The first plane to land at Seppingen Aerodrome, Balikpapan, Borneo
comes in smoothly a few minutes after Australian engineers filled the last
bomb craters on the strip. The plane was a "Jungle Air Force" Catalina
flying boat piloted by Lt. Keith W. Parks, 705 Mabelle Avenue, Moscow,
Idaho. Seppingen, a frequent target of the 13th Air Force fighters and
bombers before the Balilkpapan invasion, resembled a Swiss cheese when the
Aussies captured it on F Day plus 2.
(Photo
Courtesy of Rich O'Brien) |
