"Toraware no Nihonki" #19 - Tachikawa Ki-54"Hickory" in White Crosses 一式双発高等練習機, ラブアン, ボルネオ島

From various AWM photo captions:

"As a result of leaflets dropped by RAAF over Sapong Estate on mainland of Borneo, contact was made with Lieutenant General Baba Masao, Supreme Commander of Japanese forces in Borneo, and Commander of the 37th Army. He was instructed to fly to Labuan and surrender to Major General George Frederick Wootten CB CBE DSO, General Officer Commanding the 9th Australian Division.

"The Japanese surrender delegation which included Major General Kuroda, Gen Baba's Chief of Staff, flew to Labuan, Borneo, in a Tachikawa Ki-54 Hei "Hickory" that belonged to the 10th Dokuritsu Hikodan Shireibu (10th Independence Air Brigade). In this case, instead of green crosses, the aircraft sported white crosses to indicate that it was assigned to a surrender mission.

"General Baba was tried as a war criminal on charges relating to the Sandakan death march and was sentenced to death. He was hanged at Rabaul at 0800 on 7 August 1947. 

While the aircraft was at Labuan 300276 Warrant Officer Leonard Anthony (Len) Pearce and his crew had the responsibility for servicing the aircraft. As a souvenir of the event he removed the engine plates from the aircraft, one of which is now in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.

"The aircraft, was flown to Australia and was at RAAF Fairburn for many years. It is now at the RAAF museum at Point Cook, Victoria."

An interesting photo from the AWM collection. The caption says:

LABUAN ISLAND. 1945-09-10. MAJOR GENERAL G. F. WOOTTEN, GENERAL OFFICER COMMANDING, 9TH DIVISION, ACCEPTED THE SURRENDER OF ALL JAPANESE FORCES FROM LIEUTENANT GENERAL MASAO BABA, SUPREME COMMANDER JAPANESE FORCES IN BORNEO AND COMMANDER 37TH JAPANESE ARMY, IN A SURRENDER CEREMONY HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 9TH DIVISION. SHOWN, UNITED STATES PERSONNEL (NISEI), JAPANESE MEMBERS OF ALLIED TRANSLATOR AND INTERPRETER SECTION, 9TH DIVISION, SPEAKING WITH THE JAPANESE AIRCRAFT CREW OUTSIDE THEIR QUARTERS AT 9TH DIVISION.

Two photographs from the Peter Kelly collection, the "Hickory"...

...the Japanese aircrew were given the task of refuelling their aircraft.

Another picture, forwarded by Dirk Broer, of the Ki-54 when in RAAF storage

This blog focuses on the history of Japanese aviation. Please refrain from making any comments regarding war crimes etc. There are other places to do so.