sonu uzaklık ve kırgınlık;
Anla ki, yok Allah'tan başkasıyla yakınlık...
1977
Necip Fazıl Kısakürek
Charles Gesner van der Voort and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under Dorone van den Brandeler's command, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Netherlands New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories from this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
This photo shows Dorone van den Brandeler during a training in Sri Lanka, aimed at performing missions in Indonesia, which was occupied by the Japanese. The photo reminds me of my Interrail holidays, in which I camped with a friend and met my wife.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
This group photo was taken by Lou Bierens de Haan, working for NEFIS (Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service), from Australia. Other photos on the album page show an island with a radio hut. If you recognise the island by the dressing of these people, please leave a comment or mail me at charlesinshanghai1939@gmail.com.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
It was our first attempt to climb the bell tower of the Sv. Duje Cathedral.. We had to return from the middle of stairs because of the strong wind. We had, because of the fences were not safe enough. This lady is just holding the fences tightly not to be drifted away by the wind.
Charles Gesner van der Voort and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
This photo shows Lou Bierens de Haan at Camp Columbia. Camp Columbia in Wacol nearBrisbane, Australia, housed the Netherlands army in exile as well as the US Women's Army Corps.
www.ww2places.qld.gov.au/place?id=1787
"Queensland WWII Historic Places
Camp Columbia (Dutch Forces 1944-45)
NEI Government-in-Exile/NICA/NEFIS/NIGIS Headquarters
Established at the former US Army Camp Columbia at Wacol in July 1944, the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) Government-in-Exile is the only foreign government to be established on Australian soil. Other agencies - the Netherlands East-indies Forces Intelligence Service (NEFIS), the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration (NICA) and the Netherlands Indies Government Information Service (NIGIS) moved from Melbourne to support their administration. A NEI transport unit maintained and flew Dakota aircraft at Archerfield."
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Columbia_(Wacol)
"Camp Columbia was a United States Army military camp located in Wacol, near Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built during World War II to accommodate American troops. The Sixth US Army Headquarters was stationed there and it was an Officer Candidate School from 1942 to 1945. After World War II, it was used by the Australian military and then served as a migrant reception and training center. The camp was then known as the "Wacol East Dependants Holding Camp for Displaced Persons". The old Wacol Army Barracks had been converted into the Wacol Military Museum."
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
www.cavaleriemuseum.nl/Engels/index.html
Dutch National Archives (Nationaal Archief) have the report Dorone van den Brandeler filed about his missions in New Guinea. I visited the archives with his widow Jacqueline in 2019. "There was very little knowledge about this part of Dutch history. After WWII, if my husband mentioned the war in New Guinea, many people did not know about it, even at government levels. It would be nice if there is recognition for these men's efforts when the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII is celebrated in the Netherlands in 2020."
An article about archeological research at Wacol, Camp Columbia was published 7 December 2021 by Dutch Australia Cultural Center.
dacc.net.au/archive/dutch-australian-history/military-pol...
When Indonesia (Netherlands East Indies at the time) was occupied by the Japanese army, in March 1942, the Dutch army was partly evacuated to Australia. From Fremantle and Darwin, the Netherlands army performed missions in Indonesia, under the operational command of the United States army. Ten NEFIS (Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service) missions were done.
Lou Bierens de Haan (1916-1998) worked for NEFIS, based at Camp Columbia, Wacol, Brisbane. Before the war, he was working for Curacao Trading Company, exporting coffee, based in San Salvador and Costa Rica. In the Dutch army, he was part of a huzar regiment, like Dorone van den Brandeler and Wim Gesner van der Voort. As far as his daughter Louisianne remembers, he went to San Francisco to enlist for the war. He was trained in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka (then named Ceylon) and India, before going to Australia. In 1948, Lou married Margarita Ana Baenninger (Peggy) in Buenos Aires, where he worked for the Dutch firm of Bols, which produces alcoholic beverages.
In a letter to his parents, written in October 1945, before returning home, he described his wartime memoirs, kindly shared with me by his daughter.
"... en kregen tenslotte gedaan, dat wy een “trainings patrouille” konden gaan maken in Nieuw Guinea. Door gebrekkige voorlichting en voorbereiding is deze tocht op meest wonderbaarlyke wyze volbracht.
Wy gingen eerst naar Merauke (begin Juli 1943) en maakten een korte patrouille door de omliggende moerassen waar wy vaak voor 5 tot 6 uur per dag door middel hoog water ons voortbewogen zonder dan ook maar een droog plekje te vinden. Wy rustten op omgevallen boomstammen, die dikwyls ook onder water lagen, doch aangezien wy toch klets nat waren, trokken wy ons hiervan niets aan.
Wy sliepen in Amerikaansche Jungle Hammocks (een soort hangmat met muskieten gaas aan de zykanten en een waterdicht dakje van zeil er boven op – typisch Amerikaansch – reusachtig goed.) Deze hingen wy tusschen een paar boomen, zoodat wy in ieder geval niet op de natte grond behoevden te liggen.
Daarna trokken wy verder naar het Noorden en zworven 3 weken lang door het gebied de koppensnellers in het Mappi-gebied. Dit gebied staat op de kaart volkomen wit aangegeven, aangezien nog niemand zich hierin heeft gewaagd. Wat wy hier alzoo beleefden, kan ik slechts vertellen als ik U weer spreek aangezien ik meer dan een avond hierover zou kunnen uitwyden. Ik maakte een 50 tal photos met het kiektoestel, dat ik destyds van Oom Johan kreeg, die een waardevolle illustratie zyn by myn verhaal.
Wy schoven nog wat meer naar het Noorden, waar de bergen beginnen, by Tanah Merah (oude strafcolonie voor politieke misdadigers) en Nienatie. Ik vergat nog te vertellen, dat dit de eenigste plaatsen in N.G. waren, die nog niet door de Jappen bezet, doch die in dien tyd nog zwaar gebombardeerd en gemitrailleerd werden door Jap. vliegtuigen. Ook hier hielden wy ons een een 3 weken in het bosch op ( 3 weken was de maximale range in verband met de mee te voeren voedsel voorraden.)
"
"... and finally, we were allowed to do a “training patrol” in New Guinea. Due to poor information and preparation, this trip was completed in a most miraculous way.
We first went to Merauke (beginning of July 1943) and did a short patrol through the surrounding swamps where we often spent 5 or 6 hours per day moving in high water without finding a single dry spot. We rested on fallen down trees which were often under water also, which did not bother us as we were soaked through anyway.
We slept in American Jungle Hammocks (the kind with mosquito netting at the side and a piece of waterproof sailing cloth as roofing, typically American and really great). These we hung between two trees so at least we did not have to lie on wet ground.
Thereafter we trekked further north and wandered for 3 weeks through an area with headshrinkers in the Mappi area. This area is shown in white on the map, as nobody has ever been in this area. What we experienced here I can only tell you when we see eachother again as I would need more than one evening to tell you all. I made about 50 photos with a camera which Uncle Johan gave me, which are a valuable illustration of my story.
