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Old 26th May 2008, 20:47
  #3425 (permalink)  
Warmtoast
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: South of the M4
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Well that didn't last long!

RAF China Bay as it was in 1957.





ARCHIE1

There's what looks like a Bristol Freighter bottom left - could the RNZAF have reached there from Malaya? Perhaps not; perhaps it's a Valetta
In 1957 RAF Changi based Bristol Freighters of 41 Sqn Royal New Zealand Air Force shared the weekly Singapore to Negombo (Katunayake) Ceylon (Sri Lanka) shuttle with RAF (48 and 52 Sqn). Valettas.
RNZAF 41 Sqn Freighter below, with an engine that looks as if it leaks oil like an Iraqi oil well!



Standard routing was Changi - Butterworth (sometimes) - Car Nicobar - Negombo (Katunayake). Next day they flew up and back to China Bay with pax, mail and freight for the RAF detachment at China Bay and the Royal Navy base at Trincomalee.

A bit of China Bay WWII history. On 10-11th August 1944 54 USAAF B.29's flew from China Bay against the Palembang oil refineries in Japanese occupied Sumatra - the 3,900 miles flight from Ceylon to Palembang and back was the longest single-stage flight undertaken by USAAF combat aircraft in WWII. Long-range RAF B.24 Liberators and Catalinas also flew supply and agent dropping missions from China Bay in support of SOE operations in Burma and Malaya.
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