Gus Winckel
Willem Frederick August "Gus" Winckel (3 November 1912 – 17 August 2013) was a Dutch military officer and pilot who flew for the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force (ML-KNIL) in World War II. During the attack on Broome, Western Australia, on 3 March 1942, Winckel managed to land his plane full of refugees safely on the Broome airstrip just before the Japanese attack. He then dismounted the plane's machine gun and shot down one of the Japanese fighters, the only Allied "kill" during the attack.
Gus Winckel | |
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Gus Winckel (right) standing with a fellow No. 18 Squadron member | |
| Nickname(s) | Lucky Bill, Babyface Killer |
| Born | 3 November 1912 Muntok, Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) |
| Died | 17 August 2013 (aged 100) Pukekohe, New Zealand |
| Allegiance | Netherlands |
| Service/ | Military Aviation of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army |
| Rank | Lieutenant |
| Unit | No. 18 (NEI) Squadron RAAF |
| Battles/wars | World War II Politionele acties |
| Awards | Bronze Cross with Honorable Mention Bronze Lion |
| Signature | |
Shortly after the attack on Broome, Winckel was sent on a mission to Bandung, Java, to recover several officers from the Allied headquarters, which was under threat of being overrun. He served the remainder of the war with No. 18 (Netherlands East Indies) Squadron RAAF in Australia. After World War II, he fought in the Dutch Politionele acties.