2-VLG-V (ML-KNIL)
Encyclopedia
Tweede afdeling, vliegtuiggroep vijf (second division, squadron five) or short 2-VLG-V was a squadron
of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force
from the 1st of July 1941 to the 8th of March 1942.
in Europe
, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force
(ML-KNIL) consisted of old planes and a handful of pilots. The Netherlands
already had plans to reorganize the ML-KNIL and when Nazi-Germany overcame the Netherlands, it was given the first priority. On the 1st of June 1941, the 'Tweede Afdeling' (second division) was formed on Semplak. This would be a fighter
division, mainly consisting of Curtiss-Wright Model 21 Interceptors and Brewster B-339C/D Buffalos. The first squadron (1-VLG-V) would use the interceptors, but because those weren't delivered yet, 1-VLG-V was used as a test-squadron for the newly arrived Buffalos. When at the end of June the first interceptors arrived, a second squadron within this division was created on the 1st of July 1941, 2-VLG-V. The squadron leader was Capt. Jacob Pieter van Helsdingen. The plan was that 2-VLG-V, consisting of 12 pilots, would get 12 ready to use Buffalos, and 12 spare Buffalos. However, at the end of the war, only 17 Buffalos would have been used by 2-VLG-V.
Battle of Malaya
On the 25th of December 1941, 12 Buffalos together with 12 pilots of 2-VLG-V were stationed at Kallang
, for the defence of Singapore
. These Buffalos were fitted with a bomb-rack, so that they could be used for dive-bombing. The Buffalos of the ML-KNIL didn't had bulletproof glass (it was ordered but Brewster couldn't deliver it). However the buffalos from 2-VLG-V that helped defend Singapore were fitted with bulletproof glass from damaged British buffalos. During several actions above and near Singapore 2-VLG-V managed to sink a Japanese Destroyer, and shot down 4 Japanese aircraft. During the actions above Singapore one pilot from 2-VLG-V was killed. The pilots and Buffalos that flew above Singapore were:
. Because of several crashes and losses the squadron had to be reorganized. A couple of pilots from other squadrons were transferred to 2-VLG-V, and all the Buffalos were re-arranged. So did Deibel, who above Singapore was shot down with B-3100, and crashed with B-398 received the former aircraft of squadron leader Van Helsdingen. While Van Helsdingen received a new aircraft. Below is a short list of the re-arrangement as far as known:
On the 19th of January, 8 Buffalos from 2-VLG-V intercepted a formation of about 35 Japanese bombers with an escort of about 20 Zeros. The Buffalo pilots destroyed 11 Japanese aircraft. Vdg. J.P. Kuijpers, Sgt. N.G. de Groot, Vdg. J. Scheffer, and Sgt. P.C. 't Hart were all shot down, Kuijper and de Groot were killed.
bombers attacked the Japanese fleet in the Makassar Strait
. One pilot (Rothkrans) was shot down and killed during this action. The Buffalos were all fitted with bomb-racks and two 110lbs bombs. The Buffalos from 2-VLG-V were given 8 positive hits on several ships. One ship, the Nana Maru was sunk.
On Sunday, March 1st, at 5:30 nine Brewster Buffalos set out for Eretanwetan, one flight of four aircraft of 2-VLG-V led by Captain van Helsdingen, the other flight - from 1-VLG-V - led by Captain van Rest. Three Glenn Martin Bombers of 3-VLG-III also took part in this action. One Japanese transport was claimed sunk, but the Glenn Martins also lost one of their number; Lieutenant B. Groenendijk and his crew were killed in action. One of the Brewsters belly-landed at Andir airfield, the pilot being unable to lower his undercarriage.
