• North American B-25 Mitchell

Date of birth:

November 3rd, 1912 (Muntok/Banka, Dutch East Indies)

Date of death:

August 17th, 2013 (Australia)

Nationality:

Dutch

After the Japanese invaded the Dutch East Indies, First Lieutenant W.F.A. "Gus" Winckel was flying refugees to Australia. During an air raid on Broome he was pinned down on the airfield. "Gus" defended the airfield with a machinegun and shot down a Japanese fighter, killing its pilot Osamu Kudo.
Later "Gus" served with the RAAF in No 18 (NEI) Squadron on the B-25 Mitchell until the end of the war. After the fighting was over, he found back his girlfriend who had staid in a Japanese prisoner’s camp all these years.
After being reunited, they married.
In the Australian city Moruya is a statue in honor of the airman who succeeded in putting a Japanese submarine out of action from his bomber. In Broome a street is named after him.

Do you have more information about this person? Inform us!

• Photo 1: Borre Winckel
• - MEIJER, H.G. & VIS, R., Het Vliegerkruis, De Bataafsche Leeuw, Amsterdam, 1997.
  - Muller E., "Decorati" Nederlandse Ridderorden en Onderscheidingen
  - familie archief
  - Meijer H.G., Bronzen Leeuw / Bronzen Kruis ,Militaire dapperheidsonderscheidingen, Uitgeverij De Bataafsche Leeuw
  - Australian War Memorial