Dutch Hellcats
With our recent Warship Wednesday on Holland’s first aircraft carrier(s)– both CVE and MAC– and the Swordfish/Barracuda/Firefly squadron (NAS/VSQ 860) that flew from their decks, I would be remiss not to at least mention the fact that the Dutch had a second WWII flattop squadron to their credit.
No. 1840 Naval Air Squadron (1840 NAS), while officially a Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm carrier-borne fighter unit, and led by a Kiwi– LCDR [A] Archibald Richardson, RNZNVR-– some 80 percent of its pilots and ground crew were “Free Dutch.” They were primarily drawn from the Marineluchtvaartdienst (MLD), the Royal Netherlands Naval Air Service, and many had earned their wings at the Royal Netherlands Military Flying School in exile which had been established in Jackson, Mississippi.
Moreover, rather than fly Seafires or Fireflies, 1840 NAS was one of just 14 front-line FAA squadrons that flew F6F Hellcats (Gannets in RN parlance) in WWII. The FAA flew lots of American-made carrier aircraft as the Brits received Hellcats (252 F6F-3 “Mk.I” and 930 F6F-5 “Mk.II”), along with over 1,200 Wildcats (Martlets), 2,012 F4Us, FGs and F3As Corsairs (filling 18 FAA squadrons!); and even 921 TBM/TBF Avengers (Tarpons).
When stood up, 21 of 24 of its pilots were Dutch.
Group photo of personnel of No.1840 Naval Air Squadron FAA in front of a Grumman Hellcat. Seated from left to right: Boon von Ochssée, Simpson, Nauta, Poublon, Herckenrath, Van Dongen, Greve, De Wit, Saltykoff, Helfrich; Standing: from left to right: Turner, Percy, Mogride, Zegers de Beyl, Laufer, Limque, Philips (Capt. RM Air Liaison Officer), Richardson (CO), Barber (Maj Air Liaison Officer), Schwencke, Volkertsz, Twijsel, La Bree, Moekardonoe. 6 June 1944. NIMH 2182-092-005
Fleet Air Arm 1840 NAS Hellcat Mk. I White H JV117 based at RNAS Eglinton Northern Ireland 23 June 1944 IWM A24533
The Grumman F6F-3 Hellcat fighter aircraft named ‘Margie’ of the 1840 Naval Air Squadron (1840 NAS). This was the wife of officier vlieger der 3e klasse JE Helfrich. 2158_084090
Nederlandse vliegers bij de Britse Fleet Air Arm (FAA) F6F 1840 sqn. NIMH 2182-092-006
Stood up in March 1944 at RNAS Burscough, by July of that year, 1840 NAS was flying their F6F-3s from the venerable old HMS Furious (47).
Furious would soon sortie against occupied Norway in Operation Offspring (minelaying), and Operations Mascot and Goodwood against Tirpitz. It was in the latter that squadron leader “Arch” Richardson would burn in, replaced by Cdr (A) B. H. C. Nation, RN.
Shifting gears, 1840 NAS learned how to land on postage stamps and shipped out to the British Pacific Fleet on the escort carrier HMS Speaker (D 90). As many of the Dutch members were born and raised in the Dutch East Indies, they were headed home so to speak.
1840 NAS on HMS Speaker in Aden, 28 January 1945, on the way to join the British Pacific Fleet. NIMH 2158_083030
These Royal Navy Grumman F6F-3 Hellcats belonged to HMS Speaker, an escort carrier based in Sydney. The aircraft were stationed at RANAS Nowra. #166 was the aircraft of S/Lt. H. Moekardanoe. NIMH 2158_084091
Following losses off Okinawa, 1840 NAS was disestablished and broken up on 27 April 1945, with its more experienced men chopping to 1839 NAS aboard the armored carrier HMS Indomitable while the JV team went to 885 NAS on the jeep carrier HMS Ruler.
Post-war, many of the Dutch Hellcat drivers from 1840 NAS went on to serve in the MLD and Dutch Air Force.
Jan Gijsbert Boon von Ochssse, seen with his 1840 NAS Hellcat, “Dinahmite!” Von Ochssee, born in Yogyakarta in 1921, was in the 1939 conscription class and joined the Marineluchtvaartdienst in the Dutch East Indies as a reserve pilot cadet. Sgt. Von Ochssee managed to escape to Australia in February 1942 when Java fell to the Japanese and, earning his wings in Jackson, joined 1840 NAS in April 1944. His first air-to-air victory was on a German Arado during the raid on Tirpitz. Earning the Dutch Vliegerkruis (Flying Cross) during WWII, he rejoined the MLD proper on 25 September 1945 and retired from the service in 1965.