The story thus far. Early March, 1942. The dying days of Allied resistance to the Japanese invasion of the Netherlands Indies, a militarised DC3 called "Pelikaan" with 11 people on board escaped from Java at night, bound for Broome in Western Australia. Just before take-off, the pilot was handed a small "valuable" package... The morning of March 3rd 1942 found "The World's Most Valuable DC3" following the coast south toward Broome and safety. The flight crew must have despaired when they saw the ugly pall of smoke rising ahead of them. Broome's airfield was silent. So was it Australia's turn now? What was the pilot of this some-time Netherlands Indies airliner "Pelikaan" thinking right at that moment? Ivan Smirnoff was no stranger to "moving on " - he knew more than most people what having a country shot out from under your feet was like. A Dutch citizen now, Ivan Smirnoff was a White Russian, a decorated veteran of the Tsar's air force in the First World War. But at that moment, Smirnoff was probably concerned with one thing only. Staying alive... He'd glimpsed, high above, three tiny dots diving at him... To be continued. Rendered in Vue 8 Esprit Assets Neiwil's DC3 (and also his three old A6Ms too, if I'm not mistaken) both available in the "usual" place.