HBPencil

I really should have posted this yesterday for Anzac Day, but here we go: Flight Lieutenant Michael James Herrick DFC, RAF (later Squadron Leader, DFC and Bar, US Air Medal), 'A' flight leader of No. 15 (Fighter) Squadron at RNZAF Station Whenuapai in mid-late 1942. Born in Hastings, New Zealand, Michael Herrick travelled to Britain in 1939 to join the RAF and was granted a permanent commission in March 1940 after which he joined No. 25 Squadron which was equipped with Blenheim IFs. On the night of 4/5 September 1940 he shot down two He111 bombers, the first victories for the squadron during WW2. Nine days (or rather nights) later he shot down another He111 which meant he scored 3/4 of Fighter Command's night victories for that month and made him the most successful pilot of the Blenheim IF night fighters during the Battle of Britain as well as earning him his first DFC. That same month the squadron began converting to the Bristol Beaufighter and between then and October 1941 (when he was loaned to the RNZAF) he shot down another two bombers and damaged one more. After arriving back in New Zealand he held various postings until being appointed 'A' flight commander of No. 15 (Fighter) Squadron in June 1942. The squadron sailed to Tonga in October to take over a batch of second hand P-40Es from the USAAF's 68th Fighter Squadron. The squadron then performed garrison duty in Espiritu Santo and Fiji, with Herrick being appointed to command the squadron in March 1943 after his predecessor, Squadron Leader Alan Crighton, was killed in a mid-air collision. After being re-equipped with new P-40K and M aircraft the squadron flew to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in April 1943. From then until December of that year he lead the squadron on two tours in the Solomons and scored one solo victory, three shared and damaged two. For that he was awarded a second DFC and in 1945 a posthumous US Air Medal. Returning to the UK in early 1944, Herrick was appointed as 'B' flight commander of No. 305 (Polish) Squadron which was equipped with the Mosquito FB.VI fighter-bomber. He was shot down and killed (along with his navigator Flying Officer Turski) on 16 June 1944 near the Danish coast when they were intercepted by a Fw190 flown by Luftwaffe ace Robert Spreckels of JG 11. Michael Herrick was 23 years old at the time of his death. Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR195. Information from the book 'Air-To-Air: The story behind the air-to-air combat claims of the RNZAF' by Chris Rudge.

As it's International Women's Day, here's two WAAF colourisations: New Zealand WAAF (Women's Auxiliary Air Force) driver Phyllis Butchart with her truck MT1228 at Suva, Fiji, during WW2. The New Zealand WAAF was formed in January 1941 with the purpose that women would undertake various admin, clerical and domestic roles within the RNZAF in order to free up men for other roles. The WAAF was an auxiliary organisation until December 1942 when it was folded into the RNZAF. As the war progressed more roles were taken on by the WAAF so that they worked in many varied fields such as cooks, clerks, typists, fabric workers, parachute packers, instrument repairers, tailors, medical orderlies, telephone/radio/radar operators, motor boat crew as well as assistants in workshops, warehouses, photographic and meteorological sections and the YMCA. The WAAF reached its peak strength in July 1944 with 3,652 members. The vast majority were stationed in New Zealand with the exception of a small number (less than 150) who served in Fiji and Norfolk Island. Post war the WAAF continued on and was renamed the Woman's Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1954. Then in July 1977 the WRNZAF was disbanded and its members integrated with the RNZAF. Photo source: The Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR1879. An An RNZAF Airman and a WAAF operating their equipment at the Piha radar station, part of New Zealand's C.O.L. (Chain Overseas Low-flying) network of radar stations during WW2. Established in 1942 near Piha (on the coast to the west of Auckland) and accommodating around 50 personal , this station could scan for aircraft and ships up to 200 miles out to sea. After the war the site was used as a training facility until it was closed in the late 1950s when all buildings were moved off site. Image source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file WhG11165-57.

It's a Mk47 bomb dispenser.

An air to air view of an RNZAF PV-1 Ventura (NZ4551) of No.14 Servicing Unit based at RNZAF Whenuapai, New Zealand, in flight over clouds. Source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, OhG1651-53.

