[Col Bruggy]

Originally Posted by Snautzer

1. Kawasaki Ki61 Hien Captured https://www.ebay.com/itm/Unpublished...YAAOSwh21aZrKF
2. RAAF Spitfire Mk.VIII. 457 'Grey Nurse' Squadron Labuan Borneo 1945 News Photo https://www.ebay.com/itm/RAAF-Spitfi...wAAOSwKXdaZpZR
3. 43d Engineer Construction Dobodura New Guinea 1943 B-24 B-26 Photo Album https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Army-43d...8AAOSw9V1aZp9r
4. P51 with many kills markings https://www.ebay.com/itm/WWII-PICTUR...AAAOSw38BaZoKQ
5. F4F Wildcats testing machine guns on flight deck https://www.ebay.com/itm/US-Navy-avi...8AAOSwnw9aK6iZ

2. RAAF Spitfire Mk.VIII: https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/C245636 Photographs don't lie, do they. But they don't tell the "Full Story", either.

W/O Colin Beech RAAF, on leaving Labuan Island on the 19 October, 1945, was forced to return with a faulty belly tank. After the fault was rectified he took off to rejoin the flight (Zamboanga-Morotai-Biak-Tadji-Finschafen-Port Moresby-Higgins-Townsville-Oakey[Q'Land]). All aircraft reached Morotai, but Spitfire A58-604, piloted by F/Sgt Ron Reuter crashed on landing without injury to Reuter. On 23 October, on the trip from Morotai to Biak, W/O Beech (in A58-607), was forced to bale out, 10 miles SE of Morotai and was picked up by a 115 ASR Flight Catalina A24-114, uninjured, and A58-648 was left behind at Morotai with an unserviceable airscrew. A further disaster overtook the flight when F/L Fred O'Brien crash-landed A58-639 on Mokmer airstrip, due to engine failure during take-off. He was uninjured.

Eventually, 10 of the 15 Spitfires which left Labuan arrived safely at Oakey.

Col.