We moved further north, where the mountains begin, near Tanah Merah and Nienatie. I forgot to tell that these were the only places in New Guinea which the Japs had not occupied yet, although at the time they were heavily bombed and shot at by the Japanese airplanes. Also, here we spent 3 weeks in the bush (3 weeks was the maximum range we could reach with the rations we could carry)."
www.papuaerfgoed.org/sites/default/files/collectie/files/...
Dr. J. Boelaars, Papoea’s aan de Mappi (1957)
“Aan de Mappi-rivier, in het binnenland van Zuid-Nieuw-Guinea, woont een stam, die pas in 1936 voor het eerst met de westerse beschaving in aanraking kwam. Deze mensen, die zich de Jaqai noemen, waren tot voor kort beruchte koppensnellers.
P 27 Het hout
Tussen de proviandering door moet de Jaqai in het bos hout kappen. Er wordt van hem verwacht dat hijzelf zijn brandhout meebrengt om zijn vuurtje in het mannenhuis te onderhouden. Maar hij moet ook voor de bouw van de huizen zorgen en hij dient daarvoor al het zware hout bij elkaar te brengen. Bovendien moet hij een prauw bouwen. Van jongs af aan leert hij dan ook van zijn vader de verschillende houtsoorten op hun waarde te schatten. Lang niet alles deugt voor brandhout en de ene soort is geschikt voor de steunpilaren van een huis en een andere voor een prauw, zoals er weer speciale soorten zijn die gebruikt worden voor de trom en de snelhoorn, voor speren, schilden, bogen en pijlpunten. Al dat materiaal heeft hij nodig en wanneer hij zich in het bos bevindt, kijkt hij rond of hij geschikte stammen ziet die hij voor zichzelf of zijn zonen kan reserveren door er een teken bij te zetten. P44 Men maakte soms verre tochten naar zee, dwars door vijandelijk gebied, om de zo begeerde schelpen te zoeken. Sommige grotere soorten worden aan een snoer om de hals of om het middel gedragen. Andere weer worden krulvormig geslepen en door de mannen in het neustussenschot bevestigd, en wel zó dat de punten langs de neusvleugels omhoogsteken „als de tanden van het wilde varken". Kleinere schelpjes en beschadigde grotere worden tot kalk verbrand, die als verfstof gebruikt wordt voor de prauwen en schilden. Tevens dient ze om er de lichamen van strijders en feestvierenden mee te beschilderen.”
“On the Mappi River, in the interior of South New Guinea, lives a tribe that first encountered Western civilization in 1936. These people, who call themselves the Jaqai, were notorious headhunters until recently.
P 27 The Wood
In between the provisioning, the Jaqai has to cut wood in the forest. He is expected to bring his own firewood to maintain his fire in the men's house. But he also must take care of the construction of the houses and has to gather all the heavy wood for that. He also has to build a canoe. From an early age he learns from his father to appreciate the different types of wood. Not everything is good for firewood and one type is suitable for the pillars of a house and another for a canou, just as there are special types that are used for the drum and the fast horn, for spears, shields, bows and arrowheads. He needs all that material and when he is in the forest, he looks around to see if he can see suitable trunks that he can reserve for himself or his sons by placing a sign next to them. P44 Sometimes long journeys were made to sea, right through enemy territory, in search of the coveted shells. Some larger types are worn on a cord around the neck or waist. Others are ground into curls and fastened by the men in the nasal septum, in such a way that the points stick up along the nostrils "like the teeth of a wild pig". Smaller shells and damaged larger ones are burned into lime, which is used as a dye for canoes and shields. It is also used to paint the bodies of warriors and partygoers."
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans, several of whom are in this photo.
This photo shows R.F. de Bruïne, nicknamed 'Bruintje'. Original caption reads: "Bruintje in moeras" (Brownie in swamp).
Courtesy Bierens de Haan family archives
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
2 September 2020: 75 years ago, Japan formally surrendered. For many men and women in Southeast Asia, it was finally time to go home.
Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Courtesy Bierens de Haan family archives
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
2 September 2020: 75 years ago, Japan formally surrendered. For many men and women in Southeast Asia, it was finally time to go home.
Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Courtesy Bierens de Haan family archives
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans, several of whom are in this photo.
This photo shows the Merauke post office, which was used as temporary housing during a mission in Netherlands New Guinea.
Courtesy Bierens de Haan family archives
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort, The Netherlands
When Indonesia (Netherlands East Indies at the time) was occupied by the Japanese army, this photo was taken. From Fremantle and Darwin, Australia, the Netherlands army performed missions in Indonesia, under the operational command of the United States army. Ten NEFIS (Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service) missions were done.
Lou Bierens de Haan (1916-1998) worked for NEFIS and made this photograph, aboard submarine K XV. Before the war, he was working for Curacao Trading Company, exporting coffee, based in San Salvador and Costa Rica. In the Dutch army, he was part of a huzar regiment, like Dorone van den Brandeler and Wim Gesner van der Voort. As far as his daughter Louisianne remembers, he went to San Francisco to enlist for the war. He was trained in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka (then named Ceylon) and India, before going to Australia. In 1948, Lou married Margarita Ana Baenninger (Peggy) in Buenos Aires, where he worked for the Dutch firm of Bols, which produces alcoholic beverages.
In a letter to his parents, written in October 1945, before returning home, he described his wartime memoirs, kindly shared with me by his daughter.
“… Daarna werd ik met een stel gedetacheerd by een Australisch Commando Unit waar ik ter voorbereiding van een job op Wiewak nog 5 parachute sprongen maakte. (wat myn totaal op 10 brengt)
De job ging echter den dag voor D.Day niet door in verband met gewyzigde intelligence.
Ik ging toen terug by de N.E.F.I.S. en werd tweede man by de opleidingschool voor intelligence werk in Cairns (Febr.1944) met myn vroegere commandant Mollinger aan het hoofd. Ging eenmaal mee als jumpmaster om een party in te brengen per parachute in de Vogelkop van N.Guinea. Maakte ettelyke vliegtuigverkenningen boven vyandelyk gebied en kreeg een uitstekend idee van de grootschheid van de landingen der Amerikanen op plaatsen als Hollandia, Wahde Biak, Sansapor, Morotai etc. (Aug.1944)
Tenslotte ging ik mede op 2 onderzeeboot patrouilles in de Java zee (april 1945) om parties aan land te zetten en zelf dus ook even rond te kyken. U begrypt dat dit wel machtig interessant was, net iets voor my. …”
“… After that I was detached with a group to an Australian Commando Unit where I prepared a for a job on Wewak [info on Wewak underneath] and made 5 more parachute jumps (bringing my total to 10).
However, the job was cancelled the day before D-day due to changed intelligence.
I then returned to N.E.F.I.S. and became second in command at the training school for intelligence work in Cairns (February 1944) lead by my previous Commander, Mollinger. Once I brought a party by parachute as jumpmaster to Vogelkop in New Guinea. I made a great number of surveillance flights above enemy territory and got a good idea of the greatness of the landings by the Americans in places like Hollandia [Jayapura], Wahde Biak, Sausapor, Morotai, etc. (August 1944)
Finally, I went along on 2 submarine patrols in the Java Sea (April 1945) to put parties ashore and have a look for myself as well. U will understand that this was mighty interesting and just my kind of thing. …”
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HNLMS_K_XV
K XV was one of five K XIV class submarines built for the Royal Netherlands Navy. She served during World War II. Service history
The submarine was laid down in Rotterdam at the shipyard of Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij on 31 May 1930. The launch took place on 10 December 1932. On 30 December 1933 the boat was commissioned in the Dutch navy.
