No. 41 Squadron RNZAF

Last updated

No. 41 Squadron
Bristol Freighter 41 Sqn RNZAF Thailand 1962.jpg
No. 41 Squadron personnel and a Bristol Freighter in Thailand during 1962
Active1944–77
CountryFlag of New Zealand.svg  New Zealand
Branch Air Force Ensign of New Zealand.svg Royal New Zealand Air Force
RoleTransport
Engagements World War II
Malayan Emergency
Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation
Vietnam War
Aircraft flown
Attack Grumman Avenger
Utility helicopter Bell UH-1 Iroquois
Transport Lockheed Hudson
Lockheed Lodestar
Douglas Dakota
Handley Page Hastings
Bristol Freighter

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.

Contents

History

Early years

Unit history of Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) No. 41 Squadron (Aug 1944 - Dec 1949) Unit history of Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) No. 41 Squadron (Aug 1944 - Dec 1949).jpg
Unit history of Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) No. 41 Squadron (Aug 1944 – Dec 1949)

No. 41 Squadron was formed at RNZAF Base Whenuapai near Auckland in August 1944. It was initially equipped with twelve Lockheed Hudson and nine Lockheed Lodestar transport aircraft. These transports had been operated by No. 40 Squadron until that unit was re-equipped with Douglas Dakotas. [1] [2] As of November 1944 the squadron was conducting ten flights each week to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to supply the Allied forces there. [1] During the first six months of 1945 No. 41 Squadron was re-equipped with 20 new Dakotas. [1] Following the end of the war several of No. 41 Squadron's Dakotas were deployed to Singapore to transport released prisoners of war and civilian internees back to New Zealand. [3]

While most of the RNZAF was disbanded after World War II, both Nos. 40 and 41 Squadrons remained active and continued to operate from Whenuapai. As well as supporting other elements of the New Zealand military, these units undertook "quasi-civil" tasks due to a shortage of civilian aircraft. [4] From February 1946 No. 41 Squadron aircraft regularly flew from New Zealand to Japan transporting supplies and personnel for J Force, the country's contribution to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. Weekly return flights were made until April 1948 when chartered Qantas aircraft took on the task. At the time this was one of the longest air transport routes in the world, with the flights being made via Norfolk Island, Australia, Borneo, the Philippines and Okinawa. [5] After Qantas took over the flights to Japan, No. 41 Squadron conducted weekly return flights between Singapore and New Zealand transporting British recruits for the RNZAF. [6]

One of No. 41 Squadron's Handley Page Hastings transports in 1953 RNZAF Handley Page HP-95 Hastings C3 Zuppicich.jpg
One of No. 41 Squadron's Handley Page Hastings transports in 1953

In 1948 No. 41 Squadron was selected to be one of just five squadrons in the permanent post-war RNZAF. At this time No. 41 Squadron and No. 14 Squadron were the only active RNZAF units, and the three other squadrons existed as cadres. [7] Also in 1948 a temporary Research and Development Flight was established as part of No. 41 Squadron to conduct experimental aerial topdressing flights using Grumman Avenger aircraft. [8]

In mid-1948 three No. 41 Squadron Dakota crews (each comprising a pilot, a navigator and a radio operator) were dispatched to Europe to operate with the Royal Air Force as New Zealand's contribution to the Berlin Airlift. The crews were based at Lübeck and conducted two flights into Berlin each day they were on duty. A second group of three crews was later dispatched to replace the first group. Following the end of the Soviet blockade of Berlin, the detachment returned to New Zealand in August 1949. [9] [10] At this time the main body of the squadron in New Zealand had been forced to reduce its flying hours due to a shortage of technicians to service the Dakotas. [11] Between September 1949 and 1951, No. 41 Squadron's A Flight was based in Singapore, from where it made regular flights to Hong Kong and dropped supplies to Commonwealth forces in Malaya using three Dakotas. [4] [12] Due to the deployments to Germany and Singapore, at one stage of 1949 the squadron had only a single trained Dakota crew in New Zealand. [13]

No. 41 Squadron's Dakotas were replaced by Handley Page Hastings and Bristol Freighter aircraft in the early 1950s. [14] Most of its personnel were used to unload ships at Auckland and Wellington during the 1951 New Zealand waterfront dispute, greatly disrupting flying. [15] When No. 14 Squadron began two and a half-year deployment to Cyprus in mid-1952, No. 41 Squadron transported its personnel there. [16] A No. 41 Squadron Hastings was the only New Zealand aircraft to participate in the 1953 London to Christchurch air race, but it failed to complete the race after making an emergency landing at RAF Negombo in Ceylon. [17] The squadron's Hastings were transferred to the newly reformed No. 40 Squadron in 1954. [18]

