FATAL CRASHES

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 October 1941, Page 4

FATAL CRASHES

IN NETHERLANDS INDIES AT BATAVIA & MALANG. ARMY COMMANDER AMONG VICTIMS. (By Telegraph—Press Association—Copyright) (Received This Day, 11.10 a.m.) BATAVIA, October 13. Lieutenant-General G. J. Berenschot, Commander-in-Chief of the Netherlands Indies Army since 1939, died this afternoon in an aircraft accident. Five occupants of the plane, including Wing Commander Watkins, of the R.A.F., were killed. Seven natives, occupantsl of a house on to which the plane crashed, were also killed. The left engine of the aircraft failed a few minutes after it had taken off from the Batavia Aerodrome. Crashing on to a native house near the aerodrome, the plane burst into flames and set fire to the house. The blaze was so fierce that a fire brigade and rescue squads were unable to save any of the occupants of the aircraft. The bodies were completely charred. LieutenantGeneral Brenschot could only be identified by the spurs he wore. Only this morning, Lieutenant-Gen-eral Berenschot conferred with Air Marshal Sir R. Brooke-Popham, British Commander-in-Chief in the Far East. i In view of the death of LieutenantGeneral Berenschot, Major-General Ter Poorten, Chief of Staff of the Netherlands Indies Army, who arrived in Manila today to begin a series of talks with the United States defence chiefs in the Philippines, has been asked to return immediately. Major-General H. L. Maurer will be commander in charge of the Netherlands Indies Army until Major-General Ter Poorten returns.

When a Netherlands naval aircraft crashed at Malang, Java, two members of the crew were killed and one was injured. Five out of seven civilians struck by the plane were seriously injured.