On 7 February 1934 K XV and K XIV left the Netherlands for the Dutch East Indies. The route they took led through the Suez Canal. On 6 September 1938 she participated in a fleet show at Surabaya. The show was held in honor of the Dutch Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands who was than 40 years the head of state. More than twenty navy ships participate in the show.
In the war K XV sank several Japanese ships. She survived the war and was decommissioned on 23 April 1946. 1 June 1946 she was stricken and sold for scrap in December 1950.
nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hr.Ms._K_XV_(1933)
De Hr.Ms. K XV (N 24) was een Nederlandse onderzeeboot van de K XIV-klasse. De K XV werd gebouwd door de Rotterdamse scheepswerf RDM. Net als alle andere K onderzeeboten werd de K XV door het Nederlandse ministerie van Koloniën als patrouilleschip voor Nederlands-Indië aangeschaft. Op 7 februari 1934 vertrok de K XV samen met de K XIV vanuit Den Helder naar Nederlands-Indië waar de schepen op 12 april 1934 arriveerden in Soerabaja. Tijdens de tocht deden de onderzeeboten de volgende havens aan: Lissabon, Cádiz, Palermo, Port Said, Suez, Aden en Colombo. Tijdens de vlootschouw op 6 september 1938 ter ere van het veertigjarige regeringsjubileum van Koningin Wilhelmina was de K XV een van de zes onderzeeboten die deelnamen aan deze vlootschouw.
De K XV tijdens WO II
Begin 1941 werd de K XV ingedeeld bij de 3e divisie van het onderzeebootflottielje in Nederlands-Indië. Naast de K XV waren de K XIV, de K XVI en de K XVIII onderdeel van de divisie.
Verdediging van Nederlands-Indië
In november 1941 werden de 3de onderzeebootdivisie overgeplaatst van Soerabaja naar het eiland Tarakan in de buurt van Borneo, dit omdat men een Japanse invasie in deze regio verwachtte. Op 8 december, na het uitbreken van de oorlog met Japan, moest de 3e divisie de Straat Makassar tussen Kalimantan en Celebes afschermen. Vanaf 12 december werden de patrouilles verplaatst naar de Zuid-Chinese Zee. Gedurende de maand december werd de K XV naar verschillende locaties gestuurd waar mogelijk een invasievloot was maar de K XV spotte geen schepen.
Vanaf januari 1942 maakte de K XV deel uit van het 5e divisie. Na in onderhoud te zijn geweest patrouilleerde het schip in de Java Zee en de Indische Oceaan tot maart 1942. Tijdens deze patrouilles werden twee Japanse schepen aangevallen, een aanval miste doel en bij de tweede aanval werd het schip alleen beschadigd. Het beschadigde schip, de Japanse tanker Tsurumi, werd later dat jaar tot zinken gebracht door een Amerikaanse onderzeeboot.
Groot onderhoud
In maart 1942 week de K XV uit naar Colombo en stond het schip on de Brits commando. Vanuit Colombo worden enkele patrouilles gemaakt langs de westkust van Sumatra. Op 1 augustus 1942 vertrok de K XV voor groot regulier onderhoud naar Philadelphia. Het schip nam de route via Zuid-Afrika en dit bracht het schip langs de volgende havens: Diego Suarez, Oost-Londen, Simonstad, Freetown en Bermuda.
Twee maanden later, op 1 november, arriveerde de K XV in Philadelphia. In Philadelphia werd het periodiek vierjarig onderhoud uitgevoerd. Ook werd de K XV uitgerust met sonar, werden de twee 40 mm machinegeweren vervangen door één 20 mm machinegeweer en werden de twee externe torpedobuizen verwijderd. Gedurende het laden van torpedo's, op 12 juni 1943, brak een kabel, waardoor de eerste officier van de K XV vermorzeld werd door een torpedo. Na enkele testen vertrok het schip, voor verder onderhoud, op 16 juni 1943 naar het Schotse Dundee.
Op 2 juli 1943 arriveerde de K XV in Dundee. Hier werd het schip uitgerust met nieuwe apparatuur waaronder een radarinstallatie. Na de aanpassing in Dundee vertrok het schip weer richting Colombo.
Weer actief in de Azië
Op 25 december 1943 arriveerde de K XV in Colombo waar het schip aanmeerde naast het onderzeebootmoederschip de Plancius. De K XV moest vanwege een lekkende schroefas voor onderhoud in het droogdok. Op 1 februari 1944 vertrok de K XV richting Fremantle en voerde het schip een patrouille uit voor de westkust van Sumatra. Op 28 februari arriveerde het schip in Fremantle waar het onder Amerikaans operationeel commando stond. Gedurende periode in Australië voerde de K XV vanuit Darwin tien NEFIS-operaties uit. Tijdens deze operaties werden twee kleinere schepen, van 10 en 50 ton, met het kanon tot zinken gebracht.
In the Netherlands, on 4 May the people who died in WWII for our freedom are commemorated and 5 May the Liberation is celebrated.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
Charles Gesner van der Voort (1916-1991) and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
www.cavaleriemuseum.nl/Engels/index.html
Dutch National Archives (Nationaal Archief) have the report Dorone van den Brandeler filed about this mission, I visited the archives with his widow Jacqueline. "There was very little knowledge about this part of Dutch history. After WWII, if my husband mentioned the war in New Guinea, many people did not know about it, even at government levels. It would be nice if there is recognition for these men's efforts when the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII is celebrated in the Netherlands in 2020."
Lou Bierens de Haan, who took this photograph, was second in command at ZES (Z Experimental Station) at Cairns, Australia, which was led by Major Mollinger. At ZES, secret agents were trained for NEFIS.
N.E.F.I.S. Wikipedia: Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service (also known by the acronym NEFIS), was a Dutch World War II era intelligence and special operations unit operating mainly in the Japanese-occupied Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia). Soon after the evacuation from the Netherlands East Indies, a Dutch intelligence service was set up in Australia on the instructions of the Dutch Commander of the forces in the East, Helfrich. … A new division, NEFIS III, was created for this purpose in May 1943. It sent secret agents into occupied territory by submarine or plane to gather intelligence on the local political and military situation. If possible, these agents had to make contact with the local population to gather information and set up undercover organisations. NEFIS III had little success with the deployment of secret agents. Despite the training course, the agents lacked experience and expertise. It was also difficult to win support from the local population in the Netherlands East Indies, as they feared Japanese reprisals. NEFIS III, and its predecessor, the Dutch section of the ISD, sent 36 teams into enemy territory. Over 250 agents were involved in these operations, and 39 lost their lives.
Charles Gesner van der Voort and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans, several of whom are in this photo.
