TNI use of Ki-61’s in Indonesia 1945-1946

[28ZComeback]

This is a esoteric  topic but does anyone have references, histories or even photos concerning Ki61’s used by the fledgling Indonesian Air Force in 1945-1946? Thank you in advance.

[dalea]

Can only report a negative. I tried to find information about actual use ( rather than reported use) by Indonesians  of Japanese aircraft a while back. Only confirmed usage that I could find was of the Ki-51 disruption of the Dutch Air Commander's victory parade. That raid was intended to be carried out by a Ki-43 but it went unserviceable. If a Ki-61 was available and usable I'm sure  the Indonesians would have tried it. This is not to say that you will not find 1944 Japanese propaganda photographs or post Japanese surrender aircraft ( in semi-derelict condition) wearing Indonesian roundels.

[MDriskill]

I don’t know if it specifically has info on Indonesian Ki-61’s or not, but if such info exists it will very likely be covered in the book, "Japanese Aircraft in Foreign Service, vol. 1," by Kecay Publishing. This is a rather amazing book with many previously unpublished photos, and copious color profiles.

Edited July 6, 2018 by MDriskill

[28ZComeback]

Thanks so much. I have the book and have tracked the Ki-61’s for years. They were present in large numbers in China but were not of great utility due to mechanical issues with the Inline engine. Not much as to Indonesian Ki-61’s except the Dutch were aware of them.  No pics, photos or drawings. Thank you again.

[Biggles81]

I am currently serving with the TNI-AU and have had access to their official histories and their History Department. I have not been able to find any evidence of Ki-61s operated by them. One of the posts above I think references the raid carried out in the Dutch garrison at Ambawara on 29 July 1947 when they used two Willows and a Sonia. I also had a long discussion with the curator at their central museum on the subject as they have an Oscar and Sonia salvaged from Biak representing that period and again the Tony did not come up. I have heard that Dutch sources believed there were Ki-61s in Republican hands but I suspect it was inaccurate intelligence reports based in the fact that the TKR painted the Merah Putih roundel on any aircraft their found on former Japanese bases in Java that were subsequently found by the Allies when they reoccupied the NEI. If I get a few moments in the Library at work in the next few days I will have another look in their official history again but think it unlikely.

Edited July 7, 2018 by Biggles81

[28ZComeback]

Thank you Biggles!  I want to thank you for your research.  The Ki-61 was difficult to maintain by the Japanese and they had trained mechanics, spare parts and facilities. I can only imagine that the fledgling Indonesian Air Force found them unsuitable for practical operation. 

[Biggles81]

One thing I looked for was where the Japanese had Ki-61s at the end of the war when the BKR and Pemuda units started seizing their equipmnet. Best I could find in Indonesia was that there were some with the 33rd Sentai in Medan. The antecedents of the TNI-AU largely seized their operational airframes from Bugis and Maguwo (Malang and Yogyakarta) in Central and East Java which is of course a long way from Medan (North Sumatra) with an awful lot of allied occupied territory between them. I would be more inclined to believe the Indonesians siezed and even operated Ki-61s if there was an IJAAF unit equipped with them in Central or East Java in August 1945. Any thoughts from your research on Ki-61 unit locations?

 

That said don’t underestimate the ingenuity and make do attitude of the early TNI-AU for instance they fitted a Blenheim with Japanese radial engines and operated it though the same period.

 

 

Edited July 7, 2018 by Biggles81

[28ZComeback]

My data comes from Koku Fan publications and some miscellaneous Australian books. I do know that the Dutch called the Ki-61 a “TNI Mustang.”  Thank you again Biggles for this detailed information and unbiased analysis.

[Max Schep]

Hi guys,

Maybe I can shed some light in this topic.

During my research to the history of RAPWI Air I found some information related to this question.

 

I found a document which stated the inventory of the Japanese Aircraft in Java in August 1945.

In this were 6 Ki-61 mentioned.

1 at Andir Airbase near Bandung. - photographic proof of the aircraft exist

5 at Malang Airbase. In september 1945 Dutch officers opened the airfield again under Grimm circumstances. 

Some aircraft Oscars were made flyable and were flown to Kemajoran.

These were not Ki-61 they stayed at Malang!

You can conclude that AURI was in the possession of the Ki-61.

But I don't know if they used them.

 

In november 1945 the head of RAPWI Air went on a survey to Sumatra to look for usable Japanese aircraft.

In his personeldocuments there was a list of the results from this survey.

