The DC3 was much more suited to the task of voice operation.
They Talked To The
Trees.
By:
Joe Neville. BA(hons)
Faith, Hope and Charity
the three Gloster Gladiator biplanes
that gained prominence in their defiant defense of Malta
during the early years of WWII over a decade later
had three worthy successors in the shape of three DC3’s.
These were the three Voice-Dakotas of 267 Squadron
based at Royal Air Force Kuala Lumpur, Malaya
during the Malayan Jungle Campaign of the 1950’s.
For six of these years the three aircraft operated continuously
on Voice Operations.
A Voice Operation being a flight to a particular area for the purpose
of broadcasting messages directly to a particular jungle target.
The three aircraft had been specially modified for this work.
Slung under the mainplane of each were four loudspeakers delivering 500 watts
of audio power.
In the main fuselage a large diesel engine was anchored to the floor with huge
bolts
and metal tie bars.
This supplied the required 240v AC to the four five hundred watt amplifiers
situated in each corner of the main cabin.
These engines were in fact standby power supplies
for ground stations at that time.
Their size took up a major part of the main cabin.
A voice operators station facing aft was positioned on the port side just forward
of the main door.
From my logbook , at a glance a voice operation appears to average out at about
4 hours.
Most flights were over uncharted territory.
In fact one Navigator discovered a jungle peak in the Northwest area of the
Malayan peninsula.
The first voice aircraft trials took place in March 1953, in a DC3 loaned by
the USAF.
The trials proved successful. As a result of this two Valetta aircraft
(the RAF name for the Vickers Viking medium airliner)
of the Far East Transport Wing were converted as voice aircraft.
The Valetta aircraft turned out to be totally unsuitable for the task,
due to loud engine noise and high stalling speed.
The DC3 was much more suited to the task of voice operation.
The DC3 had a low stalling speed and a much greater mobility and audibility.
Because of this fact two further DC3’s were ordered from the U.K.
Whilst awaiting these two aircraft, one of the two Valettas was withdrawn from
operations,
One DC3 and one Valetta continued.
In February 1954 the Valetta crashed on Mount Ophir in the state of Johore
with the total loss of aircraft and crew.
Eventually the two extra DC3’s arrived
and then there were three;
KJ 810,
kJ 955,
and KP 277.
Voice operations were then carried out with these three faithful
old-timers.
A voice operation began with position information of known CT’s (Communist
Terrorists)
being supplied by army intelligence.
It must be emphasized in these enlightened days
although I use the word Terrorist
that is the language of that era.
Today I realize of course that one persons Terrorist is another
persons Freedom Fighter.
Family messages would be hurriedly obtained from relatives.
There would also be messages informing Communist platoons of the deaths,
or surrender of comrades in various parts of Malaya.
These messages would then be recorded by radio Malaya at Kuala Lumpur
in the various dialects of the region:
Hakka,
Mandarin,
Malay,
Cantonese etc.
The recorded tapes would then arrive at the operations room at RAF Kuala Lumpur
where the maps would be issued with the numerous Hailing Zones plotted (HZ’s.)
The aircraft would then be dispatched quickly to the supplied jungle coordinates.
The technique of Voice Operations
was to fly the aircraft
so that the intended target,
a village or a suspected military location
could hear the broadcast clearly,
and not the aircraft.
Over the HZ (Hailing Zone)
a height of 2500 ft. was an ideal height for effective voice operation.
The DC3 would be flown at a speed of 70 kts (+/- 5 kts at 1,750 rpm
and sufficient boost to maintain 70 kts ( about 24 to 25 inches).
The speakers faced outwards to port and were set to beam the
audio at a set angle.
Straight and level flight was essential:
that's if you can consider
the angle of dangle
of a DC3 just hovering
above stalling speed
straight and level.
The important thing was to keep the wings level
to get the audio on to the intended target.
The speakers range was 2000 yds to the left
and approx. 500 yards to the right.
For a small visual target a normal orbit could be used.
Cloud and rain diffused the audio
making ground reception very poor.
Of course flying over mountainous primary
jungle
at these heights
just on the stall
I suppose can be described as
‘interesting’
to say the least.
The turbulence could be quite severe
and the aircraft would frequently stall.
As the security forces began to gain the advantage,
the DC3’s became known as the
‘Stop Press of the Jungle.’
It is extremely difficult to assess the success of these voice flights.
Most surrendered personnel admitted having heard the voice aircraft,
but did not credit them as a reason for their surrender.
This Campaign lasted for 12 long years from 1948 until 1960.
The Kuala Lumpur Air Base became the centre
for air operations known as
‘Firedog.’
Heavy bombers,
flying boats,
fighters,
fighter bombers,
transports,
light aircraft
and helicopters
all played their part in this drawn out war of attrition against the incursion
of the Communist Brigade into the Malayan Peninsula led by Chin Peng.
The land forces employed relied
almost entirely
on air support when in the jungle
engaging and harassing the Communist Forces.
The three DC3’s flew during the period 1954
to 1960 the end of hostilities
10,000 voice operations.
One of the them unfortunately came to grief before the end of hostilities.
By this time I had left the Squadron so I am not quite sure which aircraft was
involved.
Rumor has it that it crashed on take-off with the elevator locks still in place????
Christmas eve 1955
we took off from the Kuala Lumpur airbase to circle the city
and broadcast Christmas Carols to all the folks below.
We spent 2 hours 45 minutes circling playing all the favourites.
At that time I was in the right hand seat and Eric Culpin
my old drinking partner was in the left hand seat.
"Words will never describe
the experience
of sitting there suspended
over a brightly lit city
whilst sitting up front of a DC3."
The flourescence of the instruments dramatically lighting both our faces.
We were at peace with the world. A great feeling and a great memory snapshot.
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