Lieutenant General Masao Baba, Commander of the Japanese 37th Army and Supreme Commander of ...

Lieutenant General Masao Baba, Commander of the Japanese 37th Army and Supreme Commander of Japanese forces in Borneo, exits the aircraft at Labuan to surrender the forces under his command to Major General Wootten. General Baba is seen here returning the salute from the crew of the Japanese aircraft that flew him to Labuan. This aircraft, a Tachikawa Ki-54c (Hickory) was flown to Australia and was at RAAF Fairburn for many years. It is now at the RAAF museum at Point Cook, Victoria. General Baba was tried as a war criminal on charges relating to the Sandakan death march and was sentenced to death. He was hanged at Rabaul at 0800 on 7 August 1947. The aircraft's Japanese markings have been altered before transporting General Baba. While the aircraft was at Labuan 300276 Warrant Officer Leonard Anthony (Len) Pearce and his crew had the responsibility for servicing the aircraft. As a souvenir of the event he removed the engine plates from the aircraft, one of which is now in the collection of the Australian War Memorial.