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HISTORY
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Dewanto's Mustang Shot Down
Pope's B-26 Invader
He was the only Indonesia fighter pilot who shot down an enemy
plane. He was also the only person who reconciled two armed forces
who were engaged in shooting each other in Halim AFB, October 1965.
But nobody cared when in an effort to survive, he became a pick-up
driver transporting coconuts along the Banten-Jakarta route.
Dewanto fired until the
last bullets | Liang apron,
May 18, 1958. Air Force Captain Ign. Dewanto in his P-51
Mustang's cockpit, was preparing for a take-off. That
morning, he was assigned to attack AUREV (Angkatan Udara
Revolusioner/Revolutionary Air Force) of the rebellion movement
Permesta in North Sulawesi (Celebes). Rockets were under the
Mustang's wing, impatiently to be fired. Just a few seconds before
Dewanto started the engine, he received order to cancel the attack
mission on Manado but instead was diverted to Ambon.
What the hush about? An AUREV bomber B-26 Invader bombed
Ambon! Immediately he started the engine. The four blades turned the
1.590 horsepower Rolls-Royce engine. Dewanto took off and sped his
Mustang impatiently. From the air, he saw black smokes engulfing
Ambon. Ruins were seen scattered everywhere, indicating it had just
been under heavy air attack. He flew around for awhile but there was
no sign of the B-26. He later headed his plane to the west. The
ferry tank was released to speed up his Mustang.
Dewanto flew low. Just seconds as he saw the ALRI (Angkatan Laut
Republik Indonesia/Indonesian Navy)'s convoy ships, also saw a
glimpse of a plane. "B-26," he mumbled. Oh no! The plane was flying
towards the ships. Dewanto throttled full speed his Mustang. Luckily
his position was right behind the Invader. For a moment he hesitated
to release his rocket because the enemy plane position was between
his Mustang and the ship. One, two rockets were fired. They all
missed. None hit the target. In seconds, he then fired his 12.7
machine gun. Row of bullets spurted from the gun. Dewanto was
definitely sure, this time he hit the target.
At the same moment, KRI Sawega also fired its guns. Bofors,
Oerlikon, 12.7 and 7.62 Water Mantle simulatenously were barking.
The platoon on the deck by chance, was also manning their gun on the
enemy plane. "The enemy is hit," shout was heard from the ship.
The B-26 Invader, piloted by Allen Lawrence Pope, a U.S. soldier
of fortune with radio operator Hary Rantung (a former AURI
personnel)., burning with thick smokes, plunged down to the sea. For
Dewanto the tension has not eased yet.
While returning to his airbase, Dewanto confronted another B-26.
Head on attack and face-to-face air duel, could not be avoided. With
full courage Dewanto fired his Mustang's gun on the B-26, flown by
Cony, another U.S. hired pilot. Cony returned the firing. "He fires
until the last bullets," said Petit Muharto, the former Permesta
Airforce Chief-of-Staff remembering the event to Angkasa.
Both Dewanto's and Cony's plane suffered from the air duel. The
tire of Cony's plane was hit. According to Petit, it was known when
the bomber landed on Mapanget runway skidding to a trench. While
Dewanto's Mustang suffered bullets shot on the fin. "He's a brave
pilot," Cony said to Petit after he landed, praising his opponent.
Long after the air duel action, Petit met Dewanto. Petit asked,
"Why don't you use the rockets to bring down Cony?" Dewanto
answered, "I had used all my rockets to the other B-26 (Allen
Pope)." In other words, Dewanto's rocket or his machine gun brought
down Pope's bomber to the bottom of the sea. Up to the present the
polemic who shot down Pope still remains a question the Navy
claimed their guns brought down Pope's B-26 Invader.
Unfortunately we could never get an answer from Dewanto, a
fighter pilot who with his virtuosity deserved an ace title
the honorary title for pilot who shoot down an enemy plane. The word
"ace" is taken from the ace playing card, the deadly card to beat an
opponent.
There are many basic reasons in giving an ace title. In America
for example, the title is given to a pilot who has shot down at
least five enemy aircrafts. The World War II produced 268 P-51
Mustang aces alone!