to Royal Dutch East Indies Army forces fighting in Lembang. Despite the Japanese having an almost complete air superiority over Java, he nevertheless chose to take off from Andir airfield. He asked all available pilots who wanted to volunteer. All pilots volunteered and van Helsdingen picked four pilots who then jumped in the four last remaining Buffalos. Just before take-off, van Helsdingen was informed by another pilot that one of the chosen pilots was married. Despite being married himself van Helsdingen took the place of the married pilot, and the four Buffalos took off. The three other pilots were: 1st Lieutenant August Deibel
, Sergeant
Gerard Bruggink
and Officer Cadet
Jan Scheffer. After only travelling 200 meters they ran into three Mitsubishi A6Ms. Deibel's plane was hit in the oil tank and he had to break off from combat. His wingman, Scheffer, escorted him back to Andir airfield, where Deibel crash landed his aircraft without injury. The other two remained above Lembang, but were now dogfighting
six Mitsubishi A6Ms. Van Helsdingen was soon shot down, but Bruggink managed to escape into the clouds before returning to Andir airfield. The Dutch forces in Lembang surrendered the next day. Bruggink and Deibel were awarded the Military William Order, the highest award available from the Netherlands
, while van Helsdingen and Scheffer (who died a prisoner of war
) were posthumously awarded the honour on 14 July, 1948.
Squadron (aviation)
A squadron in air force, army aviation or naval aviation is mainly a unit comprising a number of military aircraft, usually of the same type, typically with 12 to 24 aircraft, sometimes divided into three or four flights, depending on aircraft type and air force...
of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force
The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force was the air arm of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Dutch East Indies from 1939 until 1950...
from the 1st of July 1941 to the 8th of March 1942.
Establishment
Before of the warWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force
Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force
The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force was the air arm of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army in the Dutch East Indies from 1939 until 1950...
(ML-KNIL) consisted of old planes and a handful of pilots. The Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
already had plans to reorganize the ML-KNIL and when Nazi-Germany overcame the Netherlands, it was given the first priority. On the 1st of June 1941, the 'Tweede Afdeling' (second division) was formed on Semplak. This would be a fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
division, mainly consisting of Curtiss-Wright Model 21 Interceptors and Brewster B-339C/D Buffalos. The first squadron (1-VLG-V) would use the interceptors, but because those weren't delivered yet, 1-VLG-V was used as a test-squadron for the newly arrived Buffalos. When at the end of June the first interceptors arrived, a second squadron within this division was created on the 1st of July 1941, 2-VLG-V. The squadron leader was Capt. Jacob Pieter van Helsdingen. The plan was that 2-VLG-V, consisting of 12 pilots, would get 12 ready to use Buffalos, and 12 spare Buffalos. However, at the end of the war, only 17 Buffalos would have been used by 2-VLG-V.
Battle of MalayaBattle of MalayaThe Malayan Campaign was a campaign fought by Allied and Japanese forces in Malaya, from 8 December 1941 – 31 January 1942 during the Second World War. The campaign was dominated by land battles between British Commonwealth army units, and the Imperial Japanese Army...
On the 25th of December 1941, 12 Buffalos together with 12 pilots of 2-VLG-V were stationed at KallangKallang
Kallang is an urban planning area and a subdivision located in the southeastern part of Singapore.It is probably best known for being the location of the Singapore Indoor Stadium & the old National Stadium, as well as the new Singapore Sports Hub...
, for the defence of Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. These Buffalos were fitted with a bomb-rack, so that they could be used for dive-bombing. The Buffalos of the ML-KNIL didn't had bulletproof glass (it was ordered but Brewster couldn't deliver it). However the buffalos from 2-VLG-V that helped defend Singapore were fitted with bulletproof glass from damaged British buffalos. During several actions above and near Singapore 2-VLG-V managed to sink a Japanese Destroyer, and shot down 4 Japanese aircraft. During the actions above Singapore one pilot from 2-VLG-V was killed. The pilots and Buffalos that flew above Singapore were:
| Aircraft | Pilot | Extra Information | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-399 | Vdg. J.F. Scheffer | On the 7th of January 1942, Scheffer crashed during a landing. Aircraft was written off, pilot not wounded. | - |
