056705 - LAKE BOGA AT WAR: The Inside Story of the Secret RAAF Inland Flying Boat Base In WWII

By Brett Freeman

In 1942 a secret inland flying boat base was established in the picturesque north-western Victorian town of Lake Boga. This housed No. 1 Flying Boat Repair Depot, a large unit of almost 1,000 personnel that serviced and repaired Dornier, Catalina and Mariner flying boats, many of which had just flown back from the frontlines of the war against Japan. The flying boats were from three nationalities and four services: the RAAF, Dutch naval air service, USN and USAAF.

The end of the war saw the base close down quickly, although the memories of the wartime years were kept alive through the research and passion of Swan Hill resident, the late Brett Freeman.

The original edition of Lake Boga at War was published by Brett in 1995. It was one of most successful Australian aviation history books of its era, bringing to life the remarkable activities at this little-known base. This revised edition seeks to bring these stories to a new generation of readers.

Brett Freeman has made an invaluable contribution to the history of my home district and of the  wartime RAAF. Those who served at Lake Boga, those who are drawn to the sight of a majestic  Catalina alongside this lake of curiously changeable mood, will be richer for this work.   Air Vice Marshal Alan E Heggen AO