The Military Aviation Museum's -5 was also pulled out of Lake Michigan in '94, currently being restored to flying condition with the work split between the US (wings) and NZ (fueslage). https://www.militaryaviationmuseum.org/aircraft/douglas-sbd-5-dauntless/

The trailers have given me a rather low expectation for this show, I suspect it'll fall far short of Band of Brothers and The Pacific... but I'm still going to watch it 😉

Seeing as we're starting off with Midway I hope we get some more of the 1942 carrier battles such as the Coral Sea, Eastern Solomons etc. to go with it and flesh out the single player/campaign mode. After that I'd like to see, in rough order, the following: - Mid/late war PTO carrier ops, Hellcats at Truk, Corsairs over Kyushu etc. The logical follow-on from 'early' war PTO carrier battles. - The entire Solomons chain from Guadalcanal to Bougainville. Heavy air operations with equally heavy and concentrated land and naval battles to match. - India/Burma border region '43-'44, certainly including operation U-Go. An under appreciated and 'forgotten' front. Both NG and China are significant but I don't know enough about them to pick what would be the best date and location to make for a good sim campaign.

Some more misc Kiwi Corsair stuff. F4U Corsairs NZ5326, NZ5315 and NZ5307 of the RNZAF in flight with the island of Guadalcanal in the background. Possibly flown by pilots of No. 26 Squadron with the photo dating from April 1945 or later. Skinners and plastic modelers may be interested in some of the details, such as the bars of the lower left and upper right roundels being somewhat wonky, while the fin flash of the nearest aircraft is parallel to the rudder but on the other two is at a slight angle as they're perpendicular to the fuselage. Also the 2 in 326 is a 5 turned upside own and that all RNZAF Corsairs had their tail hooks removed. Source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR4972. No. 23 Squadron pilots (left to right) Squadron Leader J.J. de Willimoff, DFC (later Wing Commander, MBE, DFC, AE), Flight Lieutenant A.M. Davis, DFC, and Flight Sergeant Walls in front of a F4U Corsair on Emirau, March-May 1945. Both de Willimoff and Davis had scored victories while flying P-40s with No. 15 Squadron earlier in the war, de Willimoff claiming an A6M and a D3A with Davis downing an A6M and two D3As. This photo shows some of the variety in flying gear worn by RNZAF aircrew in the Pacific with it being a mix of NZ, UK and US manufacture and de Willimoff's oxygen mask being Canadian made. He is also wearing a USN nylon flight suit which was not very popular with aircrew because, despite being lightweight, it was hot due to it not able to 'breath'. Interestingly the Corsair seems to have been partially repainted, with the upper surfaces from the cockpit forward being repainted while the rest of the aircraft is wearing its faded original three-tone factory scheme. Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR5507.

Thanks!

Thanks guys! Here's another: An RNZAF F4U Corsair taxis out at Piva, Bougainville Island before a ground attack mission in 1945. Slung underneath is a 1000lb 'daisy cutter', which was an otherwise ordinary 1000lb GP bomb but with the fuse on a two foot rod attached to the nose of the bomb so it would explode above ground level. Without such an addition the bomb could dig in to the ground before exploding which would result in more of the explosive force being directed upwards rather than outwards amongst the Japanese troop and gun positions which were the usual targets for the RNZAF fighter-bombers. Along with the 1000lber, Kiwi Corsairs also used 500lb 'daisy cutters' and 250lb depth charges, the latter with their hydrostatic fuses replaced with impact fuses. Depth charges created little shrapnel but a large shock wave so were effective at flattening foliage out to 500 yards (457 meters). Source: RNZAF Official ref PR5754 The following link is for a wartime US film describing the use of depth charges by the 80th FG in Burma: https://www.criticalpast.com/video/65675061657_United-States-soldiers_80th-Fighter-Group_10th-Air-Force_loading-bombs

Spitfire PR.XI, coded 'T', of 681 Squadron RAF based at Alipore, India, taking off from Chittagong in India (now Bangladesh). Original photo: IWM (CF 1245)

