The US fighter unit based on East Java was the 17th (provisional) Pursuit Squadron, equipped with P-40s. Reinforcements had first been flown from Darwin, with refuelling stops at Koepang (Timor) and Den Pasar (Bali). When the Japanese landings on Timor and Bali made this impossible, 32 P-40s including their pilots were sent to Java on the seaplane tender (previously aircraft carrier) USS “Langley”. The intention was that these aircraft and pilots were to be based on West Java, these aircraft were assembled and ready for use.
Unfortunately, the “Langley” was discovered by a Japanese scout plane on the morning of 27th February 1942 and attacked by bombers operating from Den Pasar. The ship was too badly damaged to continue and was sunk by her destroyer escorts, only 75 miles from Tjilatjap, her destination.
27 P-40s in crates were sent to Java on the freighter “Seawitch” and this ship arrived safely at Tjilatjap on the morning of 28th February 1942. 15 were allocated to the ML-KNIL and 12 to the RAF; the ML P-40s were transported by rail to Andir, the RAF's P-40s to Tasikmalaja. Working round the clock ML mechanics managed to assemble three aircraft, which were test flown on March 7th 1942. One developed engine trouble and had to return to the workshops for some further work, but ufortunately Java surrendered the next day. As far as known none of the RAF P-40s had been completed by March 8th-certainly none of them was flown.
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