| No. 30 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Active | 1943-1944 |
| Country |  New Zealand |
| Allegiance | New Zealand |
| Branch |  Royal New Zealand Air Force |
| Role | bomber |
| Motto(s) | Kai-Takitaki |
| Equipment | Grumman TBF Avenger |
| Battle honours | |
No. 30 Squadron RNZAF was a New Zealand light bomber squadron which saw service against the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre during the last two years of the Second World War.
No.30 Squadron formed on 28 May 1943, being stood up at RNZAF Station Gisborne as an amalgamation of airmen from No. 7 Squadron RNZAF and No. 8 Squadron RNZAF, which had been disbanded following the withdrawal of the Vickers Vildebeest aircraft from service. Flight lieutenant Fred Adams temporarily held command of the Squadron until the following month when Squadron leader Richard Hartshorn took command of the unit. [1] For the first few months the squadron operated North American T-6 Texans and Vickers Vincent aircraft inherited from No.8 Squadron, although would later equip with Grumman TBF Avenger Torpedo bombers.
In 1944 the Squadron, equipped with Avengers, deployed to Luganville Airfield on Espiritu Santo island in the Pacific for operational training with US Navy and USMC units. At this point in the war the need for dedicated torpedo bombers had died down and the 30 Squadron aircrews mainly focused on other forms of Anti-ship warfare including Dive bombing.
By March 1944 the Squadron had deployed further up North to Bougainville, Papua New Guinea in order to take part in operations against Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater. 30 Squadron ground crews arrived at their base on Bougainville, Empress Augusta Bay by 15 March and spent the first week unloading their equipment and improving the base. The Avenger aircraft arrived at the base shortly after, at the base they were also joined by No. 25 Squadron RNZAF flying SBD Dauntless dive bombers.
Shortly after the Squadron started flying operational sorties against Japanese forces from the Island. On 26 March 30 Squadron Avenger's took part in the attack on the Japanese owned Kavieng Airport, New Ireland, alongside American forces. [2]
Until May 1944 the Squadron flew 573 combat sorties against the Japanese forces, losing three aircrews over the course of their deployment. The Squadron was relieved by Avengers and crew from No. 31 Squadron RNZAF and returned to New Zealand before disbanding in July 1944. [3]
A 30 Squadron Grumman Avenger is preserved by the Gisborne Aviation Preservation Society.
The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed from New Zealand elements of the British Royal Air Force, becoming an independent force in 1923, although many RNZAF aircrew continued to serve in the Royal Air Force until the end of the 1940s.
The Grumman TBF Avenger is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval aviation services around the world.
Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) was a United States Navy squadron of World War II torpedo bombers. VT-8 was assigned initially to the air group of the aircraft carrier USS Hornet, joining the ship shortly after her commissioning in October 1941.
Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 232 (VMFA-232) is a United States Marine Corps F/A-18 Hornet squadron. Nicknamed the "Red Devils", the squadron is based at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California and falls under the command of Marine Aircraft Group 11 (MAG-11) and the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing. The Red Devils are the oldest and most decorated fighter squadron in the Marine Corps.
No. 3 Squadron RNZAF is a unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It currently operates NHIndustries NH90 and Agusta A109 helicopters. The squadron was initially formed as a territorial unit of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force in Christchurch in 1930. During World War II, the squadron served in the Pacific, undertaking patrol operations. In the early post war period, the squadron was converted to a Territorial formation flying fixed wing aircraft, but later converted to rotary wing aircraft, and returning to permanent status. Since then, personnel from the squadron have served in the Vietnam War, East Timor, Singapore, the Sinai, and the Solomon Islands.
No. 75 Squadron RNZAF was an air combat squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It was formed from the RAF's World War II bomber squadron, No. 75 Squadron, which had been initially equipped by the New Zealand government and was largely manned by New Zealanders. The squadron was created when, in a unique gesture, the squadron number, colours and battle honours were transferred to the RNZAF in 1946. It had flown more sorties and suffered more casualties than any other in the European theatre.
No. 2 Squadron RNZAF was a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It was formed in 1930 as part of the Territorial Air Force with the main headquarters at Wellington and shadow flights at New Plymouth and Wanganui. Squadron personnel conducted their annual flying at RNZAF Base Wigram. In 1937 the Territorial Squadrons were re-organised and No. 2 Squadron became the Wellington Territorial Squadron.
No. 75 Squadron of the Royal Air Force operated as a bomber unit in World War II, before being transferred to the Royal New Zealand Air Force in 1945.
No. 25 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force was formed at Seagrove, Auckland in July 1943 with Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bombers and served in the Southern Pacific based at the Piva Airstrip on Bougainville, flying missions against Japanese forces on Bougainville and at Rabaul. It was disbanded in May 1944 and reformed as a fighter/ground attack squadron flying F4U Corsairs. It served in Santo, Guadalcanal, Los Negros and Emirau, before returning to New Zealand and being disbanded in September 1945. A SBD-4 Dauntless operated by 25 Squadron was for a time preserved in the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum at Wigram, displayed in the condition which it was recovered after being lost with its crew while on a training mission at Espiritu Santo. One of the SBD-5 aircraft operated by 25 Squadron has been restored to flying condition in America for the "Planes of Fame" museum, in the colour scheme of an American aircraft.
The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. First flown in 1928, it remained in service at the start of the Second World War, with the last Vildebeests flying against Japanese forces over Singapore and Java in 1942.
No. 6 Squadron RNZAF is a maritime squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It has a history going back to World War II, when it operated flying boats, and has been disbanded and re-formed several times through changes in the country's military structure. The squadron motto, originally "Fortitudine et Diligentia", is now “Vigilance with Patience”.
No. 4 Squadron RNZAF was a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) patrol bomber unit that served in the South Pacific during World War II.
No. 8 Squadron RNZAF was a New Zealand Bomber Reconnaissance squadron in the South Pacific during World War II.
No. 19 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed on 10 December 1941 at RNZAF Station Ohakea from members of No. 3 Squadron equipped with P-40 Kittyhawk and later with the Chance-Vought F4U-1 Corsair fighter bombers.
No. 6 Squadron was a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron that was active during the Second World War.
No. 41 Squadron was a transport unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The squadron was formed in 1944, and conducted transport flights in the south Pacific during World War II. It remained active after the war, and flew supplies to the New Zealand occupation force in Japan. Three crews from the squadron participated in the Berlin Airlift during 1948 and 1949, and one of its flights was temporarily based in Singapore from 1949 to 1951. From 1955 the entire squadron was stationed at Singapore, from where it participated in the Malayan Emergency, Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and Vietnam War. Detachments of No. 41 Squadron were also based in Thailand from 1962 to 1965. The squadron was disbanded in 1977.
No. 18 Squadron was a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in June 1943 at RNZAF Base Woodbourne, the squadron was initially equipped with Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawks, before converting to F4U-1 Corsair fighter bombers in 1944. The squadron fought in the Pacific theatre during World War II, flying combat operations against Japanese forces until it was disbanded in late 1945.
No. 31 Squadron is a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Formed in December 1943, it was equipped with Grumman TBF Avenger Torpedo bombers.
881 Naval Air Squadron was a squadron of the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm formed in June 1941. It served as a fighter squadron in the Second World War, taking part in the British invasion of Madagascar in 1942, in the Allied invasions of Northern France and Southern France in 1944, also taking part in operations in the Aegean Sea and off Norway before disbanding in October 1945.