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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 11, 2011 10:45:16 GMT 12
Does anyone know who the pilot was that ferried Warhawk NZ3072 from New Zealand to Guadalcanal in 1943?
Did it go with the initial bunch of No. 14 Squadron aircraft that were ferried north in April 1943? Or was it later as a reserve? I thought the initial batch were all P-40K's?
Apparently it was slightly damaged at New Caledonia on the way. Was this at Plaine des Gaiac? What happened to damage it? Who was the pilot?
Also does anyone know what the US maintenance unit was called/designated that repaired it?
And who flew it on after the repair to Guadalcanal.
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Post by angelsonefive on Jan 14, 2011 7:31:47 GMT 12
Dave,
From the NZ Archives summary :
Damaged in runway collision with NZ3057 at Tontouta.
27/3/43.
NZ Serials makes no ref. to the above but does refer to NZ3072 hitting a water tanker on landing at Segi Point, New Georgia, on 31/8/43. Sgt M.Willis was first at the scene and suffered slight injuries.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 14, 2011 15:01:38 GMT 12
Thanks for this info.
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Post by camtech on Jan 16, 2011 21:04:28 GMT 12
From my records, NZ3048 was also involved. Pilot of NZ3072 was Plt Off W J Poulson, so I guess that answers your original question Dave. Would never have tied it up, but for the data on the accident at Tontouta.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 16, 2011 22:02:34 GMT 12
I'm confused a bit now.
So I am guessing that if NZ3072 collided with NZ3057 at Tontouta on the 27th of March 1943, then those two aircraft had to be with No. 15 (F) Squadron at that time as No. 14 (F) Squadron's first flight of aircraft to head to the Pacific took off from Waipapakauri the day before this incident and so on the day of this incident, three of those aircraft were on a beach, two were in the sea, one was at Norfolk Island and NZ3048 was back at Waipapakauri, returned by Geoff Fisken on the first leg of the trip.
So how could NZ3048 have been involved? Also William Polson was a No. 14 (F) Squadron pilot so I'm not sure how he could have been there as he was not one of the pilots who took that first flight of aircraft north. Are you referring to the second incident involving the tanker Les?
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Post by camtech on Jan 17, 2011 21:41:35 GMT 12
Now you ask awkward questions!! Accident File Air 25/2/975 quotes the aircraft serials. If someone could get into National Archives and copy the file, that would solve most of the problems. Sorry I cant be more specific but that is the information on the list of files I acquired many years ago.
On that topic, there is a gold mine of information in Nat Archive files, even those not in Wellington. A lot of our mysteries could be unravelled (and a few more added!) by trolling through these files.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 17, 2011 21:57:55 GMT 12
Indeed. I have been there a couple of times at several days in a row, and there are simply amazing amounts of info there.
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Post by angelsonefive on Jan 18, 2011 5:55:47 GMT 12
I do not think there is any point in going to National Archives for info. on this... According to the Archway search result the record relating to the events in New Caledonia on 27MAR43 is missing... The summary does include NZ3048 in the runway accident at Tontouta, though... Was Geoff. Fisken flying another aircraft ? Or is there a mistake in the archive entry ?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 18, 2011 10:07:01 GMT 12
Ah bloody typical, it really annoys me how files 'disappear' from our National Archive and other libraries, no doubt some collector or researcher thieving them.
Several sources say it was NZ3048 that Geoff flew north and turned back in on the 26th of March 1943. His logbook is with Hangar 14 at Masterton if anyone is able to check.
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Post by errolmartyn on Jan 18, 2011 11:18:55 GMT 12
Not thieved or disappeared but file(s) still there at Archives, it would seem, according to Archway:
RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Accident Reports - Kittyhawks - NZ 3049 and NZ 3052 and NZ 3053 and NZ 3051 and NZ 3054 - Noumea - Crash landings on beach in adverse weather - 27 March Kittyhawks - NZ 3057 and NZ 3072 and NZ 3048 - Tontouta - Collision on runway - 27 March 1943 - 1943
agency series accession box / item sep record no. part alternative no. AIR 1 / 25/2/975
Interestingly, according to the accident summary cards for each aircraft, the Noumea episode actually took place on 26 Mar 43 and the runway collision one on 7 Apr 43.
Errol
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 18, 2011 11:44:51 GMT 12
Ah, so that makes a lot more sense. I wonder why the archives have the date wrong for NZ3074's, NZ3057's and NZ3048's collision.