Permesta
 Later, Pope brought to trial
in Jakarta | Four days
earlier, Dewanto was involved in operations attacking Permesta
Airforce Base at Mapanget (now Sam Ratulangi, Manado), Tasuka (near
Tondano Lake), Morotai dan Jailolo (Halmahera). The operations
engaged five P-51 Mustangs and four B-25 Mitchell bombers,
flying from separate places. From Laha, Air Lieutenant Soewoto
Sukendar flew a B-25 escorted by Air Lieutenant Rusman and Air Major
Leo Wattimena in P-51s.
Two other B-25 Mitchell bombers were flown from Liang, piloted by
Air Captain Sri Mulyono Herlambang and First Air Lieutenant
Sudarman. The bombers were escorted by Captain Dewanto's Mustang.
From Amahai, two P-51s piloted by First Air Lieutenant
Luly Wardiman and First Air Lieutenant Nayarana Soesilo escorted Air
Captain Suwondo's Mitchell bomber.
Leo Wattimena was the operation commander, while the bomber fleet
was trusted under Sri Mulyono command. The Mustangs were assigned to
shoot down every enemy aircraft seen and Mitchell bombers were to
destroy enemy runways. Departing from three different places, they
rendezvoused at the edge of Lifamatola of the Sula Islands, the
Mangole chain islands before heading for their targets.
Leo Wattimena briefed all the pilots. The briefing was short, he
only said: tomorrow at dawn an air strike would be conducted to grab
air supremacy over the East Indonesian sky. "In the afternoon around
15.00 hours," recalled Sri Mulyono, nine aircrafts departed from
their respective airbases to three designated points around Ambon
Island and spent the night there.
When they reached Ambon, the sun had gone already. One by one,
the planes landed. A habit of Allen Lawrence Pope, the Permesta's
hired U.S. pilot, he never showed up at night. At dawn on May 15,
Leo launched his mission. He calculated as the sun rose at 05.45
a.m., formation of his air attack aircrafts arrived on the target
location. Based on intelligence reports, Permesta has about 10
aircrafts consisting of B-26 bomber, P-51 Mustang and PBY
Catalina amphibian plane.
In this air theatre Dewanto, Leo Wattimena and Rusman formed an
umbrella for the B-25s piloted by Sri Mulyono, Soewoto Sukendar, and
Sudarman who successfully destroyed Permesta Airforce bases, feared
by the TNI. The heroic air assault was dramatized by Noordono
the aviation painter on canvas. His painting depicted an
Indonesian Airforce's B-25 number M-429 passing and its bomb left
catastrophic blast on the enemy runway airfield. Smokes came out of
the parked Catalina, probably in front of an operation room,
indicating it was hit during the surprise attack.
From this big air assault operation, air supremacy was finally
seized. "We destroyed eight planes," recalled Sri Mulyono.
He was called Totok
 He look like wedono, comment
President Soekarno | Only
few people really knew who Ignatius Dewanto was. Like his name,
according to Sri Mulyono, "He wanted his name to be written as
Dewanta not Dewanto. But many knew him as Dewanto."
Just mentioned (Ret) Air Chief Marshal Saleh Basarah, (Ret) Air
Marshal Omar Dhani, (Ret) Air Marshal Sri Mulyono Herlambang, (Ret)
Air Marshal Wisnu Djajengminardo, (Ret) Air Commodore Agustinus Andy
Andoko (Dewanto's former mate in TALOA), (Ret) Air Major Petit
Muharto, to (Ret) Colonel PGO Noordraven and many other names
all agreed to say: "Dewanto is a brave man!"
"We called him Totok," said Saleh Basarah. Omar Dhani who called
himself as observer to his colleagues, explained that underneath his
tough figure, Dewanto was in fact a cheerful and "an all round"
person. He played piano, loved singing, swimming, athletic, and
loved to hang out. "Compared to his friends, his progress chart was
higher than the others," he added.
Wisnu had other opinion. To him, Dewanto who always kept well his
mustache, actually was a gentleperson, different than Leo Wattimena.
Saleh Basarah added, not only Dewanto had firmed characteristic, his
IQ was above average.
