RAAF Black Cats

By: John Suter-Linton, Bill Cleworth

Narrated by: David Tredinnick

In March 1945 Reg Cleworth, a navigator on PBY Catalina seaplanes flying out of Darwin, went missing in action. No details were ever given about the incident that took his life, nor the reason his plane went down. For Reg’s younger brother, Robert, the news came as a prophecy fulfilled. The last time they saw each other, Reg confided in Robert, ‘I don’t think I’m coming back’.

Forty years later Robert decided to investigate what happened to his brother. What he uncovered was an extraordinary story of a covert Australian airborne mine-laying operation in cooperation with the US Seventh Fleet to disrupt the Japanese supply routes. One of the riskier and more dangerous RAAF undertakings of the Pacific War, secrecy restrictions were imposed on everyone involved. They were never formally lifted. Had it not been for a chance meeting that allowed Robert access to previously unopened files in the US national archives, this remarkable story may never have been told. What he unearthed revealed the sacrifice and achievements of the RAAF Catalina crews and the vital role they played in MacArthur’s strategic plan for the south-west Pacific.

©2019 Robert Cleworth and John Suter Linton (P)2019 Bolinda Publishing

The Bravest of Men

What a spectacular and most fascinating book. The Aussies are amongst the toughest of men. And most certainly, in the generation of WW2, dubbed "the greatest generation" for a reason, the RAAF Catalina Squadron was amongst the bravest. The book begins with search for Reg Cleworth, the missing brother of Bob Cleworth, who was a part of the secret mine laying operation in WW2. Reg never made it home, and in 1947, was officially presumed dead. However, his family never knew what he really did during the war. Thus the story of discovery begins with this squadron, who did some of the most dangerous work for the Allies in the Pacific. Mine laying was perilous, and thanks to Reg and the many of others who did the work, the Japanese were stopped.

David Tredinnick does a wonderful job narrating. It's pure heaven to listen to an Australian narrator telling such a vital story.