Most people know Koggala for its long beach, its lake and its quiet stretch of coast between Galle and Ahangama. Very few know that in 1942 this sleepy corner of the south coast became one of the most important airfields in the Indian Ocean, and that a single patrol flight from its lake may have changed what happened to Sri Lanka in the Second World War.
This is the story of RAF Koggala, the flying boat base that once sat where the lake meets the sea, and of the Canadian pilot who took off from it and never came home.
Where is Koggala and the old RAF base?
Koggala sits on the coast roughly 14 kilometres south-east of Galle, on the road towards Ahangama and Weligama. The old flying boat base was built around Koggala Lake, a wide, sheltered lagoon just behind the beach. Today the same site is Sri Lanka Air Force Station Koggala, which also includes a land runway.
What was RAF Koggala?
Before the war, the lake was already used by seaplanes. That changed in early 1942, after Japanese forces advanced through Malaya and the RAF lost its flying boat bases further east and needed a new one.
Koggala was chosen. In March 1942 the base was tiny: about forty people, a single Catalina flying boat, and a lagoon with no proper outlet to the sea. Within a month more than a hundred more personnel arrived, many of them evacuated from Singapore, and construction began on a water runway, slipways and the support buildings a flying boat base needs. By the end of 1942 there were more than 800 people stationed here, and Koggala was described as the largest flying boat base in the east.
Two aircraft types flew from the lake: the Consolidated Catalina and the Short Sunderland. Squadrons that operated from Koggala included RAF squadrons 202, 204, 205 and 230, along with Royal Canadian Air Force crews from 413 Squadron.
Catalinas were slow, long-range aircraft built for endurance rather than speed. Patrols from Koggala regularly lasted more than sixteen hours, and one special photographic mission stayed airborne for close to twenty-eight hours and covered more than 3,000 miles.
The Catalina that spotted the Japanese fleet
In early April 1942, Ceylon was waiting for an attack it could not see coming. A large Japanese carrier force under Admiral Nagumo was heading for the island, and the Royal Navy's Eastern Fleet had already pulled its main base back from Ceylon.
Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall, a Canadian pilot with 413 Squadron, had reached Koggala only a couple of days earlier. On 4 April he took off in Catalina AJ155 to patrol the ocean south-east of the island. Late in the day, a few hours before dusk, he spotted a speck on the horizon. It was the leading edge of the Japanese fleet.
He radioed a warning. Japanese Zero fighters from the carriers caught the slow Catalina almost immediately and shot it down before the fleet's exact position could be fully reported. Birchall and the surviving crew were taken prisoner and spent the rest of the war as prisoners of war. Birchall was liberated in August 1945.
That brief warning gave the island's defenders time to disperse shipping from the harbours before the Easter Sunday raid of 5 April 1942 hit Colombo and the surrounding area. Winston Churchill is reported to have said that Birchall made one of the most singular contributions to victory in the entire war. Birchall was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his part in the sighting.
One more detail that most visitors never hear: according to historians, the Japanese raiders were unaware that Koggala existed. The base that had launched the aircraft which found them stayed hidden from them.
The Double Sunrise route to Perth
Koggala had a second wartime role that sounds almost unbelievable today: it was the western end of one of the longest non-stop air routes in the world at the time.
With the Indian Ocean cut off by the war, Qantas and Imperial Airways flew Catalina flying boats from Koggala Lake to the Swan River in Perth. Koggala was chosen over Trincomalee because the sheltered lake water suited the special take-off technique needed for a heavily fuelled flying boat, and because RAF flying boat units already based there could provide technical support.
Each aircraft carried only three passengers and about 60 kilograms of mail, with most of the weight given over to fuel. The flights became known as the Double Sunrise service, because the journey lasted so long that passengers watched the sun rise twice. The first flight from Perth arrived at Koggala on 30 March 1943, and the service ran until 18 July 1945, when the Catalinas were replaced by converted Liberator and Lancastrian aircraft.
Rescue flights from Burma
Koggala's flying boats were not only used for patrols. In June 1944, two Sunderlands from the base flew to Burma and rescued a group of wounded Chindits, the long-range jungle fighters who operated behind Japanese lines. A flying boat could land on water close to where the wounded were, which no ordinary aircraft could do.
What is left of the base today?
