The negative impacts of the war are also highlighted, such as the food shortages faced by the country and how the pearl industry was affected due to the disruption of sea trade.
The joint research study - published in the spring-summer edition of Tribulus, a scientific journal of the Emirates Natural History Group - has been carried out by Peter Hellyer, executive director of the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, Adias, and Laurence Garey from the UAE University's department of anatomy at the faculty of medicine and health science.
The authors have revealed some important historical facts about World War II and the UAE - then known as the Trucial States - and paved the way for further investigation and research on the topic. "The impact of World War II on the UAE is a topic that has received very little attention from historians," said Hellyer.
The UAE was not involved in the war directly, although there were naval incidents off the east coast. Besides, there was an important military and air base at Sharjah, used by both the British and the Americans, he said.
"But the impact of the war was felt locally in a number of other ways, as one would expect. The disruption of Indian Ocean trade naturally had an effect on local merchants, while there were also food shortages that caused severe hardship to the people."
Hellyer said the research into the wartime plane crashes is just the beginning. He believes there is much more yet to be uncovered, from the British and American political and military archives, not only about military matters but also about the impact of the war on the people of the UAE.
Referring to an aircraft that went missing in UAE territory and remains a mystery even today, he said: "The disappearance of Hannibal has yet to be solved - but there are other topics to be studied, too. We hope that our preliminary research will encourage others."
According to the research, a copy of which was obtained by Gulf News, the war coincided with a period of severe drought, while the rising cost of food caused by wartime restrictions had a major impact on the country's residents. The pearl trade, already in decline, was also severely affected. The following are extracts from the research of eight major plane crashes: BOAC HP42 Hannibal One.
March 1940
Considerable mystery surrounds an early wartime crash, which may have been in what was to become the UAE. While on a flight with a crew of four and four passengers from Jiwani (now in Pakistan's Balochistan province) to Sharjah on March 1, 1940, a Handley Page HP42 four-engined biplane, belonging to the newly formed British Overseas Airways Corporation, BOAC, registered G-AAGX and named Hannibal, disappeared.
No crash site, wreckage or bodies were ever identified, despite a large-scale search by the Royal Air Force, RAF, and the Royal Navy.
Hannibal was flying flight CW197 (Calcutta Westbound). It left Karachi on March 1, 1940 at about 0600 local time and flew to Jiwani, then took off again for Sharjah. It reported by radio over Jask (on the Iranian coast) at about midday local time and estimated its arrival at Sharjah at about 1330 local time.
The British Political Officer for the Trucial Coast, based in Sharjah, reported that: "The last radio message received from her was when she was about 40 miles out to sea, and the only distinguishable letters were 'OS'."
At the time of the radio message, it was unclear whether Hannibal was still over the sea or already flying over the mountains between the east coast and Sharjah. Conflicting records, from official and unofficial sources, add to the mystery.
Hannibal was carrying high-ranking government and military chiefs, and theories, apart from a simple crash - perhaps offshore - range from sabotage to hijacking. The flight's original passengers were off-loaded to another flight, and the accident passengers substituted at Karachi, which was strange. There is even the suggestion that a load of gold was on-board.
RAF crash near Dhadnah, 1943
In mid-February 1943 (the precise date is unclear), a Wellington bomber from the Royal Air Force en route from Sharjah to Gwadar, on Balochistan's Makran coast, made a forced landing on the coast of Fujairah.
The initial report said the crash had been near Bidyah (Bidiya), although subsequently it became clear that the incident took place near Dhadnah, further north along the coast.
One of the crew was killed in the landing, and it was initially reported that "local Arabs are reported to have been friendly and reasonably helpful". It took three days for the survivors to be cleared out by sea.
Prior to that, the Shaikh of Fujairah, Mohammad Bin Hamad Al Sharqi, "arrived at Dhadnah and arranged for a guard to be placed on the machine until the salvaging of all valuable equipment had been completed," this presumably also being taken off by sea.
Apparently, the crash site was nearer to Rul Dhadnah than to Dhadnah village itself, and the dead crew member may have been buried at the site. With the help of the local authorities, investigations are now under way to see whether the crash site, and the grave, can be identified. If the grave does, indeed, exist and can be located, it would be the first known Commonwealth War Grave on record in the UAE.
