The book is a fascinating and remarkable insight into the brief, intense, and crucial Netherlands East Indies (NEI) campaign from the Japanese invasion in December 1941 through capitulation of the NEI. This often overlooked campaign, particularly among Americans who were primarily concerned with the Philippines campaign. Pacific Profiles Volume 17 focuses on the allied air forces in the Netherlands East Indies campaign, including Netherlands East Indies (composing of the ML-KNIL - Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger (Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force) and the MLD – Marine Luchtvaart Dienst (Netherlands Naval Aviation Service)), Royal Air Force (RAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), US Army Air Corps (USAAC) and US Navy (USN).

The Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force, the ML-KNIL, was the air arm of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and was completely separate to the Royal Netherlands Air Force in Europe.

Following the German invasion of Holland in May 1940 a government in exile was formed which setup a Netherlands Purchasing Commission to buy arms and equipment to bolster the defences of the NEI. This had some success in obtaining orders for aircraft from the US for both the ML-KNIL, and the naval air arm, the MLD, during 1940-41 but only a portion of those on order had been delivered before the Pacific War began.

From the Avonmore Books website,

The Netherlands East Indies saw a diverse and eclectic gathering of Allied aircraft. Many of them were Dutch, serving with the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (ML-KNIL) and Netherlands Naval Aviation Service (MLD). These included Glenn Martin Model 139 bombers and Hawk 75, CW-21 and Brewster Buffalo fighters, together with Fokker and Dornier seaplanes.

Several squadrons of RAF and RAAF fighters and bombers withdrew from Singapore to continue fighting from Sumatra and then Java. These were augmented by direct reinforcements flown into those locations. These aircraft mainly comprised Hudsons, Blenheims and Hurricanes but there were also more obscure types such as Albacores and Vildebeest.

In addition, American B-17C/D heavy bombers and PBY flying boats retreated from the Philippines to the NEI. These were reinforced by modern B-17E, LB-30 and PBY aircraft from the US ferried via lengthy African and Pacific air routes. Lastly, small numbers of A-24 dive-bombers and P-40E fighters flown from Australia also joined the fight on Java.

The book is a fascinating and remarkable insight into the brief Netherlands East Indies campaign, focusing on the campaign’s three phases. The first was the NEI ML-KNIL dispatched air units to assist the British in Singapore, while the MLD flew long-range patrols throughout the region. The second phase, the ML-KNIL and MLD withdrew to consolidate the defense of the NEI. The third and final phase was a bitter struggle of the NEI, particularly the key island of Java from Japanese invasion. It was during this phase that RAF, RAAF, USN and USAAC fought before their evacuation to Ceylon and Australia.

Pacific Profiles continues its sterling reputation as an accurate and easy to comprehend series. This book is no exception, complete with extensive photographs and color profiles, it is composed of the following chapters and appendices:

• Contents
• About the Author
• Map
• Glossary and Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Chapter 1 – ML-KNIL
  • 1-1 Glenn Martin Model 139 WH Series
  • 1-2 Curtiss 75A-7 Hawk
  • 1-3 Ryan ST-M and ST-M-S2
  • 1-4 Curtiss-Wright CW-21 and CW-22 Falcon
  • 1-5 Brewster B-339C/D Buffalo
  • 1-6 Lockheed L-12 and L-212 Electra Junior Series
  • 1-7 Lockheed L-18 Lodestar
  • 1-8 Douglas DC-3
  • 1-9 Hurricane Mk IIB
  • 1-10 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk
• Chapter 2 – MLD
  • 2-1 Dornier Do-24K Flying Boat
  • 2-2 Fokker C.XI W & C.XIV-W
  • 2-3 Consolidated Model 28-5MNE Catalina
  • 2-4 Douglas DB-7B
• Chapter 3 – RAF and RAAF
  • 3-1 Lockheed Hudson
  • 3-2 Fairey Albacore
  • 3-3 Bristol Blenheim Mk I, IF & Mk IV
  • 3-4 RAF Catalina Mk I & Model 28-5MNE
  • 3-5 Hurricane Mk IIB
  • 3-6 Vickers Vildebeest Mk III
• Chapter 4 – USAAC and USN
  • 4-1 Douglas A-24 Banshee
  • 4-2 Douglas B-18 Bolero
  • 4-3 Boeing B-17 D/E Flying Fortress
  • 4-4 Consolidated LB-30 & B-24A Liberator
  • 4-5 Douglas C-53
  • 4-6 Curtiss P-40E Warhawk
  • 4-7 Consolidated PBY-4 & PBY5
• Sources
• Index of Names

Historians and modelers will gain a lot from this book. The photos and color profiles are worth the price of the book alone. Author Michael John Claringbould does an amazing job highlighting the different NEI markings from pre-European War Dutch circular markings, to the orange inverted triangle neutrality markings, to the Dutch national flag, and in many cases, the captured markings of the Japanese Air Technical Institute at Andir. There is a lot of modeling inspiration within the 108 pages of this book. The black and white photographs, along with the usual excellent illustrations, cover a significantly large number of exotic and familiar airframes. The big bonus is for modelers wanting unique paint schemes mentioned above and beautifully illustrated in the book. Anyone wanting to model a unique NEI allied air forces aircraft will be served well with this book.

Author and illustrator Michael John Claringbould was born and raised in Port Moresby, New Guinea and is a resident of Australia, who served his country as a Foreign Service Officer in the Pacific Islands and Southeast Asia. Fluent in translating Japanese military documents and records, he brings fresh and new perspective to English readers. He has authored numerous books on the air war in the Southwest Pacific and the US Fifth Air Force. He has authored over 30 books to date; his series includes Pacific Profiles (this is the seventeenth and latest volume, with two more in the pipeline), South Pacific Air War (six volumes), Pacific Adversaries (four volumes), and Solomons Air War (four volumes). Mr Claringbould’s extensive research and experience continue to fill large gaps in the South Pacific air war knowledge and history.

Profuse thanks to Casemate and IPMS/USA for providing the review sample.