The bravery, tragedy, and mystery of Captain Smirnov’s secret diamond delivery

It’s March 1942 — the dark and desperate middle of the World War II.

Darwin has recently been bombed by the Japanese and they are about to capture Java.

On the airstrip at Bandung, a Dutch DC-3 passenger plane named the Pelikaan is ready for take-off on an evacuation flight to Broome.

The KLM plane has been repainted in camouflage colours.

On board are four crew and eight passengers including a young woman and her baby.

The airport is blacked out, and gunfire can be heard in the distance.

The Japanese are closing in.

As the crew do their final checks, the manager of the airport runs across the tarmac with a package.

He crawls through the…