Born from a Catholic couple, M. Mardjahardjana and Theresia
Sutijem in Kalasan, Yogyakarta on August 9, 1929, Dewanto's young
life was greatly influenced by the struggle for Indonesian
independence atmosphere. Its burned the young soul of Dewanto. Gun
shots, bomb explosions, cries of agony those who were tortured and
tales of heroic deeds for independence in the frontline, crystalized
in Totok.
His father who was a teacher, could not subdued his son's
intention to join the fight for independence. Totok chose Solo and
he melt into the fighting force, which in history is known as "Solo
youngsters," or well known as Tentara Pelajar (TP). He joined Slamet
Riyadi group. His career was quite bright and was trusted to head a
squad (1950). Earlier (1948) he was trusted head of TP's grenade
manufacturer.
"We were in the same lichting (generation), but we looked
up to him because of his leadership qualities. Perhaps also because
of his Faculty of Technique Gajah Mada University background,"
explained Sri Mulyono who had enough knowledge to describe Dewanto's
obstinacy. Dewanto once led TP to intercept Dutch tank convoy
enroute from Semarang to Solo in Boyolali area. To Sri Mulyono the
unforgetable part was when TP were in ready position and the tank
convoy was getting closer, Dewanto behind a trench suddenly with
"craziness" opened fire with local built sten-gun against the Dutch
armoured troop. "He was so brave and yet less considerate," he
recalled.
In several ambushes, TP acquired assistance from the Pasukan
Pertahanan Pangkalan (PPP) AURI led by OMO (Second Lieutenant) II A.
Wiriadinata because Sri Mulyono recalled, Wiriadinata's troops were
the only troop who had a 12.7 mm. He later became the first PGT
(Pasukan Gerak Tjepat, now Korpaskhau/Airforce Special Troop)
commander in 1952. Because of his distinction, Wiriadinata was
appointed Battle Commander of Panembahan Senopati 105 (PPS-105)
which later on became known as Pasukan Garuda Mulya.
Even after Dewanto became a pilot, Totok was still the old brave
Totok. Andoko had a unique tale. Not long after he landed in Halim
AFB, a Mustang landed. "To my astonishment, a long electric wire was
hanging behind the Mustang. I asked the (ground) crew, who was the
pilot. Pak Dewanto they answered lightly," Andoko recalled the
incident to Angkasa.
While still wondering what kind of manouver Dewanto did and how
low he flew, Andoko was even more confused when someone burst out
saying that it was not Dewanto if he had not brought along an
electric wire after his routine exercise flights.
After the cease-fire (1948), Dewanto (also Sri Mulyono) was
posted in Semarang only for TPs who spoke Dutch making them as
counterpart between Dutch Military Police and the Indonesian Army.
On July 25, 1950, the Indonesian Defence Ministry announced the
Airforce needed pilots. So Dewanto and Mulyono enlisted and recalled
Sri Mulyono, (the late retired Colonel) Abdul Kadir and (Lieutenant)
Soegiarto from TP, were also accepted while some of their colleagues
had already joined AURI. "Soegiarto crashed with a P-51 in Depok,"
Omar Dhani added.
TALOA
 Dewanto with other Indonesian
air cadets | Except those
from TP, 60 young cadets who were sent to California just knew each
other on their departure date. Saleh Basarah who was once
recommended by Dewanto as Operation Staff Officer of Mandala
Airforce Commander, Leo Wattimena in Trikora, met Totok. They were
sent to Trans Ocean Airlines Oakland Airport (TALOA), California, on
November 1950 to become pilots. The cadets were grouped into six
according to their heights. Among them, Andoko was close to Dewanto
spiritually because both were Catholics and there only three of them
the other cadet was Richardus Darjono.
Fit to his body shape short, squat and dark skinned
with tough character, Dewanto was in the fighter class with Leo
Wattimena, Hapid Prawiranegera, Iskandar, Aried Riyadi, Dono
Indarto, Soegiarto, and Sumitro. Intelligent combined with talent
made him finish each phase of training without any difficulty. After
terminating their training in the U.S., the young officers returned
to their homeland. Dewanto, along with 19 others, including Leo,
Omar Dhani, and Andoko had to stay behind and continued for
instructor training for another additional seven months.
