AUSTRALIAN AIRCRAFT

RAAF Museum
Point Cook

These photos came by way of Alf Batchelder.
Douglas A-20 Boston, currently the only one on display in the world. Fished out of a New Guinea swamp with the aid of a Russian helicopter in about 1987, and beautifully restored at RAAF Amberley, where our F-111s are based. Alf Batchelder.


This photo is taken by and from the collection of Alf Batchelder.

 Douglas Boston
A28-8

This was one of 22 aircraft ordered by the French. The order was then transferred to the RAF after the fall of France in 1940. The aircraft was then transferred to the Netherlands soon after Japan's entry into World War Two, and shipped to Java. Before its arrival, Java too fell, and A28-8 was delivered to Melbourne in April 1942.
In May 1942, the aircraft was allocated to No. 22 Squadron, and after flight testing in Australia, A28-8 arrived at Port Moresby, Papua, New Guinea in December of that year. In July 1943, No. 22 Squadron was transferred to Goodenough Island, and A28-8 carried out operations from that location until 12 December, when the aircraft crashed on Goodenough airstrip due to battle damage. ages/e32.jpg

The aircraft was recovered by the RAAF in 1987, and returned to Australia aboard HMAS Tobruk. After some time at both Wagga Wagga and Richmond RAAF bases, A28-8 was taken to RAAF Amberley for restoration to static condition. In 1998, the aircraft was transported to the RAAF Museum at Point Cook for display