Southeast Asia

In 1955 No. 41 Squadron, which was now equipped with four Bristol Freighters and had a strength of 73 officers and airmen, was deployed to RAF Changi in Singapore as part of an expansion of New Zealand's commitment to the Commonwealth Far East Strategic Reserve. [19] [20] The Bristol Freighters were slow and uncomfortable aircraft, but proved successful in transporting supplies and personnel throughout Southeast Asia. The squadron transported a very wide range of equipment, and established the first scheduled air ambulance service in Malaya. [21] No. 41 Squadron also dropped supplies to Commonwealth forces engaged in the Malayan Emergency. [22] On 10 December 1956 a Bristol Freighter piloted by No. 41 Squadron's commanding officer, Squadron Leader A.S. Tie, was destroyed when it crashed in the Cameron Highlands region of Malaya. Tie was killed in this accident, along with the three other aircrew, three Royal Army Service Corps air dispatchers and two Malayan film makers travelling as passengers; a fourth dispatcher survived. [23] While the other RNZAF squadron in Malaya, No. 14 Squadron, returned home in 1958 following Malaysian independence, No. 41 Squadron remained in Singapore; at this time the squadron had a strength of three Bristol Freighters. [24] The Whenuapai-based Transport Support Unit was responsible for training aircrew to serve with No. 41 Squadron. [25]

A detachment of No. 41 Squadron was sent to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base in 1962 as part of New Zealand's contribution to a Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO) force deployed to Thailand to defend the country against a feared attack by Communist forces. This detachment comprised three Bristol Freighters, and operated almost independently from the remainder of the Squadron at Singapore. The aircraft transported supplies to SEATO bases in Thailand, and also flew a detachment of 30 New Zealand Special Air Service soldiers into the country from Whenuapai during June 1962. [26] The No. 41 Squadron detachment returned to Singapore in December 1962. [27] Shortly afterwards the squadron provided support for the British forces which were attempting to suppress the Brunei Revolt. [27] Two Bristol Freighters were deployed to Thailand between 1963 and 1965 to transport New Zealand Army engineers around remote areas of the country. [26] By this time No. 41 Squadron's Bristol Freighters were becoming outdated, and historian Margaret McClure has written that they were the "slowest military aircraft in South-east Asia". [28]

Following the outbreak of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation in 1963, No. 41 Squadron was involved in supplying Commonwealth forces in Borneo. The aircraft deployed from Singapore to Borneo operated intensively, with aircrew often flying three or four sorties each day. On 13 October 1965 a No. 41 Squadron Bristol Freighter was hit by machine gun fire after it accidentally crossed the Indonesian border during a supply dropping mission, but none of its crew were wounded. Following the end of the confrontation all the squadron's aircraft returned to Singapore in September 1966. [27] [29]

In 1966 the RNZAF considered offering a detachment of four aircraft from No. 41 Squadron as part of New Zealand's contribution to the Vietnam War. The Air Force's commanders eventually decided against this option, however. [30] Instead, the squadron remained at Singapore, but conducted fortnightly flights into Vietnam carrying supplies for the New Zealand military units and medical teams in the country from 1965 onwards. Flights to support the medical team at Qui Nhon and the New Zealand embassy in Saigon continued after the withdrawal of New Zealand military forces in 1971. In early April 1975 the squadron established a detachment at Tan Son Nhat International Airport near Saigon to evacuate New Zealand personnel from the country as North Vietnamese forces rapidly advanced. The last No. 41 Squadron flight out of the country departed on 21 April carrying 38 embassy staff and refugees. [31] [20]

From 1971 a flight equipped with Bell UH-1 Iroquois helicopters joined No. 41 Squadron's four Bristol Freighters; the numbers of helicopters varied, but four were typically at Singapore. By the mid-1970s the Bristol Freighters were considered obsolete, and the RNZAF's newer Lockheed C-130 Hercules and Hawker Siddeley Andover aircraft could be rapidly deployed to Singapore to provide transport when required. [32] As a result, No. 41 Squadron returned to New Zealand and disbanded during December 1977. [33] Following the disbandment of the unit, its Iroquois aircraft remained in Singapore as Support Unit Singapore, which was renamed No. 141 Flight RNZAF in 1985 to recognise its origins. This flight was disbanded in 1989, ending the permanent presence of RNZAF units in South East Asia. [34]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal New Zealand Air Force</span> Air force component of the New Zealand Defence Force

The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the aerial service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Permanent Air Force, becoming an independent air force on 1 April 1937.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bristol Freighter</span> Twin-engine freighter and airliner

The Bristol Type 170 Freighter is a British twin-engine aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company as both a freighter and airliner. Its best known use was as an air ferry to carry cars and their passengers over relatively short distances. A passenger-only version was also produced, known as the Wayfarer.