From left to right: Mr. De Bruïne, Mr. Wegner (Tanah Merah Administrator), Lou Bierens de Haan, Dorone van den Brandeler, unknown.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
www.cavaleriemuseum.nl/Engels/index.html
Dutch National Archives (Nationaal Archief) have the report Dorone van den Brandeler filed about this mission, I visited the archives with his widow Jacqueline. "There was very little knowledge about this part of Dutch history. After WWII, if my husband mentioned the war in New Guinea, many people did not know about it, even at government levels. It would be nice if there is recognition for these men's efforts when the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII is celebrated in the Netherlands in 2020."
Bernard Knuppe served in NEFIS (Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service).
Original caption reads:
"Ergens over New Guinea in de buurt van de Jap. 1943"
(Somewhere above New Guinea near the Japs. 1943)
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Summary from letters from Mr Bernard Knuppe to Dr. Jack Ford, 1989-1990:
I was a Sergeant in the Netherlands Army in 1940, stationed at the border of Germany in a place called Vierlingsbeek on the river Maas. The 10th of May in the early morning, the Germans invaded Holland. I got orders from my captain to bring my platoon back to try to make a stand. As we all know now, there was no hope. We got bombed by plenty of German planes but had no plains in the air to stop them. We went further and further back until I landed in a hospital near Belgium because I was slightly wounded by bomb shrapnel on my legs. The next day, a colonel Dr. Kogh told us, that the ones who could make it, were welcome to come with him on a big truck, to try to get to England, before being taken prisoner by the Germans. I went with some other soldiers on that truck through France and left Cherbourg about the 17th of May on a trawler and arrived safely in England. In England we formed a small army of about 2000 men from all different sections: Artillery – Airforce – Infantry, etc. We did duties at the coast line and at airfields. When the Japanese came into the war, a call went out for men to help to fight the Japs in Java (Netherlands East Indies). I volunteered and left 10-1-1942 on board a Dutch ship called Columbia. While at sea on the way to Java, the Japs, we were told, had invaded the place, so instead we landed in Ceylon and did commando training there and in India. I got an infection on my toe and landed in the 15th British General Hospital in Colombo. After an amputation of part of my toe, I was unfit for the time being. Also, my leg which was hurt in Holland, started to go bad because of the hot climate. One day we got orders to sail somewhere, which was to be Australia. In Australia, we were assigned to NEFIS III to get parties into the islands in New Guinea behind the Japs, to get information about what was going on etc. and those Intelligence reports were passed on to General McArthur’s Intelligence H.Q.
I missed out to go with the others, because I had to go to Hospital again (Caulfield Repat). After discharge from Hospital and not being 100% fit to be a commando anymore, I landed a job to go to New Guinea to supply the parties in the field by airplane. In the period 1943-45, I was based at Merauke, Hollandia (currently Jayapura) and Morotai (Maluku islands). The following items were dropped: food, weapons, clothes, radios, ammunition etc., even a goat for one of the members of the party who was very sick, perhaps cancer. They milked the goat and he got the milk to help him get better. He came out alive. Also, when a party was in trouble when the Japs were after them, I dropped them an outboard motor and thank God they got away okay. Furthermore salt, shells and other items were dropped to give to the local population for information and to get them on our side.
In September 1944 I was very lucky. I got out of a plane the last second, before it left for Brisbane. That plane crashed with all on board killed and was found in February 1989 near Cairns QLD. The reason I got out, was that just before it left New Guinea, I was called back to fly with a U.S. plane to drop supplies as I was familiar with the job and so they asked me to fly with them to show the way to the party in the Yemele.
When the war ended in 1945 I went to what is now Indonesia and did similar duties there, until I got demobilised in 1947 in Australia, where I had been married in 1946. And have lived there ever since.
By the end of the war I was glad, that the slaughter was over. I was promoted to Warrant Officer, received the Cross of Merit from the Queen of Holland, also a war remembering cross for service 1940-45 in Holland and the Pacific.
From a 1990 letter by Mr. Bernard Knuppe to Dr Jack Ford: "I was lucky because working for A.I.B. Allied Intelligence Bureau, I was supplied mostly with U.S. gear weapens uniform etc. etc. but dropped all supplies with Dutch planes. B25 Mitchel Bomber, D.C. 3 Douglas or Catalina flying boat."
Flickr member Son Of Paul helped to identify the airplane in this photo: an Australian B25.
courtesy Knuppe family archives, courtesy Dr. Jack Ford, www.linkedin.com/in/jack-ford-2728a056/
Further reading:
dutchaustralianculturalcentre.com.au/archive/dutch-austra...
Charles Gesner van der Voort and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Camp Columbia was situated in Wacol, near Brisbane, Australia.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
www.cavaleriemuseum.nl/Engels/index.html
Dutch National Archives (Nationaal Archief) have the report Dorone van den Brandeler filed about his missions in New Guinea, I visited the archives with his widow Jacqueline. "There was very little knowledge about this part of Dutch history. After WWII, if my husband mentioned the war in New Guinea, many people did not know about it, even at government levels. It would be nice if there is recognition for these men's efforts when the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII is celebrated in the Netherlands in 2020."
An article about archeological research at Wacol, Camp Columbia was published 7 December 2021 by Dutch Australia Cultural Center.
dacc.net.au/archive/dutch-australian-history/military-pol...
Charles Gesner van der Voort and Dorone van den Brandeler shared a 'mess' in Shanghai, while working there for Dutch companies Holland-China Trading Company and Java-China-Japan Line. Dorone arrived in 1935, Charles in 1939. After the outbreak of WWII in The Netherlands, many young men abroad were called to arms. Charles had a brother serving in the army and was exempted, Dorone van den Brandeler went to England to join Princess Irene Brigade. In January 1942, he was sent to the Netherlands East Indies, with Insulinde Corps, together with his childhood friend Lou Bierens de Haan. Upon arrival in February 1942, the Netherlands East Indies were captured by the Japanese and the troops remained in Ceylon, current Sri Lanka. After training in Ceylon and British India, they were sent to Australia, where they served with NEFIS III, Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service. Under command of Dorone van den Brandeler, one of the missions was to the Digul river area in Dutch New Guinea, to investigate Japanese presence in the area. They were helped by local Dutch representatives and Papua population.
Dorone van den Brandeler's widow told me stories of this period in her husband's life. She mentioned photos made by her husband's friend Lou Bierens de Haan. It triggered a search for relatives and I found Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters, who provided me with a description of this period by their father, in a letter to his parents at the end of the war. He had donated his photo album to Cavalry Museum in Amersfoort, who kindly provided me access to these unique images, which I could use for my book, "Charles in Shanghai".
It was a wonderful experience to meet with Lou Bierens de Haan's daughters and other relatives at Cavalry Museum to review their father's album, when they were in the Netherlands for a family reunion.
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
www.cavaleriemuseum.nl/Engels/index.html
Dutch National Archives (Nationaal Archief) have the report Dorone van den Brandeler filed about this mission, I visited the archives with his widow Jacqueline. "There was very little knowledge about this part of Dutch history. After WWII, if my husband mentioned the war in New Guinea, many people did not know about it, even at government levels. It would be nice if there is recognition for these men's efforts when the 75th anniversary of the end of WWII is celebrated in the Netherlands in 2020."