The wartime flying boats are long gone, and Koggala today looks like a quiet lakeside town. Part of the old site remains an active air force station. A war memorial listing 21 Royal Canadian Air Force personnel dates from 1995, marking 53 years since the Easter Sunday raid, according to the Sri Lanka Air Force's own account of the station.
After the war, the airfield developed as a land base, and Koggala Airport (KCT) has been listed for domestic flights as well as military use. Schedules have changed over the years, so check before you plan around it.
Can you visit the Koggala airfield?
Not in the way you would visit a museum. SLAF Koggala is an active military station, and there is no fixed visiting hours, ticketing or guided tour that we can point you to. Do not approach the airfield, wave a camera at the perimeter or fly a drone near it. If you want to see anything inside the base, the only realistic route is to ask the Air Force directly for permission beforehand.
What you can do is see the setting for yourself. Koggala Lake is easy to reach from the road, and standing on its shore with the story in mind is a surprisingly powerful way to spend twenty minutes. Imagine a Catalina lumbering across the water with a full tank of fuel, then lifting slowly into the air.
How long should you stay?
Thirty minutes to an hour is enough for the lake and the history on its own. Koggala fits neatly into a half-day loop with other nearby stops, such as the Martin Wickramasinghe Museum in Koggala, Handunugoda Tea Estate and Kataluwa Purwarama Temple, which we cover in our Kataluwa guide.
How to get to Koggala
From Galle
Koggala is around 14 kilometres from Galle, roughly 20 to 30 minutes by car or tuk tuk depending on traffic.
From Ahangama
Koggala is a short drive west of Ahangama along the coast road, around 15 to 20 minutes by tuk tuk or car.
From Weligama
Koggala is around 30 minutes from Weligama by car or tuk tuk, and easy to combine with a day spent around Ahangama.
A few things I would know before visiting
Do not treat Koggala as a museum.
It is an active air force station. Respect any signs, checkpoints and instructions, and do not photograph military installations or aircraft.
Do not skip the context before you go.
The site itself is quiet. The history is the attraction, so read the Birchall story first and the lake becomes far more interesting.
Do not expect perfect agreement between sources on every detail.
Accounts vary on exact squadron deployments, dates and numbers, so treat the wider story as solid and the small details as worth double-checking.
Do bring a hat and water.
The lakeside has little shade, and the heat in the middle of the day is serious.
Is Koggala worth adding to your Sri Lanka itinerary?
Yes, if you enjoy history, aviation or simply want a short stop that makes the south coast feel bigger than its beaches. It is not a big sightseeing stop, but it is one of the best examples on the whole coast of how a quiet place can hold a world-changing story.
Ask a local where the old slipways used to be.
Look across the lake and picture a Catalina taking off.
Frequently asked questions about Koggala's WWII flying boat base
What was Koggala used for in World War II?
Koggala was an RAF flying boat base on Koggala Lake, used for long-range patrols, reconnaissance, rescue flights and, from 1943, a civilian air link to Perth. It grew from a handful of personnel in early 1942 into the largest flying boat base in the east.
Who spotted the Japanese fleet before the 1942 Easter Sunday raid?
Squadron Leader Leonard Birchall of the Royal Canadian Air Force, flying a Catalina from Koggala on 4 April 1942. He spotted the Japanese carrier fleet south-east of Ceylon and radioed a warning before his aircraft was shot down.
What was the Double Sunrise route?
It was a Qantas and Imperial Airways service that flew Catalina flying boats non-stop from Koggala Lake to Perth between 1943 and 1945. It was among the longest non-stop air routes in the world at the time, and the flights were so long that passengers saw the sun rise twice.
Which aircraft flew from Koggala?
Mainly Consolidated Catalinas and Short Sunderlands, flown by RAF and Royal Canadian Air Force crews.
Can tourists visit the old flying boat base at Koggala?
Not freely. The site is part of an active Sri Lanka Air Force station, so access is restricted. The lake itself can be seen from outside the base, and nearby attractions make a good half-day loop.
Where is Koggala?
Koggala is on the south coast, about 14 kilometres south-east of Galle, between Galle and Ahangama.
Final thoughts
Most visitors pass Koggala on the way to somewhere else, and it is easy to see why. There is no ticket booth, no souvenir stall and no big sign telling you what happened here.
A Canadian pilot took off from this lake, spotted a fleet over the horizon, and gave an island a few hours' warning. A handful of passengers once flew from here to Australia, and watched two sunrises on the way.
It costs you less than an hour to stand where it happened.