Anti-Locust Planes, Sir Bani Yas, 1944
On April 22, 1944, two Anson aircraft belonging to the Anti-Locust Mission crash-landed at Yas Island (Sir Bani Yas), en route from Sharjah to Bahrain. There was an emergency airstrip and fuel tank on Sir Bani Yas, established between the world wars to serve the Britain-India route of Imperial Airways, the forerunner of British Airways, although it is not clear from the records whether the Ansons crash-landed at the strip, or elsewhere on the island.
The records noted that: "There was a good deal of excitement as the crews of the planes were disturbed at what they thought was the hostile attitude of the local inhabitants. In point of fact, the local inhabitants were not hostile but frightened.
"As a result of the efforts of an engineering party, which went down by sea to Yas Island, the aircraft were flown off and arrived in Bahrain on the 26th."
Flying Fortress (B17), Jebel Dhanna, 1944
On May 2, 1944, a B17 bomber (Flying Fortress), "force-landed ? on the mainland opposite Yas Island". British records note that the aircraft was on a photo-reconnaissance flight. An approach has now been made to the US authorities to see whether any of the photographs can be traced - it would certainly be interesting to see them.
Clearly the pilot had some warning of trouble, for the archive report adds that: "Four members of the crew descended by parachute and were found the next morning some 49 miles to the east of the aircraft. Two of them were slightly injured while the two members of the crew who remained with the aircraft escaped without any injuries."
The location, presumably close to Jebel Dhanna, has not yet been identified, but perhaps some older local inhabitants may be able to point out the spot, even if all remains of the plane itself have since been removed or have disintegrated.
The fact that the information comes from British records and that the RAF was involved in the rescue may suggest that the plane might have been an RAF Flying Fortress.
US C46 (Curtiss Commando), near Dubai, 1945
In July 1945, an American C46 crashed south-east of Dubai, with the loss of all three crew members. The plane had taken off from Karachi, bound for Abadan, Iran, on July 26. It was last heard of east of Sharjah, but no distress signals were sent. Aircraft from Sharjah carried out a sea and land search but failed to find any sign of the plane.
It was not until July 29 that the political agent in Bahrain and those in Muscat and Kuwait as well as the residency agent in Sharjah, were informed. On the same day, the plane was found. Two reports, by the political agent in Bahrain and by the Sharjah residency agent, provide further information.
The political agent's intelligence summary noted: "The wreckage of this plane was discovered 13.5 miles south-east of Dubai, and reported to the Royal Air Force. Rescue parties were rushed to the spot and the bodies of three of the crew were removed to Abadan by air for burial. The wreckage has been examined with a view to discovering the cause of the crash but its results are not yet known here."
The residency agent, benefiting from his proximity and from access to information from the RAF base at Sharjah, was able to provide more information: "On the 29th July two bedouins of Bani Yas tribe found the wreckage of the aircraft lying at a place called Naqa Bishr, 13.5 miles south-east of Dubai, and reported to the RAF authorities through the Shaikh of Dubai.
"The aircraft had on board 1,000 lbs of freight and mail. It was so badly damaged that nothing could be salvaged out of it."
Once again, our efforts to find other records on this crash have proved fruitless. US records mention no C46 accident on the date given.
RAF Wellington, Abu Mousa, 1946
The final report of a crash-landing comes from shortly after the war. It occurred in March 1946, when an RAF plane belly-landed on Abu Mousa. The initial report in the Bahrain intelligence summary noted: "On the 18th of March [1946], an RAF Wellington flew over the S.S. Afghanistan anchored off the island of Abu Mousa to drop a message on board.
Unfortunately, in doing so, the pilot misjudged his height and struck the top of one of the ship's masts, carrying it away, and damaging the tail and rudder of his aircraft. After jettisoning its petrol, the plane made a belly-landing on the island.
The crew were uninjured and were taken to Sharjah the same day by launch. The engines were undamaged, but the plane has been written off and offered, with the dismantled engines, to the Shaikh of Sharjah."
We have been able to identify this aircraft as a Wellington Mark XIII of 294 Squadron, Coastal Command, RAF, serial number ME937, one of the last Wellingtons built from the more than 11,000 total production. This squadron was based at Basrah from June 1, 1945 until it was disbanded on April 8, 1946.
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