Bas Kreuger, a Dutch historian an researcher, is working on a project to do research into Camp Columbia, in Brisbane, Australia, together with two archeologists of Queensland University in Brisbane. It will be an multidisciplinary project, of archeology combined with oral history with veterans and their family. More information (in Dutch) about Bas Kreuger's latest book, about a rescue mission in Netherlands New Guinea in 1944, can be found here: www.kreugerinkultuur.nl/lezingen-boeken/
The bicycle in this photo has a small frame, probably for children. Few grown-up bicycles available I assume, but still easier to move around the Camp Columbia grounds than by foot.
When Indonesia (Netherlands East Indies at the time) was occupied by the Japanese army, in March 1942, the Dutch army was partly evacuated to Australia. From Fremantle and Darwin, the Netherlands army performed missions in Indonesia, under the operational command of the United States army. Ten NEFIS (Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service) missions were done.
Lou Bierens de Haan (1916-1998) worked for NEFIS, based at Camp Columbia, Wacol, Brisbane. Before the war, he was working for Curacao Trading Company, exporting coffee, based in San Salvador and Costa Rica. In the Dutch army, he was part of a huzar regiment, like Dorone van den Brandeler and Wim Gesner van der Voort. As far as his daughter Louisianne remembers, he went to San Francisco to enlist for the war. He was trained in the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka (then named Ceylon) and India, before going to Australia. In 1948, Lou married Margarita Ana Baenninger (Peggy) in Buenos Aires, where he worked for the Dutch firm of Bols, which produces alcoholic beverages.
In a letter to his parents, written in October 1945, before returning home, he described his wartime memoirs, kindly shared with me by his daughter.
"... en kregen tenslotte gedaan, dat wy een “trainings patrouille” konden gaan maken in Nieuw Guinea. Door gebrekkige voorlichting en voorbereiding is deze tocht op meest wonderbaarlyke wyze volbracht.
Wy gingen eerst naar Merauke (begin Juli 1943) en maakten een korte patrouille door de omliggende moerassen waar wy vaak voor 5 tot 6 uur per dag door middel hoog water ons voortbewogen zonder dan ook maar een droog plekje te vinden. Wy rustten op omgevallen boomstammen, die dikwyls ook onder water lagen, doch aangezien wy toch klets nat waren, trokken wy ons hiervan niets aan.
Wy sliepen in Amerikaansche Jungle Hammocks (een soort hangmat met muskieten gaas aan de zykanten en een waterdicht dakje van zeil er boven op – typisch Amerikaansch – reusachtig goed.) Deze hingen wy tusschen een paar boomen, zoodat wy in ieder geval niet op de natte grond behoevden te liggen.
Daarna trokken wy verder naar het Noorden en zworven 3 weken lang door het gebied de koppensnellers in het Mappi-gebied. Dit gebied staat op de kaart volkomen wit aangegeven, aangezien nog niemand zich hierin heeft gewaagd. Wat wy hier alzoo beleefden, kan ik slechts vertellen als ik U weer spreek aangezien ik meer dan een avond hierover zou kunnen uitwyden. Ik maakte een 50 tal photos met het kiektoestel, dat ik destyds van Oom Johan kreeg, die een waardevolle illustratie zyn by myn verhaal.
Wy schoven nog wat meer naar het Noorden, waar de bergen beginnen, by Tanah Merah (oude strafcolonie voor politieke misdadigers) en Nienatie. Ik vergat nog te vertellen, dat dit de eenigste plaatsen in N.G. waren, die nog niet door de Jappen bezet, doch die in dien tyd nog zwaar gebombardeerd en gemitrailleerd werden door Jap. vliegtuigen. Ook hier hielden wy ons een een 3 weken in het bosch op ( 3 weken was de maximale range in verband met de mee te voeren voedsel voorraden.)
"
"... and finally, we were allowed to do a “training patrol” in New Guinea. Due to poor information and preparation, this trip was completed in a most miraculous way.
We first went to Merauke (beginning of July 1943) and did a short patrol through the surrounding swamps where we often spent 5 or 6 hours per day moving in high water without finding a single dry spot. We rested on fallen down trees which were often under water also, which did not bother us as we were soaked through anyway.
We slept in American Jungle Hammocks (the kind with mosquito netting at the side and a piece of waterproof sailing cloth as roofing, typically American and really great). These we hung between two trees so at least we did not have to lie on wet ground.
Thereafter we trekked further north and wandered for 3 weeks through an area with headshrinkers in the Mappi area. This area is shown in white on the map, as nobody has ever been in this area. What we experienced here I can only tell you when we see eachother again as I would need more than one evening to tell you all. I made about 50 photos with a camera which Uncle Johan gave me, which are a valuable illustration of my story.
We moved further north, where the mountains begin, near Tanah Merah and Nienatie. I forgot to tell that these were the only places in New Guinea which the Japs had not occupied yet, although at the time they were heavily bombed and shot at by the Japanese airplanes. Also, here we spent 3 weeks in the bush (3 weeks was the maximum range we could reach with the rations we could carry)."
www.papuaerfgoed.org/sites/default/files/collectie/files/...
Pater en Papua, ONTMOETING VAN DE MISSIONARISSEN VAN HET HEILIG HART MET DE CULTUUR DER PAPOEA'S VAN NEDERLANDS ZUID-NIEUW-GUINEA (1905-1963), Dr. J.F.L.M. Cornelissen, 1988
“P79 a De woonplaats der Jahraj en der Awjoe
De Jahraj wonen aan de rechter- en de Awjoe aan de linkeroevers van de Mappirivier. De Jahraj-dorpen staan in de moerassige gebieden, terwijl de Awjoe zich vooral in de bossen gevestigd hebben. De papoea's van de Jahrajbevolkingsgroep leefden in het stroomgebied van de rivieren Oba, Miwamon, Nambeomon en Bapei en in de heuvelgebieden daartussen. Vóór de Tweede Wereldoorlog woonden de Awjoe in metershoge boomhutten, omdat zij voortdurend werden aangevallen door de Jahraj.
b Missiegeschiedenis
Vanaf 1930 richtte het Nederlandse bestuur langs de Digoel enkele politieposten op om de Jahraj het koppensnellen te beletten. In 1937 opende pater C. Meuwese het Mappigebied, waarin de papoea's van de Jahraj- en de Awjoebevolkingsgroepen woonden. Hij vestigde zich te Tanah-Merah. In de eerste oorlogsjaren (1940 - 1942) deed pater P. Drabbe taalonderzoek zowel bij de Jahraj als bij de Awjoe. Hij vertaalde honderd verhalen uit de bijbel in hun talen. Voordat hij dit had gedaan, improviseerde pater C. Meuwese met behulp van zelfgemaakte taaiaantekeningen. De Keiese goeroes gebruikten de taallijst van pater P. Drabbe als basis. Zij leerden de papoea-kinderen Maleis en hiervoor was een beperkte kennis van de Jahraj- en de Awjoe-talen noodzakelijk. Te Jatan organiseerde de missie in 1942 een groots doop- en vredesfeest tussen de papoea's van de Jahraj- en de Awjoe-bevolkingsgroepen.”
