RAAF Crane
I wonder how the AWM came to have this as a 22 Sqn aircraft and said to be pictured at Balikpapan? I suppose that the guys with the Beaufighter wreck somehow picked up on this and painted it as a 22 Sqn machine.
Looking at the photo the ground does look too smooth to be Balikpapan compared to other shots I have. I thought this was the crane operated by my Dad when he was there in 1946 with the RAF.
However in discussing what his crane looked like with him he says the crane he found there was completely different to the one in the photo in that it was self propelled, on four wheels, jointed in the middle and steared by hydraulic rams on the side. It was ideal for engine changed on Dakotas etc as it could be positioned with a fair amount of accuracy when lining up retaining bolts on the Dakota engine.
So any clues as to what this crane was and whether it was RAAF or even a US design?
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Larry Hayward
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