One Step Ahead

One Step Ahead One step ahead of Imperial Japanese forces, we were kicked out of the Dutch East Indies fleeing for our lives. We escaped in Dutch Air Service Dornier 24 flying boats and others ending up at Broome, Australia. Free for now from the marauding Jap Zero fighters, they can’t catch us here! Our Dornier is about to depart to sanctuary in southern Australia, we’re in the flying boat when they come out of our autumn sky and oh hell the Japs are here! Nine Mitsubishi zero fighters begin their attack runs. Our plane is fully fuelled up, full of civilians ready to begin our new life down south. We’ll never see our East Indies again! Bullets and cannon shells fall amongst our fifteen flying boats setting them on fire, killing us! There are no soldiers here only men, women and kids. One by one fifteen flying boats settle on the sea bed – 8 Catalina, 2 Short C Class and 5 Dornier 24 aircraft. Don’t you know there are civilians on these blazing sinking aircraft? There’s no air defence here but one Zero was nailed when they hit our air base inland – not all one-way! Carnage ruled there not the end, the animals got a DC-3 full of civilians and a B-24 full of injured servicemen. As my Dornier burns tell them my name is Anneke and I’m from the Dutch East Indies…