Koggala Air Base

After the Japanese occupation of Malacca in 1942, the RAF built a large airbase at Koggala. Within a year, it had become the largest seaplane base in the East, with over 800 personnel and aircraft such as the PBY Catalina and the Short Sunderland.

After the loss of Singapore, Koggala became a stopover on the London-Sydney route. In 1943, the world's longest non-stop flight (28 hours, "The Double Sunrise") was launched from there, from Koggala to Perth in PBY Catalinas.

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!

Source

• Text: TracesOfWar
• Photos: Public Domain