I wonder if the other two aircraft also got repaired by the same US maintenance crew, and thus if they also got grafitti artwork placed on them. Someone has said before the there was a second Wairarapa Wildcat painted aircraft.
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Post by McFly on Jan 18, 2011 17:28:55 GMT 12
Not NZ3072 but still a ground collision between two Kittyhawks…! ArdG161144 - Ground collision between 19 Squadron Kittyhawk NZ3274 (left) and number 4 Operational Training Unit Kittyhawk NZ3164 at Royal New Zealand Air Force Station Ardmore - 29 May 1944. (Photo RNZAF Museum)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 18, 2011 18:18:34 GMT 12
Ouch!
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Post by shorty on Jan 18, 2011 20:03:26 GMT 12
When looking at that very well known shot of Geoff Fisken standing by the nose of NZ 3072 it very much appears that the outline of the cat has been enhanced with white chalk to make it show up better in the photo. Has anyone ever confirmed this when talking to Geoff? I notice the markings supplied with the Hasegawa P 40M that Mike A has just finished show the white outline. Also has anyone confirmed the exact colours of the victory flags? They are so uniform they look like they have been stencilled but did they have red on them? (or were they too temporarily applied for the photo?)
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Post by Dave Homewood on Jan 18, 2011 21:54:57 GMT 12
I believe the kill markings were painted in properly as Bryan Cox says, from memory, the aircraft still wore them when it was at the OTU much later, along with the Wildcat.
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Post by Damon on Jan 18, 2011 22:24:56 GMT 12
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Post by angelsonefive on Jan 21, 2011 15:22:19 GMT 12
Not thieved or disappeared but file(s) still there at Archives, it would seem, according to Archway: RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Accident Reports - Kittyhawks - NZ 3049 and NZ 3052 and NZ 3053 and NZ 3051 and NZ 3054 - Noumea - Crash landings on beach in adverse weather - 27 March Kittyhawks - NZ 3057 and NZ 3072 and NZ 3048 - Tontouta - Collision on runway - 27 March 1943 - 1943 agency series accession box / item sep record no. part alternative no. AIR 1 / 25/2/975 Interestingly, according to the accident summary cards for each aircraft, the Noumea episode actually took place on 26 Mar 43 and the runway collision one on 7 Apr 43. Errol Errol, with respect, I suggest you have another look. Try an Archway Simple Search for NZ 3072. www.archway.archives.govt.nz/SimpleSearchResults.do
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Post by errolmartyn on Jan 21, 2011 20:53:13 GMT 12
Not thieved or disappeared but file(s) still there at Archives, it would seem, according to Archway: RNZAF [Royal New Zealand Air Force] Accident Reports - Kittyhawks - NZ 3049 and NZ 3052 and NZ 3053 and NZ 3051 and NZ 3054 - Noumea - Crash landings on beach in adverse weather - 27 March Kittyhawks - NZ 3057 and NZ 3072 and NZ 3048 - Tontouta - Collision on runway - 27 March 1943 - 1943 agency series accession box / item sep record no. part alternative no. AIR 1 / 25/2/975 Interestingly, according to the accident summary cards for each aircraft, the Noumea episode actually took place on 26 Mar 43 and the runway collision one on 7 Apr 43. Errol Errol, with respect, I suggest you have another look. Try an Archway Simple Search for NZ 3072. www.archway.archives.govt.nz/SimpleSearchResults.doAh, see what you mean now - two of the three entries show Record Missing but not the third, which is the one that I copied here. 'Missing', of course, may also mean misplaced. Errol
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Post by trx850 on Jan 31, 2011 19:50:55 GMT 12
Hi to all. I can't help any further with who was flying NZ3072 when she had her 'whoopsie' at New Caledonia, but some photos from my files should help with the question regarding the chalked 'cat' and the victory markings. As I stated in the Geoff Fisken pages at my website, the cat had the outline added with chalk for the photo shoot to make it stand out better. The following photos (via the Air Force Museum of New Zealand from my own files, and via Dave Wilson's collection) clearly show no outline to the cat, and the victory flags on the port side only. I have added a couple of close-up scans of the port and starboard cowling's. The originals are not that great, but it can be seen that the cat isn't that visible against the OD paint! The flags were red and white, and probably came from one of the US units. Hope this helps, Pete M.
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