| B-3100 | 1st Lt. A.G. Deibel | On the 12th of January 1942, Deibel was shot down by a Nakajima Ki-27 Nakajima Ki-27 The was the main fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force up until 1940. Its Allied nickname was "Nate", although it was called "Abdul" in the "China Burma India" theater by many post war sources; Allied Intelligence had reserved that name for the nonexistent Mitsubishi Navy... . Deibel saved himself with his parachute, but the aircraft was lost. After this Deibel flew in B-398. |
- |
| B-3103 | Vdg. F. Swarts | On the 15th of January 1942, Swarts was shot down above Singapore by a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa. | KIA |
| B-3105 | Sgt. A. Voorbij | On the 15th of January 1942, Voorbij had to make a crash landing in the sea near Biliton. He survived the crash and floated alongside the wreckage. When ships arrived at the crash scene Voorbij wasn't there anymore. | MIA |
| B-3107 | Sgt. G.M. Bruggink Gerard Bruggink Gerardus Meinardus Bruggink was a Dutch pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. A recipient of the Military Order of William, he was one of only four Dutch pilots to dogfight the Japanese in the Battle of Java.Born in Tubbergen, Overijssel, Bruggink followed a Catholic seminary... |
- | - |
| B-3108 | Vdg. J.H.A. Ellecom | About the 6th of January 1942, Ellecom crashed during a start from Palembang I. Aircraft was written off and the pilot heavily wounded. | - |
| B-3110 | Capt. J.P. van Helsdingen | - | - |
| B-3111 | Vdg. F. Pelder | - | - |
| B-3115 | Vdg. R.A. Rothkrans | - | - |
| B-3117 | Sgt. A.E. Stoové Albert Eduard Stoové Albert Eduard Stoové was a Sergeant in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force at the start of World War II. For several actions with the 2-VLG-V squadron under command of Capt... |
- | - |
| ? | Sgt. N.G. de Groot | - | - |
| ? | 2nd Lt. P.A. Hoyer | - | - |
Battle of Java
On the 18th of January 1942 the Buffalos that fought above Singapore were called back to help defend Java. This made them miss the Battle of SingaporeBattle of Singapore
The Battle of Singapore was fought in the South-East Asian theatre of the Second World War when the Empire of Japan invaded the Allied stronghold of Singapore. Singapore was the major British military base in Southeast Asia and nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the East"...
. Because of several crashes and losses the squadron had to be reorganized. A couple of pilots from other squadrons were transferred to 2-VLG-V, and all the Buffalos were re-arranged. So did Deibel, who above Singapore was shot down with B-3100, and crashed with B-398 received the former aircraft of squadron leader Van Helsdingen. While Van Helsdingen received a new aircraft. Below is a short list of the re-arrangement as far as known:
| Aircraft | Pilot | Extra Information | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| B-3107 | Sgt. G.M. Bruggink Gerard Bruggink Gerardus Meinardus Bruggink was a Dutch pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. A recipient of the Military Order of William, he was one of only four Dutch pilots to dogfight the Japanese in the Battle of Java.Born in Tubbergen, Overijssel, Bruggink followed a Catholic seminary... |
- | - |
| B-3110 | 1st Lt. A.G. Deibel | - | - |
| B-3111 | Vdg. F. Pelder | - | - |
| B-3115 | Vdg. R.A. Rothkrans | On the 23rd of January 1942, Rothkrans was shot down during an air raid on the Japanese fleet near Balikpapan. | KIA |
| B-3117 | Sgt. A.E. Stoové Albert Eduard Stoové Albert Eduard Stoové was a Sergeant in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force at the start of World War II. For several actions with the 2-VLG-V squadron under command of Capt... |
- | - |
| B-3118 | Capt. J.P. van Helsdingen | On the 7th of March 1942, van Helsdingen participated in the last defence action of the ML-KNIL. He and Sgt. Bruggink encountered six Mitsubishi A6Ms. Bruggink managed to dive into clouds, however van Helsdingen responded to late and was shot down. | KIA |
| B-3132 | Vdg. J.P. Kuijpers | On the 19th of February, Kuijpers was shot down near Semplak by a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa. The aircraft went down and Kuijpers was killed in action. Kuijpers joined 2-VLG-V after their return from Singapore. Before probably served in 1-VLG-V or 3-VLG-V. | KIA |
| ? | Sgt. N.G. de Groot | On the 19th of February, de Groot was shot down near Semplak by a Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa. The aircraft went down and De Groot was killed in action. | KIA |
| ? | 2nd Lt. P.A. Hoyer | - | - |
| ? | Vdg. J.F. Scheffer | - | - |
| ? | Vdg. P.C. 't Hart | - | - |
On the 19th of January, 8 Buffalos from 2-VLG-V intercepted a formation of about 35 Japanese bombers with an escort of about 20 Zeros. The Buffalo pilots destroyed 11 Japanese aircraft. Vdg. J.P. Kuijpers, Sgt. N.G. de Groot, Vdg. J. Scheffer, and Sgt. P.C. 't Hart were all shot down, Kuijper and de Groot were killed.