No. 42 Squadron is an active transport squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It was formed at Rongotai Airport (Wellington) in December 1943 to provide a communications service around New Zealand, initially using impressed civilian types. It was briefly officially disbanded in 1946, but its aircraft continued with general purpose operations at RNZAF Station Ohakea. When reformed, the squadron was equipped with various numbers of North American Harvard, Auster, Grumman Avenger, Airspeed Oxford, de Havilland Devon, North American P-51 Mustang and Douglas Dakota aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Handley Page Hastings</span> British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft

The Handley Page HP.67 Hastings is a retired British troop-carrier and freight transport aircraft designed and manufactured by aviation company Handley Page for the Royal Air Force (RAF). Upon its introduction to service during September 1948, the Hastings was the largest transport plane ever designed for the service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 3 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 5 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

No. 5 Squadron RNZAF is a maritime patrol and anti-submarine warfare squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It operates the Boeing P-8 Poseidon from RNZAF Base Ohakea. The squadron was formed during the Second World War and has since been in continuous operation. A number of maritime patrol aircraft have been operated by the squadron over the course of its existence including the Short Singapore, Consolidated PBY Catalina, Short Sunderland and the Lockheed P-3 Orion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 40 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

No. 40 Squadron RNZAF is a transport squadron in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). Established in June 1943, it remains on active duty.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 14 Squadron RNZAF</span> Military unit

14 Squadron RNZAF is a squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. In 2015 the squadron was re-raised and equipped with 11 Beechcraft T-6 Texan II. A new aerobatic display team called the Black Falcons was also formed using the new aircraft. They replaced the RNZAF display team known as the Red Checkers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNZAF Base Auckland</span> Airport in Whenuapai, New Zealand

RNZAF Base Auckland is a Royal New Zealand Air Force base located near the upper reaches of the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand. The base formerly comprised two separate airfields, Whenuapai and RNZAF Station Hobsonville. Hobsonville was established as a seaplane station in 1928 and was the RNZAF's primary flying boat base in New Zealand until 1967. Construction of Whenuapai as a base for Vickers Wellington bomber aircraft began in 1937, the hangars being built in 1939. Whenuapai was also Auckland's civil international airport from 1945 to 1965. After World War II Auckland became a centre for RNZAF transport and maritime squadrons. RNZAF Station Hobsonville was administratively joined with Whenuapai in 1965 to become RNZAF Base Auckland. Hobsonville subsequently became a grass airfield for No. 3 Squadron RNZAF, which later moved to Ohakea. A New Zealand Army unit comprising various personnel from different regiments as well as the New Zealand Special Air Service were relocated to Papakura Military Camp in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">RNZAF Base Ohakea</span> Airport in Bulls, New Zealand

RNZAF Base Ohakea is an operational base of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. Opened in 1939, it is located near Bulls, 25 km north-west of Palmerston North in the Manawatū. It is also a diversion landing point for civilian aircraft. The base's motto is Defensio per vires.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">No. 38 Squadron RAAF</span> Royal Australian Air Force unit

No. 38 Squadron was a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) transport and training unit active between 1943 and 2018. It was formed on 15 September 1943 and saw service during World War II transporting supplies and personnel between Australia and the combat zones in New Guinea and Borneo, using Douglas Dakota aircraft. Following the war, the squadron conducted regular courier flights between Australia and Japan in 1947 and 1948. No. 38 Squadron was deployed to Singapore from 1950 to 1952, supplying Commonwealth forces engaged in the Malayan Emergency and undertaking courier flights across Asia. In 1954 it became responsible for training RAAF personnel to operate Dakotas.

The New Zealand armed forces saw action in Malaysia throughout the 1950s and 1960s, first as part of the British Commonwealth response to the Malayan Emergency, and then in defence of Malaysia in the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.

