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The 1947 Yogyakarta Dakota incident occurred when a
Douglas C-47 Skytrain The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota ( RAF designation) is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II. During the war the C-47 was used for tro ...
was carrying medical supplies to the de facto republican government of Indonesia at
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
which crashed on 29 July 1947. During the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...
(1945–1949), several Indonesian nationalists, including Commodores
Agustinus Adisucipto Agustinus Adisutjipto ( Perfected Spelling: Agustinus Adisucipto, 4 July 1916 – 29 July 1947) was born in Salatiga, Central Java, and raised as a Roman Catholic. He was the first pilot of the Indonesian Air Force, whose plane was shot down by t ...
and Abdul Rahman Saleh, were tasked to deliver medical supplies from
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
. Near the completion of the mission, as their aircraft – chartered from an Indian businessman and flown by an Australian pilot – approached the airfield at
Maguwo Adisutjipto Airport or Adisucipto Airport is a minor domestic airport serving the Yogyakarta area on the island of Java, Indonesia. It was formerly the principal international airport serving this area. The airport is located in the Sleman Reg ...
, Yogyakarta, two Dutch
Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
s flew in and shot the aircraft down over Ngoto,
Bantul Bantul is a town and district, and the capital of Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The district (''kapanewon'') covers an area of and had a population of 64,360 at the 2020 Census. It is a bustling town about to the s ...
. Only one person survived the crash. Although the Dutch initially denied complicity, investigation showed that the Kittyhawks had caused the crash; the Dutch later made restitution to India. On 1 March 1948 a monument to remember the event was built in Ngoto. Since 1979, the Indonesian Air Force has celebrated a Service Day (''Hari Bakti'') in commemoration of the crash and in remembrance of the deaths.


Background

In gap between the time of Japanese surrender on 15 August 1945 and the arrival of Allied forces in central and western parts of Indonesia, there was a political vacuum which was used by Indonesian nationalist. On 17 August 1945,
Sukarno Sukarno (6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...
and Hatta proclaimed the nation's independence. The republican nationalists needed a force to fight for their independence. The first military force, known as the People's Security People's Safety Body (, or BKR), was formed on 23 August 1945 but tasked with police work. On 5 October of that year the de facto Indonesian government formed a national military, including provisions for an
air force An air force in the broadest sense is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army aviati ...
. The first pilot in this new air force was Commodore
Agustinus Adisucipto Agustinus Adisutjipto ( Perfected Spelling: Agustinus Adisucipto, 4 July 1916 – 29 July 1947) was born in Salatiga, Central Java, and raised as a Roman Catholic. He was the first pilot of the Indonesian Air Force, whose plane was shot down by t ...
, who had flown the first Indonesian aircraft, a
Yokosuka K5Y The was a two-seat unequal- span biplane trainer that served in the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Due to its bright orange paint scheme (applied to all Japanese military trainers for visibility), it earned the nickname ''"aka-tomb ...
(known locally as a Cureng) left by the Japanese empire. Another commodore, Abdul Rahman Saleh, established the Air Force Technical School in
Malang Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...
,
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
. Both officers were involved in the crash of the Dakota C-47. Allied Dutch and British forces had already landed on the main island of
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
by that time, but the latter were mainly concerned with the repatriation of former
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
. Many eastern parts of former Dutch East Indies were occupied by Allied forces which liberated most of the archipelago during the Allied offensives of 1943–45. Tensions grew as Indonesians believed that Allied forces had agendas to stamp out their independence and to restore the Netherlands' control in their former colony. Meanwhile, the Dutch sought reoccupy their former colony and punish those who had collaborated with the Japanese during the occupation. Major and minor hostilities broke out between pro-Indonesian forces, pro-Dutch/Allied forces, and Japanese forces.


