Curtin Insight

Shadows in the Jungle: The Dutch Air War in Sarawak

In the depths of the Baram region’s jungles lie the remains of two Dutch aircraft, downed by Japanese navy fighters during World War II. The role of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army Air Force (Militaire Luchtvaart van het Koninklijk Nederlands-Indisch Leger, ML-KNIL) and the Royal Netherlands Navy Air Service’s naval aviation branch (Marine Luchtvaart Dienst, MLD) in defending Sarawak during this conflict is largely forgotten, or perhaps unknown to many.