SOME KIND OF DANCE 

The bastards came and hit Darwin. Our radar warned us in time, we got three squadrons of Spitfires scrambled and had height on our side. Now we’ll show the Nips! Diving down we got two of the deadly Zero-sen fighters, their best naval fighter ever built. Counter attack! Quickly a Spit is hit and the pilot is in the water. We try to out turn them as we did with the 109 and 190s in Europe. But these Zekes turn like the Devil possesses them. Our tactics are wrong! Soon Spitfires join Zeros falling down on fire. If our Intel boys had learnt from the Flying Tigers and their crap P-40s we’d have nailed the rising sun boys, dive and zoom all the way. Never turn with a Zero! They’re like sports planes with 20mm cannons. We did win this fight though coz we ripped their bombers a new arse hole, Battle of Britain style. Our trials weren’t over yet; we used all of our fuel up. Many of us had to force land killing one pilot. Next time we’ll nail the bastards, dive and zoom all the way. How will history judge this epic encounter of Spit versus Zero? 

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 fucking 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 reigned there but not the end, the bastards 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…