You’ve got the last Tiger Moth in Singapore. Where do you go?

Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules

A

Admiral Beez

Major
9,323
10,618
Oct 21, 2019
Toronto, Canada
15 Feb 1942, Percival goes to surrender. If you (an Englishman) and a navigator colleague have the last operational and fuelled Tiger Moth, with a range of 302 mi (486 km, 262 nmi) where would you try to escape to? Japanese forces landed on Sumatra the day before on Feb 14th. The Sarawak and DEI were invaded by the Japanese in Dec and Jan respectively.
 
I grab a boat to Trincomalee, a fast boat, preferably, and take my chances that way, and grab a squadron assignment there. There ain't much reserve buoyancy in a Tiger Moth.

If I absolutely have to get out in the Moth, I step-stone down to Australia and hope I don't become someone's kill. I think the last leg from Timor to the NW coast of Down Under is still going to give me headaches but at least there'll be more Diggers there and we can figure it out.
 
I was just reading an account from NZ 488 squadron where near the last days on Singapore a yellow "Tiger Moth" was seen flying around and dropping hand grenades on them, they think they Japanese found it and "repurposed" it!

Its pg. 169 "Last Stand in Singapore. The story of 488 sqd RNZAF" by Graham Clayton. Great book of Singapore/DEI disaster and some of best pictures of Buffalo showing shape of headrest armor and black undersides.
 
Probably fly until i see a friendly ship and then ditch near it, like what the south vietnamese did in '75.
Front seat would either have a very pretty girl or a stash of "relocated" goverment bank notes or gold.
 

I'd have to agree with Tony: look for a friendly ship (hah!) and ditch nearby. Sumatra was invaded about the same day as Singapore fell and Sarawak was pretty much under Japanese control by this time. Flying to Sumatra would likely be unhealthy, what with all the Japanese activity leading up to the invasion.

Of course, one option would be to overload the aircraft and ditch the passenger. The Tiger Moth only had a fuel capacity of about 85 L. Replacing the passenger with 60 L of fuel would give a significant increase in range, although it's moot if it would actually be a useful increase in range. Better would be to buy/steal a boat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)

Similar threads

Biplanes for ww2: where could've these still mattered?
2 3
Replies
43
Views
896
SplitRz
German artillery what-if: going all-in with gun-howitzers past 1935
2 3 4
Replies
63
Views
3K
Shortround6
S
1937-45: Doubling down on the 2-engined 'day fighters'
7 8 9
Replies
175
Views
8K
Admiral Beez
A
An early 'Me 209' instead of the Me 309?
2
Replies
21
Views
1K
TM06
SMGs in ww2 with much smaller cartridges?
2 3
Replies
53
Views
2K
Admiral Beez
A
Menu
Log in
Register