Military aircraft crashes on State Forest and

National Parks in Victoria.

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) operated about 50 military airfields across Victoria during World War Two. Included were a number of major training bases for pilots, aircrew, gunners, wireless operators and navigators, most notably at Point Cook- Laverton (Pearce), Benalla, Ballarat, Mildura, East Sale and Bairnsdale. Initial pilot training was conducted in DH82 Tiger Moths, CAC Wirraways and twin-engine Arvo Anson’s. In addition, many operational aircraft were assembled at Fisherman’s Bend near Melbourne at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) factory before being tested and deployed north to Darwin and New Guinea.

"You won't have any trouble finding your way to Darwin. Just follow the trail of crashed Kittyhawks, you can't go wrong."

The words of the Corporal in charge of the refuelling crew at Cloncurry in November 1942.

Operational flights and anti-submarine patrols also occurred along the Victorian coast. However, there were at least 366 aircraft crashes in Victoria during the Second World War. Many minor incidents happened at airfields or where pilots managed to land safely in farmland. Some aircraft were lost at sea. But many crashes occurred in remote State Forests and National Parks. Tragically some pilots, crew and passengers were killed. And in some cases, the wreckage was not discovered for many years. Forests Commission Victoria (FCV) staff have often been involved in the search and rescue operations as well as preserving sites and relics. Below is a small selection.

10th August 1938 – Arthurs Seat.

Five RAAF Avro Anson’s from the No. 2 Squadron were undertaking navigational exercises. Due to worsening weather conditions, the aircraft were recalled to Point Cook Air Force Base. At 9.45am while flying in low cloud over Arthurs Seat one aircraft crashed into the north western face of the hill.

RAAF Avro Anson

The front of the aircraft was completely destroyed after ploughing through trees, but the tail and mid sections were mostly intact. Of the five crew members, the only survivor was the turret gunner, located in the rear section of the aircraft.

The wreckage of Avro Anson A4-29 at Arthurs Seat

26 October 1939 – Warburton.

A RAAF Supermarine Seagull A2-7 crashed near Warburton. The aircraft suffered an engine failure during a local area familiarisation flight. The three crew members were all injured when it crashed into the heavily forested area. They were admitted

to the Caulfield Military Hospital. The A2-7 wreckage was salvaged for components in 1940.

Supermarine Seagull, A2-7

A2-7 wreckage near Warburton.

16 May 1940 – Mt Torbreck.

A RAAF Avro Anson went missing on a flight from Point Cook to Camden in NSW. The aircraft had earlier departed RAAF Pearce in the company with two other aircraft. The wreckage was located just over nine months later on side of Mt Torbreck.

In the early 1960’s a memorial cairn built by the RAAF.

A small memorial and plaque was erected on the site in the 1960s. There is still some scrap metal at the site. The memorial was rededicated by a group of volunteers in 2017.

The plaque at Mt Torbreck

10 March 1942 – Aberfeldy.

During a return flight from Canberra to Laverton, a P-40E Kittyhawk crashed into a mountain near Aberfeldy in Victoria in bad weather. The wreckage was not found until New Year's Eve 1948 by a man walking his dog. Captain Joseph Potter McLaughlin of the USAAF based at Laverton was killed.

RAAF Kityhawks

McLaughlin's watch was recovered from the wreckage by one of the locals in the 1950's. It had stopped at approximately 10.30am. Another local recovered McLaughlin's engraved revolver.

Captain Joseph Potter McLaughlin, USAAF.

21 May 1942 – Mt Cole

An Avro Anson from the Air Observer School at Mount Gambier appeared to have hit a tree during a period of poor visibility and crashed near Mount Cole/ Mt Ben Nevis. Four of the crew were killed and one received a broken arm. The aircraft was a complete write-off. 1 July 1942 – Mt Stanley

A Brewster Buffalo flown by 2nd Lieutenant Henry Orous Null Jnr, USAAF crashed on Mount Stanley in northeast Victoria. The pilot was killed.

RAAF Brewster Buffalo

Wreckage recovered from the crash site was displayed at a museum at Beechworth

12th July 1942 – Arthurs Seat.

A Bristol Beaufort flying in low cloud and mist just managed to clear the summit of Arthurs Seat but crashed into the scrub land south of the lookout tower. All four crew members were killed. 5 August 1942 – Mt Disappointment.

A RAAF twin-engine Bristol Beaufighter crashed three hundred yards north of the Mt. Disappointment peak. The pilot and all crew were killed.

RAAF Bristol Beaufighter

2 November 1942 - Mallacoota.

An Avro Anson of 67 Squadron crashed at Mallacoota airfield killing the three crew. The aircraft overran the runway and crashed into a quarry and three 100 lbs bombs on board the aircraft exploded. 7 November 1942 - Marlo.

