| Record Number |
622343 |
| ISBN |
1760633062 |
| 9781760633066 |
| Author |
Cleworth, Bob |
| Title |
RAAF Black Cats : the secret history of the covert Catalina mine-laying operations Japan's war machine / by Robert Cleworth and John Suter-Linton. |
| Alternative title |
Royal Australian Air Force black cats |
| RAAF Catalinas |
| Royal Australian Air Force Catalinas |
| Publication details |
Crows Nest, NSW : Allen & Unwin, 2019. |
| Pagination etc. |
xxv, 262 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, maps, portraits ; 24 cm. |
| Summary Note |
In March 1945 Reg Cleworth, a navigator on PBY Catalina seaplanes flying out of Darwin, went missing in action. No details were ever given about the incident that took his life, nor the reason his plane went down. For Reg's younger brother, Robert, the news came as a fulfilling prophecy. The last time they saw each other, Reg confided in Robert, 'I don't think I'm coming back'. Forty years later Robert decided to investigate what happened to his brother. What he uncovered was an extraordinary story of a covert Australian airborne mine-laying operation in cooperation with the US Seventh Fleet to disrupt the Japanese supply routes. One of the riskier and more dangerous RAAF undertakings of the Pacific War, secrecy restrictions were imposed on everyone involved. They were never formally lifted. Had it not been for a chance meeting that allowed Robert access to previously unopened files in the US national archives, this remarkable story may never have been untold. What he unearthed revealed the sacrifice and achievements of the RAAF Catalina crews and the vital role they played in MacArthur's strategic plan for the south-west Pacific. |
| Subject |
Cleworth, Bob(Joseph Robert),1934- |
| Cleworth, Reg |
| United States. -- Navy. -- Fleet, 7th |
| Australia. -- Royal Australian Air Force -- History -- World War, 1939-1945 |
| Brothers -- Australia |
| Air pilots, Military -- Australia |
| Missing persons -- Investigation |
| World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, Australian. |
| World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Australian |
| World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean |
| Missing in action -- Family relationships -- Australia |
| Catalina (Seaplane) |
| World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Australian. |
| World War, 1939-1945 -- History -- Pacific Area -- Aerial operations, Australian |
| Air warfare -- History |
| Seaplanes -- Australia -- History |
| Darwin (N.T.) -- History -- 20th century |
| Australian |
| Added Entry |
Suter-Linton, John |
| Links to Related Works |
Subject References:
- Air pilots, Military -- Australia .
- Air warfare -- History .
- Australia. -- Royal Australian Air Force -- History -- World War, 1939-1945 .
- Australian .
- Brothers -- Australia .
- Catalina (Seaplane) .
- Cleworth, Bob -- (Joseph Robert), -- 1934- .
- Cleworth, Reg .
- Darwin (N.T.) -- History -- 20th century .
- Missing in action -- Family relationships -- Australia .
- Missing persons -- Investigation .
- Seaplanes -- Australia -- History .
- United States. -- Navy. -- Fleet, 7th .
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Aerial operations, Australian .
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean .
- World War, 1939-1945 -- History -- Pacific Area -- Aerial operations, Australian .
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Australian .
- World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Australian .
Authors:
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