The burnt out remains of what was probably a Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force DC-3 ...

The burnt out remains of what was probably a Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force DC-3 destroyed on the ground in the Japanese air-raid on the town on 3 March 1942. The DC-3, PK-ALO, was one of six large aircraft destroyed on the ground, including two B-17 Flying Fortresses and a B-24 Liberator. Most of these aircraft had just arrived from the Netherlands East Indies (NEI) carrying refugees who were still aboard them. Fourteen flying boats in the harbour were also destroyed. 88 people were killed in the raid, including women and children, and probably as many again wounded.

Although the photograph was previously thought to be of a Lockheed Lodestar, detailed analysis shows a number of features which are typical of DC-3 aircraft, rather than the Lodestar, including the 'X' shaped undercarriage assembly type visible resting against the starboard engine, and the long fairing assembly visible on the port wing. The single row of cylinders visibile in the engine (a nine cylinder Wright R-1820 Cyclone) was common to early DC-3s. Later DC-3s and the C47 military version were fitted with Pratt and Whitney Twin Wasp 14 cylinder two row radials. PL-ALO was delivered to the Dutch airline KLM as PH-ALO on 27 March 1937 and despatched to the Dutch East Indies on 1 June 1940 where it was re-registered as PK-ALO. It was the only DC-3 destroyed during the Broome raid.