A RAAF Bristol Beaufort A9-5 collided with some high tension wires while low flying at Marlo. The pilot F/Lt. Oates was killed.

Ted Gill was District Forester at Orbost at the time and was a passenger. The Beaufort’s based at Bairnsdale flew unspecified training missions and Ted often went along to see if fires burning in the forest were a problem or could be ignored. Before returning to Bairnsdale the aircraft flew low over Orbost to alert Meg, Ted's wife he was safe and would be home later. Ted was too late in warning the pilot of a steel cable (flying fox) across the river. The cable sheared off part of the cockpit and observation dome and dumped the aircraft into the river where it floated. The pilot was killed, everyone else climbed onto the wings and were taken ashore in boats. There are no records of this crash in FCV Annual Reports or the Snowy River Mail newspaper archives. Not surprising because it was war time and the RAAF wouldn't like the story of a training mission involving flying under a flying fox. The FCV only reported deaths of officers and employees. Ted Gill needed little encouragement to later tell his story, and how he was wearing new shoes at the time but took them off before wading ashore. He did get his pants wet. The aircraft was soon flying again and 10 days later on 17 November it crashed 5 miles ENE of Bairnsdale airfield during a non-operational navigation reconnaissance flight. The Beaufort's starboard engine appeared to be unserviceable at 1000ft. The aircraft was fully laden with bombs which were jettisoned at less than 200ft and at least two bombs exploded in a crater. The aircraft almost immediately crashed on its port wing tip. It was thought that the blast caused the pilot to lose control. The four crew were killed.

29 April 1943 – Healesville.

A RAAF P-43 Republic Lancer crashed in thick forest on the side of Gordon Gully near Healesville. The pilot was killed. The Lancer was on a flight between Wagga and Laverton. The aircraft was not found until June 1958 and the pilot's body was never recovered.

The crash site was subsequently rediscovered by bushwalkers in the early 1970s.

RAAF Republic P-43 at Laverton

25 May 1944 – Mt Disappointment.

Two RAAF Vultee Vengeance dive-bombers crashed at Mount Disappointment just north of Whittlesea. Both aircraft slammed into the mountain in low cloud. Five personnel lost their lives. Evidence of the remains of both these aircraft including a large radial engine.

RAAF Vultee vengeance

4 June 1945 – Mt Tawonga.

A RAAF Beaufort left Mount Gambier headed for East Sale on a long-range sea reconnaissance and night navigation exercise. The aircraft instead headed north east. It flew over Albury in New South Wales. It circled Albury and then flew in the direction of the Victorian Alps.

RAAF Beaufort

Several bearing adjustments were radioed to the aircraft from East Sale, but these were not acted on and the aircraft descended through the clouds. Radio transmissions had ceased at 8.15 pm. The aircraft slammed into the side of Mount Tawonga killing all the crew. 24th August 1954 – Cowombat Flat.

A RAAF Dakota DC3 took off from Canberra bound for East Sale. Just before reaching Mt Kosciuszko, the starboard engine failed and the plane lost altitude dramatically and was subject to severe turbulence. The only option was to attempt a forced landing. At that point, an open flat appeared amongst the mass of forested mountains. Communications with the aircraft was with FCV radios at Bruthen, VL3AB. Athol Hodgson was appointed radio operator. The plane crashed at Cowombat Flat at the headwaters of the Murray River. The pilot had attempted a wheels down landing, hit the ground, bounced and crashed into the only tree in the clearing about 100 yards inside the Vic-NSW border. The pilot was killed but three of the crew survived and were later rescued. Charley Pendergast a "Fire-Guard" who lived near Benambra and was employed by the local District Forester, Jim Westcott over the summer months found the wreckage. Horses were floated as far as

Limestone Creek from there the team followed what was then called the Tin Mine track.

The wreckage at Cowombat Flat a few years after the crash.

The wreckage was assembled into a makeshift shelter by local cattlemen and foresters. Source Doug Stevenson. Circa 1960.

27 November 1958 – Bruthen.

A RAAF Avon-Sabre jet crashed on the outskirts of Bruthen en route to East Sale. The jet engine "flamed out" at 40,000 feet and the pilot managed to avoid crashing in the built-up area of the town before ejecting at 500 ft. He was the first pilot to eject safely from an aeroplane in Australia. He received only minor injuries. It was the first time he had ever used a parachute.

RAAF Avon Sabre

The only remains of the crash on the outskirts of Bruthen, 27 November, 1958

Source:

Military Aircraft Crashes In Australia During WW2 https://www.ozatwar.com/ozcrashes.htm

Australian War Memorial.

Trove. Peter McHugh – June 2018