The story so far... March 4th, 1942. Ivan Smirnoff's DC3 "Pelikaan" has been forced down by Zekes on a beach some eighty kilometers or so north of Broome, in western australia, on the edge of the harsh desert. Ivan has already forgotten the odd package he'd carried from Java- so an immensely valuable box of diamonds is lying on the beach somewhere nearby. People are dying from their wounds and nobody seems to be searching for them. Perhaps the radio isn't even working... Or is it...? Those who could move galloped onto the beach, waving...The huge flying boat was belting along the coast toward them. Four engines. Forty metre wingspan... And it looked for all the world like it was going to... The survivors hit the sand as the "stick" of bombs began to peel from the wing struts. The "Mavis" thundered off to continue its patrol leaving the survivors to dust themselves off, wondering what they'd done to deserve THAT!!!(see footnote). Incredibly though, nobody had been injured by the bombs and more unbelievably, the "Pelikaan" remained intact. Later that day they searched fruitlessly for water nearby. The following day, March 5th, Ivan had no choice but to ask the fittest men to risk the walk toward Broome. He lingered with the others at the Pelikaan for the rest of the day, and another night. Three deaths had occurred so far and the baby was going to be the fourth. The next day, March 6th the weary group remaining at the site were roused by the sound of aircraft... What is it this time? ...To be continued Footnote: Some accounts say the flying boat "bombed" the area on two separate occasions. Or that it dropped biscuits first! Two unexploded bombs at the site were dealt with in the 1970s. Enquiries after the war have shed some light on this episode. Type 97 flying boat's crew were worried there might be Allied fighters nearby. They thought the survivor's transmissions would attract those fighters - so they sent the survivors a message to be quiet- using 65kg bombs... The irony is priceless... Rendered in Vue 8 Esprit Neiwil's DC3- shareCG Kawanishi H6K4 "Mavis" flying boat, bomb-racks and bombs - all modelled in Shade 10.5 Thanks for viewing and comments