Father and Papua, MEETING OF THE MISSIONARIES OF THE SACRED HEART WITH THE CULTURE OF THE PAPUANS OF DUTCH SOUTH NEW GUINEA (1905-1963), Dr. J.F.L.M. Cornelissen, 1988
“P79 a The place of residence of the Jahraj and the Awjoe
The Jahraj live on the right and the Awjoe on the left banks of the Mappi River. The Jahraj villages are in the swampy areas, while the Awjoe have settled mainly in the forests. The Papuans of the Jahraj population group lived in the basin of the rivers Oba, Miwamon, Nambeomon and Bapei and in the hilly areas in between. Before the Second World War, the Awjoe lived in meter-high tree houses, because they were constantly attacked by the Jahraj.
b Mission history
From 1930 onwards, the Dutch government set up several police posts along the Digoel to prevent the Jahraj from headhunting. In 1937, Father C. Meuwese opened the Mappi area, in which the Papuans of the Jahraj and Awjoe population groups lived. He settled in Tanah-Merah. In the first years of the war (1940 - 1942), Father P. Drabbe conducted language research among both the Jahraj and the Awjoe. He translated a hundred stories from the Bible into their languages. Before he had done this, Father C. Meuwese improvised using self-made language notes. The Keiese gurus used Father P. Drabbe's language list as a basis. They taught the Papuan children Malay, which required a limited knowledge of the Jahraj and Awjoe languages. In 1942, the mission organized a grand baptism and peace celebration between the Papuans of the Jahraj and Awjoe population groups in Jatan.”
Courtesy Cavalry Museum, Amersfoort
Bernard Knuppe served in the Netherlands army before and at the start of WWII.
Summary from letters from Mr Bernard Knuppe to Dr. Jack Ford, 1989-1990:
I was a Sergeant in the Netherlands Army in 1940, stationed at the border of Germany in a place called Vierlingsbeek on the river Maas. The 10th of May in the early morning, the Germans invaded Holland. I got orders from my captain to bring my platoon back to try to make a stand. As we all know now, there was no hope. We got bombed by plenty of German planes but had no plains in the air to stop them. We went further and further back until I landed in a hospital near Belgium because I was slightly wounded by bomb shrapnel on my legs. The next day, a colonel Dr. Kogh told us, that the ones who could make it, were welcome to come with him on a big truck, to try to get to England, before being taken prisoner by the Germans. I went with some other soldiers on that truck through France and left Cherbourg about the 17th of May on a trawler and arrived safely in England. In England we formed a small army of about 2000 men from all different sections: Artillery – Airforce – Infantry, etc. We did duties at the coast line and at airfields. When the Japanese came into the war, a call went out for men to help to fight the Japs in Java (Netherlands East Indies). I volunteered and left 10-1-1942 on board a Dutch ship called Columbia. While at sea on the way to Java, the Japs, we were told, had invaded the place, so instead we landed in Ceylon and did commando training there and in India. I got an infection on my toe and landed in the 15th British General Hospital in Colombo. After an amputation of part of my toe, I was unfit for the time being. Also, my leg which was hurt in Holland, started to go bad because of the hot climate. One day we got orders to sail somewhere, which was to be Australia. In Australia, we were assigned to NEFIS III to get parties into the islands in New Guinea behind the Japs, to get information about what was going on etc. and those Intelligence reports were passed on to General McArthur’s Intelligence H.Q.
I missed out to go with the others, because I had to go to Hospital again (Caulfield Repat). After discharge from Hospital and not being 100% fit to be a commando anymore, I landed a job to go to New Guinea to supply the parties in the field by airplane. In the period 1943-45, I was based at Merauke, Hollandia (currently Jayapura) and Morotai (Maluku islands). The following items were dropped: food, weapons, clothes, radios, ammunition etc., even a goat for one of the members of the party who was very sick, perhaps cancer. They milked the goat and he got the milk to help him get better. He came out alive. Also, when a party was in trouble when the Japs were after them, I dropped them an outboard motor and thank God they got away okay. Furthermore salt, shells and other items were dropped to give to the local population for information and to get them on our side.
In September 1944 I was very lucky. I got out of a plane the last second, before it left for Brisbane. That plane crashed with all on board killed and was found in February 1989 near Cairns QLD. The reason I got out, was that just before it left New Guinea, I was called back to fly with a U.S. plane to drop supplies as I was familiar with the job and so they asked me to fly with them to show the way to the party in the Yemele.
When the war ended in 1945 I went to what is now Indonesia and did similar duties there, until I got demobilised in 1947 in Australia, where I had been married in 1946. And have lived there ever since.
By the end of the war I was glad, that the slaughter was over. I was promoted to Warrant Officer, received the Cross of Merit from the Queen of Holland, also a war remembering cross for service 1940-45 in Holland and the Pacific.
From a 1990 letter by Mr. Bernard Knuppe to Dr Jack Ford: ". I was lucky because working for A.I.B. Allied Intelligence Bureau, I was supplied mostly with U.S. gear weapens uniform etc. etc. but dropped all supplies with Dutch planes. B25 Mitchel Bomber, D.C. 3 Douglas or Catalina flying boat."
courtesy Knuppe family archives, courtesy Dr. Jack Ford, www.linkedin.com/in/jack-ford-2728a056/
Nefis pankek (pancake) tarifi nasıl yapılır bu yazıdan öğrenebilirsiniz. www.nasilyapilirtarifleri.com/pankek-tarifi-ardanin-mutfagi/
The marriage of Bernard Knuppe and Dulcie Knuppe-Kelly was recorded in the Argus of Melbourne, 8 April 1946 trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/page/1668637 (photo with caption "Adjutant Bernard Knuppe, Dutch Forces, and Mrs. Knuppe cutting the cake at the wedding reception at the Dutch Club.")
Bernard Knuppe served in the Netherlands army before and at the start of WWII.
Summary from letters from Mr Bernard Knuppe to Dr. Jack Ford, 1989-1990:
I was a Sergeant in the Netherlands Army in 1940, stationed at the border of Germany in a place called Vierlingsbeek on the river Maas. The 10th of May in the early morning, the Germans invaded Holland. I got orders from my captain to bring my platoon back to try to make a stand. As we all know now, there was no hope. We got bombed by plenty of German planes but had no plains in the air to stop them. We went further and further back until I landed in a hospital near Belgium because I was slightly wounded by bomb shrapnel on my legs. The next day, a colonel Dr. Kogh told us, that the ones who could make it, were welcome to come with him on a big truck, to try to get to England, before being taken prisoner by the Germans. I went with some other soldiers on that truck through France and left Cherbourg about the 17th of May on a trawler and arrived safely in England. In England we formed a small army of about 2000 men from all different sections: Artillery – Airforce – Infantry, etc. We did duties at the coast line and at airfields. When the Japanese came into the war, a call went out for men to help to fight the Japs in Java (Netherlands East Indies). I volunteered and left 10-1-1942 on board a Dutch ship called Columbia. While at sea on the way to Java, the Japs, we were told, had invaded the place, so instead we landed in Ceylon and did commando training there and in India. I got an infection on my toe and landed in the 15th British General Hospital in Colombo. After an amputation of part of my toe, I was unfit for the time being. Also, my leg which was hurt in Holland, started to go bad because of the hot climate. One day we got orders to sail somewhere, which was to be Australia. In Australia, we were assigned to NEFIS III to get parties into the islands in New Guinea behind the Japs, to get information about what was going on etc. and those Intelligence reports were passed on to General McArthur’s Intelligence H.Q.
