Morotai, 1945-09-09. Two Japanese Nakajima Ki-49 Army type 100 heavy bombers (allied code name ...

Morotai, 1945-09-09. Two Japanese Nakajima Ki-49 Army type 100 heavy bombers (allied code name "Helen") parked to the side of Pitoe airstrip. As the Japanese were short of serviceable aircraft Lieutenant General Fusataro Teshima, Commander of the Japanese Second Army, arrived from Pinrang in an RAAF Douglas C47 Dakota to surrender his army to General Sir Thomas Blamey. Some of his staff had arrived in these two Helens that had been painted white and carried green crosses in place of their usual red roundels. This distinctive colour scheme was chosen to distinguish them from all other allied and enemy aircraft. Note one crew member appears to be sitting on the starboard wing of the Helen at left but is actually protruding from the pilot's cockpit hatch. Another crew member is sitting in the bomb-aimer's position in the perspex nose cone.