At Palembang he found 14 Ki-61 of which he wanted to bring 12 over to Java.

He got the permission to do so but it was never realised.

 

 

[28ZComeback]

Max this is great information.  Wondering if you have ever seen a photo of a Ki-61 with Indonesian markings? Thanks 

[Biggles81]

Hmm fascinating info but raises more questions than it answers. I am curious as to why the Repatriation of Allied Prisoners of War and Internees (RAPWI) Commissioner was collecting Japanese aircraft from around the archipelago, considering the danger the primary task involved during the early period of the independence struggle when many of these facilities were under the control of Pemuda and BKR units that had less than stellar discipline as witnessed by the death of Brigadier Mallaby in Surabaya in October 1945 on a RAPWI task. 

 

Only yesterday I was back in the library at the Sekolah Staf dan Komando TNI looking through the official histories of the TNI-AU and Maguwo Airbase for more clues. This reminded me of something I wrote a few years back which may and I stress may indicate the presence of Tonys at Bugis (Malang) with the reference to 4 Sansikisin but there is only one brief mention and then they disappear from the records and I have never been able to correlate the Indonesian name (Sansikisin) with a specific Japanese type (it could also be an A6M variant for example). Certainly the Pemuda and BKR painted Merah Putih roundels on anything they found even aircraft in piles of wreckage such as the Jakes and Petes in Surabaya so perhaps some wrecked K-61s were so finished. They even painted up a Mavis in Surabaya and a Helen they flew at Maguwo with Japanese volunteer aircrew but the former never flew and the latter crashed on its first test flight. The most commonly flown aircraft by the early TNI was the Ki-9 Spruce/Willow along with some use of a handful of Ki-36s and one or two Ki-51 along with some Ki-79s. A Ki-36 flew a TNI rep to Kemayoran Jakarta to meet with Allied RAPWI reps for example which can be seen in a film on Youtube.

 

The presence of Ki-61s at Palembang is highly likely and not surprising given the 33rd Sentai in Sumatera at wars end (reportedly, I do not have the expertise in IJAAF units to confirm the reliability of the information) but the BKR never seized airfields in Sumatera to the same extent they took control of key airfields in Java at various times including Andir temporarily (Bandung), Bugis (Malang), Surabaya again temporarily until seized by Indian Army units in late 1945 and Maguwo (Yogyakarta).

 

Anyway here was my conclusions from a few years ago:

 

"Sejarah (History) TNI Angkatan Udura Jilid 1 1945-1949 and Awal Kedirgantaraan Di Indonesia - Perjuangan AURI 1945-1950 (Early Aviation in Indonesia - The Struggle of AURI) only list them as acquiring 11 Ki-43 Oscars (which they call Hayabusha, the Japanese name) and 4 types they name Sansikisin. These could and I stress could have been Tonys. A lot of their other aircraft names were derived from the Japanese engine name so that might provide a clue. A good example of this is the bomber they call a Sakai. It was actually a Bristol Blenheim Mark IV captured by the Japanese and reengined with Sakai radials for test flying at Andir (Bandung), then captured by the Indonesians after the surrender.

They never report having flown any of these fighters and only one or two of their captured trainers and bombers (the Cureng which was the Willow IIRC and a Sonia plus the Ki-36s). All aircraft are reported to have been seized at Bugis airfield, (now Abdul Rachman Saleh Air Base) near Malang, East Java. The Cureng and other bomber type were then operated from Maguwo, now Adi Sucipto at Yogya before being destroyed by the Dutch in air attacks.

I suspect the Dutch intelligence on the orbat was flawed (hardly surprising), not helped by the fact the Baden Keamanan Rakyat (Peoples Security Force, forerunner to the TNI) modified the Japanese roundels on any airplane their could lay their hands on in the period between August and September 1945 to become the Merah Putih (Red and White of the Independence flag) as a sign of ownership. 

Their pilot training was rudimentary at best, in fact there is a classic line about the high rate of failure (mereka mengalami kegagalan) in the official history as untrained personnel attempted to fly the captured aircraft. Their actual aircrew were largely natives trained by the Dutch or Allies pre-1942 and remained very limited in number (less than a handful) until their flying school got up and running at Yogya much later."

