Documentary to depict Suriname's role in WWII

Documentary to depict Suriname's role in WWII

February 5, 2008
Caribbean Net News

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: In an attempt to shed some light on Suriname’s role during World War II, a documentary is currently being made, which will be released in the second half of 2008. With the crashes of two US military aircraft in 1943 in Suriname as backdrop, cameraman and director Dave Edhard is producing the documentary to highlight Suriname’s role and position during the war, while the documentary will also highlight the socio-economic impact the war had in Suriname.

According to Edhard most of Suriname’s history has not been recorded through a Surinamese perspective.

The remains of the US Army DC3
that crashed in June 1943
were photographed by French Bubberman.

“I want to tell the story of Suriname’s contribution to win the war to the world. A lot of Surinamese nationals and numerous people all over the world don’t know that Suriname has provided over 80 per cent of all the aluminum to build the war planes,” said Edhard.

The remains of the US Army DC3 that crashed in June 1943 were photographed by French Bubberman.
After eight months of preparations and research, an expedition led by Rob van Petten, last week located one of the crashed aircraft, a Dakota DC3, in a practically inaccessible swamp some 150 kilometers west of the capital Paramaribo.

“The wreck is almost complete,” Edhard noted.

Archieves obtained from several institutions in the United States of America indicate that the aircraft crashed in June 1943 due to mechanical problems. The four-strong crew survived the incident, stayed for 11 days with the wreck and after plodding through the swamp and dense tropical forest eventually found help.

“This story is beyond my wildest imagination. This is Hollywood stuff,” said an excited Edhard.

The film producer went on, stating that the second aircraft to be exposed in the documentary, A C-54, crashed in the Commewijne district, killing all 35 passengers, in what at that time was the worst air disaster in the Western Hemisphere.

This aircraft was most likely on its way to the Casablanca Conference, when it crashed in the jungle 30 miles from Paramaribo. Rumours of a bomb on board allegedly forced the pilot, Benjamin Hart Dally, to land in Trinidad and search the plane. However, no bomb was found. Among those lost were Maj. Eric Mowbray Knight, author of the much-loved novel, Lassie Come-Home.

Evidence at the crash site allegedly had indicated that the airplane was on a secret mission to North Africa. Included were large sums of money and secret-coded documents for British General Sir Harold Alexander.

The crash made headlines in major newspapers across the US a week following the crash. Although officials promised an investigation into the cause, to this date, no official cause has been given by the United States Government.

Edhard say that the documentary will also have some educational value. During his research he noticed that students were not informed adequately about World War II.

“I want to give the youth a different perspective on World War II,” said the filmmaker.

He further disclosed that since the US had established a military base in Suriname during the war and due to the booming bauxite and aluminum industry, the Surinamese economy had benefitted from the war, as did large sections of the community, which found employment with the Americans and the mining company.

According to Edhard, “Some people were actually disappointed when the war ended.”

“A lot of people were earning a decent living,” he added.

The shooting on location of the movie will start in a couple of weeks while it should hit theatres later this year.

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