I missed out to go with the others, because I had to go to Hospital again (Caulfield Repat). After discharge from Hospital and not being 100% fit to be a commando anymore, I landed a job to go to New Guinea to supply the parties in the field by airplane. In the period 1943-45, I was based at Merauke, Hollandia (currently Jayapura) and Morotai (Maluku islands). The following items were dropped: food, weapons, clothes, radios, ammunition etc., even a goat for one of the members of the party who was very sick, perhaps cancer. They milked the goat and he got the milk to help him get better. He came out alive. Also, when a party was in trouble when the Japs were after them, I dropped them an outboard motor and thank God they got away okay. Furthermore salt, shells and other items were dropped to give to the local population for information and to get them on our side.
In September 1944 I was very lucky. I got out of a plane the last second, before it left for Brisbane. That plane crashed with all on board killed and was found in February 1989 near Cairns QLD. The reason I got out, was that just before it left New Guinea, I was called back to fly with a U.S. plane to drop supplies as I was familiar with the job and so they asked me to fly with them to show the way to the party in the Yemele.
When the war ended in 1945 I went to what is now Indonesia and did similar duties there, until I got demobilised in 1947 in Australia, where I had been married in 1946. And have lived there ever since.
By the end of the war I was glad, that the slaughter was over. I was promoted to Warrant Officer, received the Cross of Merit from the Queen of Holland, also a war remembering cross for service 1940-45 in Holland and the Pacific.
From a 1990 letter by Mr. Bernard Knuppe to Dr Jack Ford: "I was lucky because working for A.I.B. Allied Intelligence Bureau, I was supplied mostly with U.S. gear weapens uniform etc. etc. but dropped all supplies with Dutch planes. B25 Mitchel Bomber, D.C. 3 Douglas or Catalina flying boat."
courtesy Knuppe family archives, courtesy Dr. Jack Ford, www.linkedin.com/in/jack-ford-2728a056/
Bernard Knuppe served in NEFIS (Netherlands East Indies Forces Intelligence Service).
Original caption reads:
"Ergens over New Guinea in de buurt van de Jap. 1943"
(Somewhere above New Guinea near the Japs. 1943)
Dr. Jack Ford, Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) at the University of Queensland, wrote a book about Australian-Dutch cooperation during WWII, "Allies in a Bind, Australia and the Netherlands East Indies in the Second World War" (Loganholme: Netherlands Ex-Servicemen and Women’s Association, Queensland branch, 1996). For the book, he corresponded with many NEFIS veterans.
Summary from letters from Mr Bernard Knuppe to Dr. Jack Ford, 1989-1990:
I was a Sergeant in the Netherlands Army in 1940, stationed at the border of Germany in a place called Vierlingsbeek on the river Maas. The 10th of May in the early morning, the Germans invaded Holland. I got orders from my captain to bring my platoon back to try to make a stand. As we all know now, there was no hope. We got bombed by plenty of German planes but had no plains in the air to stop them. We went further and further back until I landed in a hospital near Belgium because I was slightly wounded by bomb shrapnel on my legs. The next day, a colonel Dr. Kogh told us, that the ones who could make it, were welcome to come with him on a big truck, to try to get to England, before being taken prisoner by the Germans. I went with some other soldiers on that truck through France and left Cherbourg about the 17th of May on a trawler and arrived safely in England. In England we formed a small army of about 2000 men from all different sections: Artillery – Airforce – Infantry, etc. We did duties at the coast line and at airfields. When the Japanese came into the war, a call went out for men to help to fight the Japs in Java (Netherlands East Indies). I volunteered and left 10-1-1942 on board a Dutch ship called Columbia. While at sea on the way to Java, the Japs, we were told, had invaded the place, so instead we landed in Ceylon and did commando training there and in India. I got an infection on my toe and landed in the 15th British General Hospital in Colombo. After an amputation of part of my toe, I was unfit for the time being. Also, my leg which was hurt in Holland, started to go bad because of the hot climate. One day we got orders to sail somewhere, which was to be Australia. In Australia, we were assigned to NEFIS III to get parties into the islands in New Guinea behind the Japs, to get information about what was going on etc. and those Intelligence reports were passed on to General McArthur’s Intelligence H.Q.
I missed out to go with the others, because I had to go to Hospital again (Caulfield Repat). After discharge from Hospital and not being 100% fit to be a commando anymore, I landed a job to go to New Guinea to supply the parties in the field by airplane. In the period 1943-45, I was based at Merauke, Hollandia (currently Jayapura) and Morotai (Maluku islands). The following items were dropped: food, weapons, clothes, radios, ammunition etc., even a goat for one of the members of the party who was very sick, perhaps cancer. They milked the goat and he got the milk to help him get better. He came out alive. Also, when a party was in trouble when the Japs were after them, I dropped them an outboard motor and thank God they got away okay. Furthermore salt, shells and other items were dropped to give to the local population for information and to get them on our side.
In September 1944 I was very lucky. I got out of a plane the last second, before it left for Brisbane. That plane crashed with all on board killed and was found in February 1989 near Cairns QLD. The reason I got out, was that just before it left New Guinea, I was called back to fly with a U.S. plane to drop supplies as I was familiar with the job and so they asked me to fly with them to show the way to the party in the Yemele.
When the war ended in 1945 I went to what is now Indonesia and did similar duties there, until I got demobilised in 1947 in Australia, where I had been married in 1946. And have lived there ever since.
By the end of the war I was glad, that the slaughter was over. I was promoted to Warrant Officer, received the Cross of Merit from the Queen of Holland, also a war remembering cross for service 1940-45 in Holland and the Pacific.
From a 1990 letter by Mr. Bernard Knuppe to Dr Jack Ford: "I was lucky because working for A.I.B. Allied Intelligence Bureau, I was supplied mostly with U.S. gear weapens uniform etc. etc. but dropped all supplies with Dutch planes. B25 Mitchel Bomber, D.C. 3 Douglas or Catalina flying boat."
Flickr member Son Of Paul helped to identify the airplane in this photo: an Australian B25.
courtesy Knuppe family archives, courtesy Dr. Jack Ford, www.linkedin.com/in/jack-ford-2728a056/
Bernard Knuppe served in the Netherlands army before and at the start of WWII.