No. 6 Squadron, nicknamed the Antelopes, is a transport squadron of the Pakistan Air Force. It is the PAF's oldest squadron which is currently based at Nur Khan Air Base and operates the C-130 & CN-235 transport aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Stockwell</span> New Zealand air force marshal

Air Vice Marshal Peter James Stockwell, is a retired senior Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) commander and former Chief of Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J Force</span> Military unit

J Force was the name given to the New Zealand forces that were allocated to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) which occupied Japan following the end of the Second World War. The force was deployed between 1946 and 1948, after which it was disbanded and its personnel repatriated to New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lockheed C-130 Hercules in Australian service</span> History of the C-130 Hercules transport aircraft in Australia

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) has operated forty-eight Lockheed C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. The type entered Australian service in December 1958, when No. 36 Squadron accepted the first of twelve C-130As, replacing its venerable Douglas C-47 Dakotas. The acquisition made Australia the first operator of the Hercules after the United States. In 1966 the C-130As were joined by twelve C-130Es, which equipped No. 37 Squadron. The C-130As were replaced by twelve C-130Hs in 1978, and the C-130Es by twelve C-130J Super Hercules in 1999. No. 37 Squadron became the RAAF's sole Hercules operator in 2006, when No. 36 Squadron transferred its C-130Hs before converting to Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy transports. The C-130Hs were retired in November 2012, leaving the C-130J as the only model in Australian service. A further twenty C-130Js will be ordered to replace the current fleet.

This is an order of battle listing the British and Commonwealth forces involved in the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation (1962–66).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of aviation in New Zealand</span> Aviation History

The history of aviation in New Zealand began in the late 19th century when balloon flights began. In the first decade of the 20th century, several New Zealanders began developing heavier-than-air craft. The first confirmed powered flight in New Zealand being made by Richard Pearse in 1902 though is considered uncontrolled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New Zealand Force South East Asia</span> Military unit

New Zealand Force South East Asia (NZFORSEA) (1974–1989) comprised the elements of the Royal New Zealand Navy, New Zealand Army and Royal New Zealand Air Force. Much of the New Zealand military left Singapore as part of operation Kupe in 1989, leaving behind a residual Defence Support Unit (NZDSU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Short Sunderland in New Zealand service</span>

Developed as a long range maritime reconnaissance flying boat, the Short Sunderland was widely used during the Second World War. New Zealand purchased four Sunderlands in early 1944 for use as transport aircraft but did not receive them until the end of that year. They were operated by the Flying Boat Transport Flight of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) from February 1945, carrying cargo and repatriated New Zealand military personnel from the South Pacific back to New Zealand. They soon began carrying paying passengers and in late 1947 the Sunderlands were transferred to the New Zealand National Airways Corporation.

References

Citations
  1. 1 2 3 Ross 1955, p. 281.
  2. McClure 2012, p. 110.
  3. "Fine Record". Auckland Star. 24 October 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 9 June 2013.
  4. 1 2 Ross 1955, p. 318.
  5. McClure 2012, pp. 132–133.
  6. McClure 2012, p. 133.
  7. McClure 2012, p. 137.
  8. McClure 2012, p. 138.
  9. McClure 2012, pp. 140–141.
  10. Moody, Simon (17 April 2019). "The Berlin Airlift – Seventy Years On". Blog. Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  11. McClure 2012, p. 142.
  12. McClure 2012, p. 158.
  13. Pugsley 2003, p. 11.
  14. McClure 2012, pp. 150, 161.
  15. Pugsley 2003, p. 20.
  16. McClure 2012, p. 150.
  17. Sim, Michele (2 October 2018). "The Last Great Air Race: London To Christchurch 1953". Blog. Air Force Museum of New Zealand. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  18. McClure 2012, pp. 154–155.
  19. McClure 2012, pp. 157–158.
  20. 1 2 "RNZAF timeline – Royal New Zealand Air Force". New Zealand History online. New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Retrieved 8 June 2013.
  21. McClure 2012, pp. 161–162.
  22. McClure 2012, pp. 164–165.
  23. Pugsley 2003, p. 62.
  24. McClure 2012, pp. 164–165, 169.
  25. "Post-war Changes". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. Ministry for Culture and Heritage / Te Manatū Taonga. 2009 [1966]. Retrieved 6 October 2013.
  26. 1 2 McClure 2012, pp. 169–171.
  27. 1 2 3 Martyn 2010, p. 199.
  28. McClure 2012, p. 192.
  29. McClure 2012, p. 174.
  30. McClure 2012, pp. 176–177.
  31. McClure 2012, pp. 182–184.
  32. McClure 2012, p. 212.
  33. Martyn 2010, p. 203.
  34. Martyn 2010, p. 210.
Works consulted

Further reading