Plane crash Bakkie (WW2)
During the Second World War, Suriname played an important role as a supplier of Bauxite, a raw material for war planes. More than 80% of this raw material came from Suriname during the war. Because of these supplies, Suriname played an important role for the Allies. A total of 48 planes crashed in Suriname during the Second World War. One of these crashes is known as the plane crash at Bakkie.
The crash
On January 15, 1943, an American army plane crashed at the Warappakreek near Bakkie. This plane was en route with senior military company and secret documents to the Casablanca Conference, where it was later decided by US President Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Churchill that Hitler should be eliminated. On board of this plane was Eric Knight, creator of Lassie, who was serving as a major in the United States Army at the time of the crash. Knight and his fellow passengers did not survive the crash.
Mayday in the West
In 2009, the documentary 'Mayday in the West' by director Dave Edhard premiered. In this documentary, Edhard tells the story of two special plane crashes during the Second World War, including the crash near Bakkie. For the making of this documentary, the director went in search of the remains of the plane together with the Surinamese army. With success, during the expedition parts of the aircraft were found. Today, on Bakkie, a sign can be found which memorizes this event and the victims of the plane crash.