Summary from letters from Mr Bernard Knuppe to Dr. Jack Ford, 1989-1990:
I was a Sergeant in the Netherlands Army in 1940, stationed at the border of Germany in a place called Vierlingsbeek on the river Maas. The 10th of May in the early morning, the Germans invaded Holland. I got orders from my captain to bring my platoon back to try to make a stand. As we all know now, there was no hope. We got bombed by plenty of German planes but had no plains in the air to stop them. We went further and further back until I landed in a hospital near Belgium because I was slightly wounded by bomb shrapnel on my legs. The next day, a colonel Dr. Kogh told us, that the ones who could make it, were welcome to come with him on a big truck, to try to get to England, before being taken prisoner by the Germans. I went with some other soldiers on that truck through France and left Cherbourg about the 17th of May on a trawler and arrived safely in England. In England we formed a small army of about 2000 men from all different sections: Artillery – Airforce – Infantry, etc. We did duties at the coast line and at airfields. When the Japanese came into the war, a call went out for men to help to fight the Japs in Java (Netherlands East Indies). I volunteered and left 10-1-1942 on board a Dutch ship called Columbia. While at sea on the way to Java, the Japs, we were told, had invaded the place, so instead we landed in Ceylon and did commando training there and in India. I got an infection on my toe and landed in the 15th British General Hospital in Colombo. After an amputation of part of my toe, I was unfit for the time being. Also, my leg which was hurt in Holland, started to go bad because of the hot climate. One day we got orders to sail somewhere, which was to be Australia. In Australia, we were assigned to NEFIS III to get parties into the islands in New Guinea behind the Japs, to get information about what was going on etc. and those Intelligence reports were passed on to General McArthur’s Intelligence H.Q.
I missed out to go with the others, because I had to go to Hospital again (Caulfield Repat). After discharge from Hospital and not being 100% fit to be a commando anymore, I landed a job to go to New Guinea to supply the parties in the field by airplane. In the period 1943-45, I was based at Merauke, Hollandia (currently Jayapura) and Morotai (Maluku islands). The following items were dropped: food, weapons, clothes, radios, ammunition etc., even a goat for one of the members of the party who was very sick, perhaps cancer. They milked the goat and he got the milk to help him get better. He came out alive. Also, when a party was in trouble when the Japs were after them, I dropped them an outboard motor and thank God they got away okay. Furthermore salt, shells and other items were dropped to give to the local population for information and to get them on our side.
In September 1944 I was very lucky. I got out of a plane the last second, before it left for Brisbane. That plane crashed with all on board killed and was found in February 1989 near Cairns QLD. The reason I got out, was that just before it left New Guinea, I was called back to fly with a U.S. plane to drop supplies as I was familiar with the job and so they asked me to fly with them to show the way to the party in the Yemele.
When the war ended in 1945 I went to what is now Indonesia and did similar duties there, until I got demobilised in 1947 in Australia, where I had been married in 1946. And have lived there ever since.
By the end of the war I was glad, that the slaughter was over. I was promoted to Warrant Officer, received the Cross of Merit from the Queen of Holland, also a war remembering cross for service 1940-45 in Holland and the Pacific.
From a 1990 letter by Mr. Bernard Knuppe to Dr Jack Ford: ". I was lucky because working for A.I.B. Allied Intelligence Bureau, I was supplied mostly with U.S. gear weapens uniform etc. etc. but dropped all supplies with Dutch planes. B25 Mitchel Bomber, D.C. 3 Douglas or Catalina flying boat."
courtesy Knuppe family archives, courtesy Dr. Jack Ford, www.linkedin.com/in/jack-ford-2728a056/
Bernard Knuppe served in the Netherlands army before and at the start of WWII.
Summary from letters from Mr Bernard Knuppe to Dr. Jack Ford, 1989-1990:
I was a Sergeant in the Netherlands Army in 1940, stationed at the border of Germany in a place called Vierlingsbeek on the river Maas. The 10th of May in the early morning, the Germans invaded Holland. I got orders from my captain to bring my platoon back to try to make a stand. As we all know now, there was no hope. We got bombed by plenty of German planes but had no plains in the air to stop them. We went further and further back until I landed in a hospital near Belgium because I was slightly wounded by bomb shrapnel on my legs. The next day, a colonel Dr. Kogh told us, that the ones who could make it, were welcome to come with him on a big truck, to try to get to England, before being taken prisoner by the Germans. I went with some other soldiers on that truck through France and left Cherbourg about the 17th of May on a trawler and arrived safely in England. In England we formed a small army of about 2000 men from all different sections: Artillery – Airforce – Infantry, etc. We did duties at the coast line and at airfields. When the Japanese came into the war, a call went out for men to help to fight the Japs in Java (Netherlands East Indies). I volunteered and left 10-1-1942 on board a Dutch ship called Columbia. While at sea on the way to Java, the Japs, we were told, had invaded the place, so instead we landed in Ceylon and did commando training there and in India. I got an infection on my toe and landed in the 15th British General Hospital in Colombo. After an amputation of part of my toe, I was unfit for the time being. Also, my leg which was hurt in Holland, started to go bad because of the hot climate. One day we got orders to sail somewhere, which was to be Australia. In Australia, we were assigned to NEFIS III to get parties into the islands in New Guinea behind the Japs, to get information about what was going on etc. and those Intelligence reports were passed on to General McArthur’s Intelligence H.Q.
I missed out to go with the others, because I had to go to Hospital again (Caulfield Repat). After discharge from Hospital and not being 100% fit to be a commando anymore, I landed a job to go to New Guinea to supply the parties in the field by airplane. In the period 1943-45, I was based at Merauke, Hollandia (currently Jayapura) and Morotai (Maluku islands). The following items were dropped: food, weapons, clothes, radios, ammunition etc., even a goat for one of the members of the party who was very sick, perhaps cancer. They milked the goat and he got the milk to help him get better. He came out alive. Also, when a party was in trouble when the Japs were after them, I dropped them an outboard motor and thank God they got away okay. Furthermore salt, shells and other items were dropped to give to the local population for information and to get them on our side.
In September 1944 I was very lucky. I got out of a plane the last second, before it left for Brisbane. That plane crashed with all on board killed and was found in February 1989 near Cairns QLD. The reason I got out, was that just before it left New Guinea, I was called back to fly with a U.S. plane to drop supplies as I was familiar with the job and so they asked me to fly with them to show the way to the party in the Yemele.
When the war ended in 1945 I went to what is now Indonesia and did similar duties there, until I got demobilised in 1947 in Australia, where I had been married in 1946. And have lived there ever since.
By the end of the war I was glad, that the slaughter was over. I was promoted to Warrant Officer, received the Cross of Merit from the Queen of Holland, also a war remembering cross for service 1940-45 in Holland and the Pacific.
From a 1990 letter by Mr. Bernard Knuppe to Dr Jack Ford: ". I was lucky because working for A.I.B. Allied Intelligence Bureau, I was supplied mostly with U.S. gear weapens uniform etc. etc. but dropped all supplies with Dutch planes. B25 Mitchel Bomber, D.C. 3 Douglas or Catalina flying boat."
Bernard Knuppe was decorated for his WWII service.
www.nationaalarchief.nl/onderzoeken/zoeken?activeTab=phot...
courtesy Knuppe family archives, courtesy Dr. Jack Ford, www.linkedin.com/in/jack-ford-2728a056/