Flight Lieutenant Robert Lawrence 'Spud' Spurdle, DFC, of No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit, RNZAF Station Ohakea, New Zealand, in early 1943. Although 'Spud' Spurdle was a New Zealander he held a RAF short service commission (rather than a RNZAF commission) and who, after being judged operationally tired, had been seconded to the RNZAF to form the Camera Gun Assessing School within the OTU alongside fellow kiwi Flying Officer David Clouston who had been sent home from the UK due to serious injuries suffered in an accident. Spurdle had been flying Spitfires operationally since August 1940, first with No. 74 'Tiger' Squadron and then No. 91 'Nigeria' Squadron as well as performing two crossing of the Atlantic as a Hurricane pilot aboard a CAM-ship, although fortunately for him he was never required to launch during those crossings. In his autobiography 'The Blue Arena' Spurdle states that the OTU was equipped with Harvards and Kittyhawks to teach air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery as well as some obsolete Vickers Vildebeest torpedo bombers used as target tugs, however firing practice was also done from the ground as he described so: "David and I came up with the bright idea to train pilots in deflection shooting. We'd gathered our pupils, food and drink, ammunition, a .303 Browning machine gun, chain and clamps, a Very-pistol and flares. We'd motor to the beach where we fixed the machine gun by clamping it to a substantial log of driftwood. We were now ready and soon a lumbering Vildebeest would drone over at about 200 feet. We'd fire off a flare to advise we were ready and the exercise was on. The ancient torpedo bomber's crew would unreel a drogue to stream 200 yards astern and they would fly up and down the beach past our gun while the pilots banged away. The bullet points had been dipped in red, green and blue paint which marked impact holes on the drogues. Each pilot had his own colour and so scores could be tallied. At the end of each group, the used drogue would be dropped and a fresh one streamed. After the day's exercise, a flare would be shot off and the Vildebesst returned to Ohakea." However on one occasion he played a prank which had spectacular results! "One day, at the end of the exercise, I strolled down to the ocean's edge over which the tow-plane was stooging. Using great judgement, I fired a flare at the big biplane to stir the crew up and enliven their boring day. The magnesium projectile arced up and hit the Vildebeest fair in the carburettor intake! There was a great banging and burst of flame and brown smoke from pre-ignited fuel as the ancient engine swallowed the flaming mass. Horrified at the fantastic fluke, yet proud of my feat, I stood there, mouth agape as the airplane tottered around, its engine missing and belching smoke, while the pilot considered a beach landing. Eventually the thing staggered off and I rejoined the cheering, rolling-on-the-ground pilots. David, laughing like a hyena, clapped me on the back." Spud soon got tired of the Gunnery School and was appointed as 'A' Flight commander for No.16 (Fighter) Squadron with which he served a tour in the Solomon Islands, scoring two victories (both A6M Zeros) and destroying a number of barges and small craft, after which he returned to the UK where he would fly Spitfire MkIXs and Tempest MkVs before ending the war as a forward air-support controller, first in the 6th Airborne Division and then the 11th Armoured Division with the rank of Squadron Leader, a Bar to his DFC and a final tally of 10 confirmed victories, 2.5 shared and 9 damaged. He is also one of only three New Zealand pilots believed to have scored victories in both the Battle of Britain and the Pacific, the other two being John Gibson and Michael Herrick. Photo source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR5532.

Taken at Kunming, China, this photo shows Curtiss P-40K-5 '255' (s/n 42-9766) of the 26th Fighter Squadron "China's Blitzer", 51st Fighter Group, known as the "Assam Dragons". In the background a C-46 Commando is coming in to land. This P-40 was the personal mount of the squadron's commanding officer, Major Edward M. "Big Ed" Nollmeyer as indicated by the two yellow bands around the rear fuselage and his personal Bugs Bunny motif. Note that the aircraft sports five victory markings which was Nollmeyer's final tally with his final two being claimed on the 22nd of December 1943, making him the first ace of the 26th FS. The yellow band on the nose and the "China's Blitzer" motif were markings specific to the 26th FS, and from early 1944 the shark's mouth was added to the squadron's aircraft. Although I don't know the exact date of this photo the presence of the shark's mouth would indicate that it was taken in 1944 before the aircraft was written off on the 27th of May 1944.

Here's one for the F4U fans: Posing in front of a F4U Corsair of the Fighter Leaders School at RNZAF Station Ardmore, New Zealand, these pilots are believed to be of No. 4 Course, June/July 1945. In the background is a TBF Avenger target tug painted in black and yellow stripes. Of real interest is the RAF type light duty bomb rack that has been adapted to mount under the center section and that markings appear to have been applied to the starboard canopy denoting dive angle (no doubt a training aid) which, so far as I'm aware, hasn't been seen on any other Corsair. Source: Air Force Museum of New Zealand, file PR6870.

Cheers guys.