Catalinas - Black Cats Of WW2 is a photograph by Miroslava Jurcik which was uploaded on July 8th, 2016.
Catalinas - Black Cats Of WW2
In WW2 they mined many harbours include Hong Kong, Manila, Hai Phong. They dropped off army commandos fighting Japanese, and rescued many downed... more
Title
Catalinas - Black Cats Of WW2
Artist
Miroslava Jurcik
Medium
Photograph
Description
In WW2 they mined many harbours include Hong Kong, Manila, Hai Phong. They dropped off army commandos fighting Japanese, and rescued many downed Allied aircrew. Some missions were up to 30hrs flying, lasting over several days with the aircraft hiding from the Japanese during daylight hours in isolated inlets in the Indonesian and Philippine islands. During WW2 they flew mail and VIP passengers across the Indian Ocean between Australia and Ceylon. They sometimes earned the order of the Double Sunrise flying long range missions 4000km.
VH-PBZ (aka A24-362) The HARS aircraft was built in New Orleans for the US Navy in 1945. It is an amphibian (it has wheels). Those in RAAF service were mostly flying boats (no wheels).
After WW2 it was sold off and converted to a water bomber, in 1986 it sunk in a fresh water lake in Argentina. It was recovered, rebuilt and used as fire bomber in Portugal. HARS acquired it in 2002. Dick Smith is the plane’s main sponsor. HARS has added new blisters and nose turret.
HARS intends to restore the Catalina to conform as closely as possible to the configuration of the famous RAAF ‘Black Cats’ of World War 2. The RAAF ‘Black Cats’ were pure flying boats, enabling long range and maximum possible loads with extended water take offs.
Uploaded
July 8th, 2016
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Comments (17)
Christiane Schulze Art And Photography
A very well created image Miroslava ........... looks so interesting (F/L/T)
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