by Steve Mackenzie

USAAF Lodestar damaged or written off New Guinea 1942. Not possible to tell if this is a C-56B or C-60 but it fits here. Photo via internet.

Way back in issues 19/1 & 19/4 (yes 16 years ago, available in PDF form from our website at www.ipmsnsw.org/magazine), we had a detailed look at the Lodestar (the Military version of the Lockheed model L18 airliner) in military service in Australia during WW.II. At the time we mainly concentrated on the use by the RAAF and NEIAF (Netherlands East Indies Air Force). The use of this type by the USAAF and Civilian Airlines under contract to ADAT (Allied Directorate Air Transport) was only briefly covered as very little info and photos was available to us back then. This article will cover those areas in more detail.

The NEIAF purchased 20 L-18s from Lockheed to use as Transports in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) in 1941. During the Japanese attacks on East Indies 7 were written off with the remaining 13 making an escape to Australia. LT918 was destroyed by strafing 'Zeros' at Broome on 3/3/1942 and LT922 had it's rear end chopped off by an errant DC-3 VH-ACB at Archerfield airport on 18-2-1942. The 11 survivors were purchased by the USAAF in Australia who were desperately short of Transport types (this was before the first C-47s arrived in Nov 1942). Designated as C-56B and allocated serials #42-6837 to #42-6847 by the USAAF and radio callsigns VHCAA to VHCAK by ADAT.

A C-56 VHCAJ ex LT924 ala 42-68356 in New Guinea. This appears to be an image while still in USAAF service going by the early style of Cocarde with Red central dot (the Red was removed from USAAF airframes mid 1942 onward).

The C-56s (plus the USAAF C-60s - see later) were initially allocated to 21 and 22 Troop Carrier Sqns (TCS) which were the initial two USAAF Transport units in SWPA. Later they were all concentrated with 22 TCS (21 TCS then gaining nine C-49, C-50 and C-53 airframes some of which were civil DC-3s ex KNILM and 3 DC-5s also ex KNILM all of which were acquired by the USAAF after arriving in Australia after the Japanese invasion of East Indies plus a few miscellaneous types). The C-56Bs seem to have been operated still in their Dutch colours of Jongblad (Young Leaf), Oudblad (Old Leaf) with Aluminium lower surfaces. When fresh the upper colours were close to FS34092 and 34088 (U.S Med Green and Olive Drab) but slightly different as they were commercially acquired. When worn they faded to Green and a Brownish Green.

Photos that can be identified as C-56Bs in USAAF service are quite rare, the two schemes presented here are the only ones that I could find with intensive Google searching. Seen below is a view of VHCAJ (same airframe as above but likely taken a bit later as no 'Red Dot' in the Cocardes).

Lockheed C-56B Lodestar VHCAJ in USAAF 22 TCS service. Photo via Geoff Goodall's website.

C-56B VHCAJ, Jongblad (Young Leaf), Oudblad (Old Leaf) colours with Aluminium lower surfaces. Light Grey ADAT callsign, spinners Black and U.S Army under the wings officially Insignia Blue but often marked in Black. Insignia Blue/ White U.S Cocardes marked in the usual 4 positions. Ref: photo above.

Lockheed C-56B Lodestar VHCAI while operated by USAAC 22TCS.jpg. Photo via internet.

C-56B VHCAI, Jongblad (Young Leaf), Oudblad (Old Leaf) colours with Aluminium lower surfaces. Light Grey ADAT callsign, spinners Black and U.S Army under the wings officially Insignia Blue but often marked in Black. Insignia Blue/ White U.S Cocardes marked in the usual 4 positions. The 22 TCS insignia is carried on the nose of this one. Ref: photo above.

22 TCS Donkey Emblem (still in use today). Image of a cloth patch of the badge. Only the central motif seems to be marked on the airframe.

Hit next to go to the 2nd page on ADAT/USAAF/NEIAF schemes.