Flight

Under orders from Sukarno, Adisucipto and Saleh chartered a Douglas C-47B-20-DK from Bijoyanda Patnaik, an Indian national and owner of
Kalinga Airlines Kalinga Airlines was a private airline based in Calcutta, India. It was founded in 1947 by aviator and politician Biju Patnaik, who was also the airline's chief pilot. The airline was nationalised and merged into Indian Airlines in 1953. It rest ...
, to transport medical supplies donated by the Red Cross of Malaya to the Red Cross of Indonesia. The flight was approved by both British and Dutch forces, who guaranteed a safe flight. The night before the flight's departure,
Malayan radio Radio Televisyen Malaysia (, Jawi: ; abbreviated as RTM, stylised as rtm), also known as the Department of Broadcasting, Malaysia (; Jawi: ) is the national public broadcaster of Malaysia, headquartered at Angkasapuri, Kuala Lumpur. Establis ...
broadcast that a flight with the registration number VT-CLA would be carrying medical supplies to Yogyakarta. The flight departed Singapore, piloted by Alexander Noel Constantine, ex- R.A.F. at 1:00 a.m. West Indonesian Time (UTC+7) for
Maguwo Adisutjipto Airport or Adisucipto Airport is a minor domestic airport serving the Yogyakarta area on the island of Java, Indonesia. It was formerly the principal international airport serving this area. The airport is located in the Sleman Reg ...
, the airfield at
Yogyakarta Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
. Due to rising tension between Dutch and Indonesia, hostilities erupt sporadically. After Japanese surrender in Indonesia, Indonesian military took over many remaining Japanese aircraft, equipment, airfields. Dutch launched ''Operation Pelikaan'' (as a part of
Operation Product Operation Product was a Dutch military offensive against areas of Java and Sumatra controlled by the de facto Republic of Indonesia during the Indonesian National Revolution.Vickers (2005), p. 99 It took place between 21 July and 4 August 1947. ...
) on 21 July 1947 which destroyed many of the aircraft they had accumulated. In retaliation, the Indonesian air force (with two "Willow" biplanes and a "Sonia" dive bomber) bombed Dutch strongholds in
Semarang Semarang (Javanese script, Javanese: , ''Kutha Semarang'') is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Netherlands, Dutch Dutch East Indies, colonial era, and is still an important regio ...
,
Salatiga Salatiga () is a Cities of Indonesia, city in Central Java province, Indonesia. It covers an area of and had a population of 192,322 at the 2020 Indonesian census, 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at m ...
and
Ambarawa Ambarawa is a town and an administrative district (''kecamatan'') of the Semarang Regency, located between the cities of Semarang and Salatiga in Central Java Province of Indonesia. Administratively, it is bordered by the districts of Banyubiru ...
on early hours of 29 July which did little damage and no casualty. About two hours later two Dutch
P-40 Kittyhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
s strafed Yogyakarta. After three hours of flight, the Dakota C-47 arrived near Maguwo. After the
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
descended, two Dutch P-40 Kittyhawks appeared and shot at the aircraft. After bullets destroyed the left engine, the aircraft went into a dive, first crashing into a tree then into paddy fields in Ngoto,
Bantul Bantul is a town and district, and the capital of Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. The district (''kapanewon'') covers an area of and had a population of 64,360 at the 2020 Census. It is a bustling town about to the s ...
. Only its tail remained in one piece.


Aftermath

Of the nine passengers and crew, seven died on impact. Two others, the pilot's wife Beryl and Abdulgani Handonotjokro, rushed to Bethesda Hospital in the city. Beryl Constantine succumbed to her wounds at the hospital, while Handonotjokro survived. After a memorial service at Tugu Hotel, which had been used as a temporary barracks for the air force, Adisucipto and Saleh were buried at Kuncen Cemetery in Yogyakarta, while Adi Soemarmo Wirjokusumo was buried in
Kusumanegara Heroes' Cemetery Kusumanegara Heroes' Cemetery (also spelled Kusuma Negara; also known as Semaki Heroes' Cemetery) is a cemetery located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the final resting place of five National Heroes of Indonesia. Description The cemetery is l ...
. The Dutch initially rejected that the Kittyhawks were involved in the crash, stating that the plane seemed to have crashed into something. However, witnesses on the ground reported that the Kittyhawks had come from the viewer's right of the Dakota and shot at it. An inspection of Wirjokusumo's body, when it was recovered, confirmed that he had been shot. The Dutch later denied knowledge of the flight and said that it not had Red Cross markings. After India protested the incident, the Dutch government sent a Dakota C-47A along with financial restitution to India.


Legacy

On 1 March 1948, a monument to commemorate the crash was built in Ngoto. Both Adisucipto and Saleh were declared
National Heroes of Indonesia National Hero of Indonesia () is the highest-level Orders, decorations, and medals of Indonesia, title awarded in Indonesia. It is posthumously given by the Government of Indonesia for actions which are deemed to be heroic, defined as "actual de ...
in 1974. In 2000, Adisucipto and Saleh were moved from their initial burial spots to the monument, where they are buried together with their wives. Since 1979, the
Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force (, sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF) is the Air force, aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The Indonesian Air Force is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is headed by the Chief of Staff of th ...
has celebrated a Service Day () in commemoration of the crash and in remembrance of the deaths, based on Decision of the Indonesian Air Force Commander Number 133/VII/1976. The
Air Force base An airbase (stylised air base in American English), sometimes referred to as a military airbase, military airfield, military airport, air station, naval air station, air force station, or air force base, is an aerodrome or airport used as a mi ...
in
Malang Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...
is named after Abdul Rachman Saleh, while the one in Yogyakarta is named after Adisutjipto.


Victims

Seven people died when the aircraft was shot down and one died in the hospital, they were: *Alexander Noel Constantine (pilot), an Australian national *Roy L. C. Hazelhurst (co-pilot), a British national *Bhida Ram (flight engineer), an Indian national *Beryl Constantine, an Australian national *Air Commodore Abdul Rahman Saleh *Air Commodore
Agustinus Adisucipto Agustinus Adisutjipto ( Perfected Spelling: Agustinus Adisucipto, 4 July 1916 – 29 July 1947) was born in Salatiga, Central Java, and raised as a Roman Catholic. He was the first pilot of the Indonesian Air Force, whose plane was shot down by t ...
*First Lieutenant Adisumarmo Wiryokusumo *Zainal Arifin


References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * * Citing ''Indonesian Aviation 1945-1950'' by Jos Heyman, Riverton, Australia, November 2005. * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Yogyakarta Dakota accident, 1947 Aviation accidents and incidents in 1947 Mass murder in 1947 Airliner shootdown incidents involving combat aircraft Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas C-47 Skytrain Aviation accidents and incidents in Indonesia 20th-century aircraft shootdown incidents 1947 in Indonesia Dutch war crimes in Indonesia War crimes in the Indonesian National Revolution Violations of medical neutrality Indonesia–Netherlands relations July 1947 in Asia 1947 disasters in Indonesia