Edited July 19, 2018 by Biggles81

[Biggles81]

Just a late add as I am surfing wikipedia during class time - I just noticed that according to the Wikipedia entry (not a primary source I know), that the official IJAAF designation for the Ki-61 is San-shiki-Sentohki ichi gata apparently. It is a stretch but I now wonder if that indeed provides a tentative identification that the four Sansikisin mentioned in Indonesian records as being at Malang when that airfield was seized are in fact Ki-61s. If so they  would have received crudely overpainted Merah Putih roundels when seized but they are not recorded as being flown by the BKR/TKR/AURI in any of their histories and these are quite meticulous if indeed dry and repetitive for anyone who has read them.

 

PS. I have never been able to find a photo of a Ki-61 in AURI markings, except a few models so continue to be doubtful.

Edited July 19, 2018 by Biggles81

[28ZComeback]

Thank you gentlemen; I appreciate the detailed history of an obscure subject.

[spaddad]

Hi 28z,

try contacting this address

 

http://www.asianairarms.com

 

Hope this helps,

cheers,

spad

[Biggles81]

10 hours ago, Max Schep said:

Hi guys,

Maybe I can shed some light in this topic.

During my research to the history of RAPWI Air I found some information related to this question.

 

I found a document which stated the inventory of the Japanese Aircraft in Java in August 1945.

In this were 6 Ki-61 mentioned.

1 at Andir Airbase near Bandung. - photographic proof of the aircraft exist

5 at Malang Airbase. In september 1945 Dutch officers opened the airfield again under Grimm circumstances. 

Some aircraft Oscars were made flyable and were flown to Kemajoran.

These were not Ki-61 they stayed at Malang!

You can conclude that AURI was in the possession of the Ki-61.

But I don't know if they used them.

 

In november 1945 the head of RAPWI Air went on a survey to Sumatra to look for usable Japanese aircraft.

In his personeldocuments there was a list of the results from this survey.

At Palembang he found 14 Ki-61 of which he wanted to bring 12 over to Java.

He got the permission to do so but it was never realised.

 

 

Max further to my comments I think some of these timings are wrong - The Dutch did not capture Malang until 26 Aug 1947 during the first police action. Pemuda and BKR units seized the airfield on 18 Sep 45 and made an inventory of the base which mentions the 4 Sansikisin (possible Ki-61s) but aside from that not other mention is made. Certainly in September 1945 the TNI made a number of Ki-43s and Willows serviceable and eventually transferred them to Maguwo but most of the aircraft seized at Malang (Bugis) were reported as U/S and unrepairable. I have never seen reports of Oscars being transferred to Kemayoran (Jakarta) and this seems well outside of the stated roll of the RAPWI Commission.

[Max Schep]

Hi Biggles81,

I understand your reaction on the situation in Malang.

I will try to explain it based on official documents.

 

On 2 oktober 1945 permuda took controle over the Airfield of Malang.

On the same day a group of Dutch RAPWI AIR personal arrived at Singosari Airfield to make the Airfiel usable.

The Permuda let them do their work and on 5 october the airfield was ready for use. (source Annual Report ML 15 august 1945 -15 nov 1946 - RAPWI) 

 

RAPWI REPORT Singosari No.2 d.d. 5 October 1945 written by Major M.C. van Daalen Wetters oldest officer Malang

Interesting points:

2. The airfield is in excellent condition and usable for big airplanes

the west hangar is made ready for storage of aircraft

4. their is no radioconnection availible and the telephone connection with Malang is regularly disturbed

7. My personel and our work is not disturbed by permudas

Coolies are working under leadership of the Japanese

 

Letter Herman Arens Head of Rapwi Air to the different heads of the Airfields. dd 14 oktober 1945

He writes about Malang

Japanese have transferred their arms to the permuda.

Permuda have ordered Daalen Wetters and others to leave in civil outfit.

The Dutch head of RAPWI Asjes is today in Malang to talk about the role of RAPWI AIR to manage the Airfield.

 

In the same letter he wrote:

I asked the Permuda (called red-whites in the letter) to make some aircraft servicable for RAPWI use by Japanese pilots.

It is forbidden for RAPWI personal in Malang and Bandung to fly Japanese aircraft exept for courier missions

 

Summary report by Herman Arens Head of Rapwi Air dd 15 October stated on Malang
Kolonel Nakahama handed his Zero to me to use as personal communicationaircraft because of the fact that 100 octane is not availible for my B-25.

(It was not a zero but an Oscar) There is 1 servicable at Malang and 2 in Bandung

 

 On 3 november 1945 Herman Arens wrote to the heads of the airfields

Nothing is known from Malang, only that RAPWI staf was put in prison for a week.

 

RAPWI ended the management on Malang after this had happend.