At around three o'clock on the afternoon of 26 January 1942, a formation of open-cockpit biplanes flew north up the coast of Malaya towards a Japanese landing at Endau. They were Vickers Vildebeests, torpedo bombers designed in the 1920s, with a top speed of around 140 mph. Waiting for them over the beaches were modern Japanese fighters.

By the end of the day, two RAF squadrons had been all but destroyed. Of the 72 aircrew from Nos. 36 and 100 Squadrons who flew against Endau, 27 were killed, seven wounded and two captured. The landing went ahead almost untouched.

The Battle off Endau is one of the clearest examples of what happens when courage is asked to make up for obsolete equipment.

An Aircraft From Another Age

The Vildebeest first flew in April 1928 as a torpedo bomber for coastal defence. It was a big, single-engined biplane able to carry an 18-inch torpedo. No. 100 Squadron received its first Vildebeests in October 1932, and by the late 1930s both No. 100 and No. 36 Squadron were based at Singapore, tasked with attacking any enemy fleet that came near the colony.

By the time Japan attacked in December 1941, the Vildebeest was hopelessly outclassed. The RAF had no modern torpedo bomber to replace it in the Far East. According to the Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs, the Vildebeests made no torpedo attacks during the Malayan campaign, but proved surprisingly useful as night bombers.

Ed Nash's Military Matters on the Vickers Vildebeest and its crews.

26 January 1942

Japanese troops had already taken Endau by land on 21 January. The convoy that sailed from Cam Ranh Bay was bringing in troops to build up the airfield there. Two RAAF Hudsons spotted it at 07:45 on the morning of 26 January, but radio jamming meant the report only reached Singapore when they landed at 09:20. The torpedo crews had flown night missions and had to rest, so the strike was delayed until the afternoon.

The first wave arrived around 15:00: Vildebeests of Nos. 36 and 100 Squadrons and Hudsons of the RAAF, with a fighter escort of Buffaloes and Hurricanes. Japanese fighters were waiting. Five Vildebeests were shot down, for the loss of one Japanese fighter. The transports were hit by bomb splinters, which killed eight men on board and wounded 18, but no ship was seriously damaged.

Among the aircraft lost in the first wave was that of the attack leader, Squadron Leader I.T.B. Rowland of No. 100 Squadron. Then came the second wave, Vildebeests and Fairey Albacores, arriving late after their escort was delayed. It lost another five Vildebeests, two Albacores and a Hurricane. Six unescorted Hudsons of No. 62 Squadron lost two aircraft and their crews. A raid by Blenheims turned back before reaching Endau.

The Night and the Aftermath

That night the Royal Navy tried too. Two old destroyers, HMS Thanet and HMAS Vampire, sailed north from Singapore. They found the Japanese escort but not the transports, and in the action that followed Thanet was hit in the engine room and sank. Vampire escaped back to Singapore. An officer and 30 ratings rescued by the Japanese were handed over to Japanese troops and never seen again.

Aircraft Files on the history of the Vickers Vildebeest.

The Allied air losses at Endau largely ended the RAF's ability to influence the ground battle in Malaya. By February, No. 100 Squadron had lost so many aircraft that it was merged with No. 36 Squadron. The survivors fell back to Java, and the last Vildebeests were lost in March 1942. Singapore surrendered on 15 February.

The men who flew to Endau knew what they were flying and what was waiting for them. They went anyway, in daylight, in biplanes, because there was nothing else to send.

Showtime112's series on the air war over Malaya: this episode covers the Brewster Buffalo's last battles in the campaign.

Sources: Wikipedia (Battle off Endau; Vickers Vildebeest); History of War (No. 100 Squadron); Australian Department of Veterans' Affairs, Anzac Portal.