Back to Indonesia (1952), 10 men were immediately assigned to the
squadron and the rest were assigned as instructors of the Sekolah
Penerbang Lanjutan (SPL/Advanced Flying School) at Husein
Sastranegara AFB. In 1954, Dewanto joined the Skadron Udara 3, home
of the P-51 Mustang fighter planes. One year later, on the
10th Anniversary of Indonesian Republic Independence Day,
Dewanto led a dozen of AT-6 Harvards, fly-passed above the
Presidential Palace. The Harvards that took off from Kalijati, while
fly-passing, made a formation depicting "RI-10." "Only a week to
practice," said Andoko who led the "10" figure formation and met
Dewanto again in Trikora.
During his career as a fighter pilot, Dewanto had not a chance to
experience the "mightly" of the Russian aircraft. His jet fighter
experience was only with de Havilland Vampire F.1. But there was
doubt among the old fighters who attended the interview in Sri
Mulyono's house Omar Dhani had a picture of Dewanto standing
in front of a MiG. "It's only a photo and I myself could have made
one," said Andoko and responded by laughter from the others.
Raiders vs RPKAD
 With RPKAD special unit
troops | Sometime after he
was installed as Deputy Minister/Chief-of-Staff for Operation
Affairs (appointed on July 1, 1965) replacing Air Vice Marshal Sri
Mulyono who was promoted to State Minister to the President, Dewanto
and several AURI officers were invited by Minister/Airforce
Commandant Air Marshal Omar Dhani to meet President Soekarno at the
State Palace.
Instantly when Bung Karno met Dewanto, the President
spontaneously commented, "You look like a wedono in East
Java." Everybody burst in laughing. Actually Bung Karno was amused
by Dewanto's thick mustache, which he twisted upward. "The President
love to see it," recalled Daned, Omar Dhani's nickname.
On October 1, 1965, Dewanto who was concurrently the Intelligence
Director and scheduled to officially open the Air Intelligence
School at Semplak, Bogor, did not showed up. Instead the Education
Director showed up. Flight Captain Kundimang, a P-51 fighter pilot
who was assigned to prepare the school, wondered why Dewanto didn't
appear. He then decided to go to AURI Tanah Abang Headquaters to see
Air Commodore Ignatius Dewanto.
As soon as they met, Dewanto ordered Kundimang not to go
anywhere. Although confused, he did not asked further questions. He
followed his Commander's order and stayed with Dewanto.
At noon they went to Halim AFB but first made a stop at the
Theresia Church. Still in uniform, with gun on his waist, Dewanto
walked to the empty church. "Just like a cowboy," explained
Kundimang. In front of the altar he knelt and prayed. After Dewanto
has prayed, they hurried to the airbase and met Halim Perdanakusuma
Air Force Base Commander, Colonel Wisnu Djajengminardo.
At 02.00 a.m. early morning hours of October 2, the presidential
aircraft Jetstar with Sri Mulyono and pilot Wage Mulyono in the
cockpit, landed in Halim after the plane got shot by anti-aircraft
guns in Tanjung Priok and Tebet area. No casualties.
The situation became uncontrolled and issues spread fast saying
AURI was going to attack the Kostrad Headquarters. So that morning,
Dewanto decided to fly with a Cessna 180 with Kundimang to observe
the Jakarta situation. Kundimang flew the Cessna at 2.000 feet
level, just above the Senayan East Parking venue, Dewanto thought he
saw tanks. But Kundimang, the holder of Certificate of Standing
Award and just graduated, assured the objects were troop carriers.
To reassure, they flew low and indeed the objects were military
troop carriers, parked neatly in lines.
Dewanto then realized, he has taken seriously on the issue of
unknown origin, AURI was going to attack Kostrad. The plane kept
flying to Halim. Above Cililitan, in front of the Intirub tire
factory, the scene was worst. TNI AD armoured vehicles were
advancing with their guns aiming to Halim. "Drop me off the plane,
hurry!" Dewanto gave his order.
Upon landing, the plane went straight to Skatek hangar (Technical
Squadron, now Haj Terminal). Still inside the cockpit, they saw
three RPKAD troops in the hangar and several AURI personnel. "Who's
your commander?" Dewanto asked as soon as he got down. "Major CI
Santosa," a soldier answered. The soldiers stripped off Kundimang's
Makarov handgun although it was unclear what authority they had.
