Drop Zone Borneo: The RAF Campaign 1963-65 The Most Successful Use of Armed Forces in the Twentieth Century

211 Pages·2010·4.31 MB·English

by  Annett

First published in Great Britain in 2006
and reprinted in this format in 2010 by
Pen & Sword Aviation
an imprint of
Pen & Sword Books Ltd
47 Church Street
Barnsley
South Yorkshire
S70 2AS

Copyright © Roger Annett, 2006, 2010
9781844682157

The right of Roger Annett to be identified as Author of this Work has been
asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.

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available from the British Library.

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Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
CHAPTER ONE - Mission to the Mountains
CHAPTER TWO - Into Konfrontasi
CHAPTER THREE - Action Stations
CHAPTER FOUR - Work and Play
CHAPTER FIVE - ‘Mayday – Mayday – Mayday’
CHAPTER SIX - Down in the Jungle
CHAPTER SEVEN - Threat to Kuching
CHAPTER EIGHT - Strife in Singapore
CHAPTER NINE - En Route
CHAPTER TEN - Labuan Revisited
CHAPTER ELEVEN - Sarawak Saga
CHAPTER TWELVE - Farewell
CHAPTER THIRTEEN - Return
CHAPTER FOURTEEN - Perspective
Appendix
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
My thanks go to the many people whose contributions, insights and unfailing
encouragement were generously offered during the preparation of this story.
Tom Sneddon painstakingly read the manuscript, correcting factual howlers
and allowing free access to his own notes and records. These included selections
from his letters home from the Far East, discovered in a box in his late mother’s
attic. Barry and Dorothy Priest’s loft yielded equally priceless souvenirs and
Mike Keane, a Changi Kiwi, produced the splendid Sarawak navigation chart.
Both Dominic Parkinson and Dickie Miller unearthed valuable video footage
(originally cine film) of the Confrontation years.
I am greatly indebted to Tony Stephens, recently Deputy Head at the Air
Historical Branch. Here, Seb Cox, Flight Lieutenant Mary Hudson and Clive
Richards gave me every assistance among the RAF Report Forms 540 and
bundles of photographs. Tony also referred me to Henry Probert, whose advice
was invaluable.
John Leary was a guide and mentor, not least among the RAF aviation
accounts found in back-numbers of Air Clues at the RAF Museum at Hendon.
He reintroduced me to Tony Talbot-Williams, to whom I am grateful for his
helpful cooperation.
Geoff Walker, John Horsfall and Taff Howell put me in touch with old 215
Squadron friends from Borneo days: Pat Gorman, Jack Davies, John Hare,
Tommy Norcross, Graham Wade, Mike Robson, Rod Twitchett and Jack Ord all
gladly shared their recollections, as did Val McCarthy, Terry Keats and Hugh
Rolfe from other squadrons.
I am grateful to Roger Draper for his part in initiating this project and to Celia
Kent for her professional counsel and an introduction to Lord Healey, who
kindly gave his ministerial viewpoint.
My foremost thanks go to my wife, Jenny, for her inestimable contribution to
the writing and editing of this book. Without her, the tale would not have been
told.
Roger Annett
Spring 2006
Foreword
This excellent book recalls how the Argosy aircraft of 215 Squadron took part in
the ‘Confrontation’ with Indonesia in Borneo, which Denis Healey, Secretary of
State for Defence at the time, rightly claims as one of the most efficient uses of
military force in history. In this campaign, faced with organised infiltration by a
larger neighbour into a country of dense jungle and few roads, deployment of
troops by air and their resupply by airdrops was the only answer.
Great credit is due to the aircrews of 52 Squadron (Valettas), 48 Squadron
(Hastings), 34 Squadron (Beverleys) and 41 Squadron RNZAF (Bristol
Freighters), as well as the Argosies of 215 Squadron, who transported and
resupplied the ground forces using aircraft that were not always ideal for the
task. The RAF wanted the C-130 Hercules, but an understandable desire to ‘Buy
British’ resulted in the Argosy, a civil aircraft designed to be a short-range
European capital city ‘packet’, being modified for medium-range freight-
carrying and military airdrop use.
Nevertheless, the opportunity to reform 215 squadron, with its gallant history
from previous incarnations, to operate the new aircraft and to deploy to the Far
East where military action was taking place, was grasped enthusiastically by air
and groundcrews. The aircrews were drawn from experienced tactical
transporters (including some splendid air quartermasters), four-engined aircraft
pilots and navigators from Coastal and Bomber Commands, and a valuable
group of keen, young aviators. These were backed up superbly by a groundcrew
of similar mix.
On a visit to Singapore two months before deployment, to brief the Far East
Air Force Headquarters air staff on the aircraft and its capability, I reported, ‘No
one in their right mind would have bought these aircraft, but the air and
groundcrews will ensure that they are flown to their limit and perform all the
operational tasks allotted to them.’
And so it proved to be. After a ten-leg transit the squadron operated within
forty-eight hours of arrival at Changi. From then on the excellent performance
on all tasks, in spite of very difficult Drop Zones (DZs), the limitations of the
aircraft and cartography, is of great credit to all personnel.