Pilot  Ivan Smirnoff
Passenger  Mrs. Van Thuyne & baby
Force Landed  March 3, 1942

Pilot History
Smirnoff was Russian.

Aircraft History
This DC-3 was a civilian transport NEI version, a detachment of KLM - and did not have a military serial number, only the call sign "PK-AFV" its civilian registration.

Mission History
Took off from Java and was carrying civilians being evacuated and a box of diamonds. Attacked by A6M2 Zeros piloted by Zempei Matsumoto attacking Broome, the port engine was set on fire and the plane force landed on the beach, on the north side of Carnot Bay, about 60 miles north of Broome.

The plane sank into the sand and swung into the surf which was at high tide and the fire went out. One of the passengers, Mrs. Van Thuyne died from bullet wounds to the chest. Her baby that she was holding during the attack was killed (probably by the same bullets)

The day after the crash, while the survivors were still there awaiting rescue. On March 4, 1942 the wreck was spotted by an H6K2 Mavis on a reconassance mission, and dropped at least two 65kg bombs on it. For or five days later, they were rescued.

The crew and passengers were rescued, but the box of diamonds were accidentally left at the crash site. Australian Jack Palmer came across the wreck after the people had been rescued and before the RAAF salvage team came in. He found the diamonds and he gave a lot away to his native women friends. He kept quite a few and only surrendered some to the authorities.

Later, a RAAF salvage crew was dispatched to the aircraft around April 1942. They dismantled the wreckageand removed the wings and salvaged any usable parts.

Wreckage
Located slightly north on the north side of Carnot Bay, about 60 miles north of Broome. The stripped fuselage remained on the beach until 1970 when some survey people blew it up with dynamite.

The 60kg bombs dropped on the aircraft, one was located and removed in 1975. It is displayed at the SAS Barracks in Perth. The second bomb was found by Stan Gajda in 1979, it was detonated at the site in August 197 and later a fragment was returned to the crew of the Mavis.

Stan Gajda adds:
"I have been to the Diamond DC-3 twice and we found the wreckage easily the first time out in 1977. The second time we found an unexploded 65kg Japanese bomb that was dropped on them by a Mavis. A friend of mine [ Bob Piper ] somehow located two of the crew in Japan off this plane and gave them back a piece of the bomb which was blown up after I reported it.

I must say that the remaining wreckage has many bullet holes in it, all 7.7mm size. The zeros must have run out of 20mm ammo over Broome. At a farm near Broome are the horizontal stabilizers and elevators, the rudder and a wing tip from this plane, all are covered in bullet holes. When I saw this in 1982 the green and brown camouflage paint was still on the wing tip.

At the site the biggest part is the center wing section still with tires on the wheels. Other bits are scattered about along the beach. There have been many cyclones since the war and I believe that a siesmic survey team used up their left-over dynamite when they got to Carnot Bay in 1970 to blow up the fuselage.

I knew an old guy in Derby who had seen some of the diamonds and he told me where they were thrown away. I still have not given away this info and the old guy died years ago now. Treasure hunters under the guise of writing a book about this story contacted me many times to give them leads about the plane wreck, missing diamonds etc but I did not help them much."

References
Thanks to Stan Gadja for additional information and photos.

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