Battle of Balikpapan
In the afternoon of January 23, all Buffalos from 2-VLG-V together with several Buffalos from 3-VLG-V and nine Martin Model 166Martin B-10
The Martin B-10 was the first all-metal monoplane bomber to go into regular use by the United States Army Air Corps, entering service in June 1934...
bombers attacked the Japanese fleet in the Makassar Strait
Makassar Strait
Makassar Strait is a strait between the islands of Borneo and Sulawesi in Indonesia. To the north it joins the Celebes Sea, while to the south it meets the Java Sea.The Mahakam River of Borneo empties into the strait....
. One pilot (Rothkrans) was shot down and killed during this action. The Buffalos were all fitted with bomb-racks and two 110lbs bombs. The Buffalos from 2-VLG-V were given 8 positive hits on several ships. One ship, the Nana Maru was sunk.
On Sunday, March 1st, at 5:30 nine Brewster Buffalos set out for Eretanwetan, one flight of four aircraft of 2-VLG-V led by Captain van Helsdingen, the other flight - from 1-VLG-V - led by Captain van Rest. Three Glenn Martin Bombers of 3-VLG-III also took part in this action. One Japanese transport was claimed sunk, but the Glenn Martins also lost one of their number; Lieutenant B. Groenendijk and his crew were killed in action. One of the Brewsters belly-landed at Andir airfield, the pilot being unable to lower his undercarriage.
Last Flight
On the 7th of march 1942, van Helsdingen was given the order to give air supportClose air support
In military tactics, close air support is defined as air action by fixed or rotary winged aircraft against hostile targets that are close to friendly forces, and which requires detailed integration of each air mission with fire and movement of these forces.The determining factor for CAS is...
to Royal Dutch East Indies Army forces fighting in Lembang. Despite the Japanese having an almost complete air superiority over Java, he nevertheless chose to take off from Andir airfield. He asked all available pilots who wanted to volunteer. All pilots volunteered and van Helsdingen picked four pilots who then jumped in the four last remaining Buffalos. Just before take-off, van Helsdingen was informed by another pilot that one of the chosen pilots was married. Despite being married himself van Helsdingen took the place of the married pilot, and the four Buffalos took off. The three other pilots were: 1st Lieutenant August Deibel
August Deibel
1st Lieutenant August Gerard Deibel was a Dutch pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. He was part of 2-VLG-V, which was stationed in Singapore before its withdrawal to Java. His unit emblem was a rhinoceros head painted on both sides of the front fuselage on his Brewster...
, Sergeant
Sergeant
Sergeant is a rank used in some form by most militaries, police forces, and other uniformed organizations around the world. Its origins are the Latin serviens, "one who serves", through the French term Sergent....
Gerard Bruggink
Gerard Bruggink
Gerardus Meinardus Bruggink was a Dutch pilot of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force. A recipient of the Military Order of William, he was one of only four Dutch pilots to dogfight the Japanese in the Battle of Java.Born in Tubbergen, Overijssel, Bruggink followed a Catholic seminary...
and Officer Cadet
Officer Cadet
Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...
Jan Scheffer. After only travelling 200 meters they ran into three Mitsubishi A6Ms. Deibel's plane was hit in the oil tank and he had to break off from combat. His wingman, Scheffer, escorted him back to Andir airfield, where Deibel crash landed his aircraft without injury. The other two remained above Lembang, but were now dogfighting
Dogfight
A dogfight, or dog fight, is a form of aerial combat between fighter aircraft; in particular, combat of maneuver at short range, where each side is aware of the other's presence. Dogfighting first appeared during World War I, shortly after the invention of the airplane...
six Mitsubishi A6Ms. Van Helsdingen was soon shot down, but Bruggink managed to escape into the clouds before returning to Andir airfield. The Dutch forces in Lembang surrendered the next day. Bruggink and Deibel were awarded the Military William Order, the highest award available from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, while van Helsdingen and Scheffer (who died a prisoner of war
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
) were posthumously awarded the honour on 14 July, 1948.