"But they did not dare to do so to Dewanto because he was a
general," Kundimang said.
Suddenly, a series of gunfire interrupted their conversation. In
seconds the shootings were more intense and answering Dewanto, one
of the soldiers explained that it was Sarwo Edhie's troops who
entered from Pondok Gede. But the question then arise, whose troop
returned Sarwo Edhie's RPKAD crack troops gunfire.
In a Toyota hardtop jeep, the two Airforce officers looked for
the source of the commotion. While on their way, a PGT soldier
joined them to assist. Dewanto was surprised to find the "battle" on
Pondok Gede Street were between Batallion 454 Banteng/Raiders of
Central Java and RPKAD. A small public commuter commonly called
"opelet" full of passengers passed by during the exchange of fires.
Fortunately it escaped unscratch from flying bullets.
Dewanto, a graduate from Royal Air Force Staff College (1961) of
England was very worried considering they were both commando troops.
"There is no retreat in the Raiders vocabulary," answered Captain
Kuncoro who led the troops. He was ready to move but not to retreat,
but only if there was a guarantee from a middle ranking officer.
Kuncoro informed that he was ordered to protect the head of state
and no one was allowed to get in , not even a mosquito. According to
Sri Mulyono, it was unclear who had given the order.
For that reason, Kundimang went from one troop to another troop
and finally after he could not reconciled the two troops, decided to
meet Sarwo Edhie. But Sarwo said, "You just bring your General
here." And without thinking about ranks, General Dewanto agreed to
meet the colonel. He informed Sarwo Edhie that the Raiders agreed to
move with the guarantee from "rambutan," the AURI's nickname for
RPKAD. The negotiation reached an agreement Sarwo Edhie agreed
to send Major Gunawan as guarantor. So Kuncoro kept his promise, he
moved east wards.
The Indonesian ace
One day in 1970, Dewanto flew with a SMAC (Sabang Merauke Raya
AC)'s Piper PA-23 Aztec plane from Medan to Cot Girek, Aceh.
The passengers were plantation businessmen. That day marked the last
flying day of an AURI veteran fighter pilot's career. The plane had
engine trouble. It crashed with Dewanto, the founder of the Airforce
Academy.
That morning Dewanto was in Singapore and Roesdi Riza, the
Customs pilot, saw Dewanto taking off to Medan from Singapore
Payalebar Airport. In the afternoon, when Roesdi went back to his
hotel room, "Suddenly a sparrow entered and hit the wall. It was a
bad omen.," Roesdi recalled. He told about the sparrow to Syaiful
Nawas, Sinar Harapan journalist who was with him.
For no reason, he thought about Dewanto. He rushed his car to the
airport. As soon as he got there, a Singapore Flying Club instructor
approached him and said haltingly. "He had it. He bought the farm."
Before Dewanto took the job in SMAC, the father of five children
was jobless when he was released from AURI penitentiary. Because of
his high spirit and enthusiasm, he didn't mind to do anything. He
became a transport truck driver on Banten-Jakarta route. He no
longer carried machine gun or 2.75 rockets, instead vegetables and
coconuts. "This is how he struggled for life in three months," Sri
Mulyono said.
He was among those who were detained after the September 1965
Movement. Dewanto was detained for a few months in Halim Air Defence
quarter, while Sri Mulyono in Nirbaya prison., prior to becoming a
civilian pilot, Dewanto was an Air Attache in Moscow (1966). A year
later he was summoned back to Indonesia and was respectfully
dismissed from the military duty since March 31, 1967.
His body was found eight years later. It was assured that Dewanto
survived the crash his skeleton was found several meters away
from what was left of the Aztec plane. Sri Mulyono explained that
Dewanto was identified from his watch and his dental autopsy.
Dewanto's remains was buried with honor in the Kalibata Hero
Cemetry after laid in Airforce Headquarters, Pancoran by Soeharto's
permission (President at the time). His name is immortalized in
"Dewanto" Auditorium at Iswahyudi AFB, Madiun and having 16 honorary
medals, Dewanto deserved also an 'ace' title.(ben/donna)
Copyright ©1998 Majalah Angkasa
. All rights reserved
Revised by
Bodewyn Talumewo
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