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Post by strikemaster on Sept 16, 2011 18:13:02 GMT 12
Check out at around 14.20. RNZAF in the Pacific. Bet you didn't know they were gods?  Spotted it watching the series this week, was kinda chuffed to see them. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2011 20:28:42 GMT 12
For those of us who have dial up and cannot get a Youtube to play, can you give a little more detail, please? Sounds interesting.
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Post by strikemaster on Sept 17, 2011 1:30:57 GMT 12
Its just a glimpse, Dave. RNZAF Corsairs and Avengers in the Pacific. I was quite startled. Basically the story is that the Pacific islanders looked on the Americans in their tin birds as gods. The stock footage they have used is of an RNZAF Avenger taking off and a tarmac load of what look like Corsairs all with RNZAF Pacific roundels. They must have assumed the aircraft were USAF without paying any attention to detail. That'd be a first eh?
I'll see if I can trim just the relevant bit out of it at some point for you.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 17, 2011 12:08:13 GMT 12
We all know that RNZAF Corsair pilots and Avenger crew WERE gods!! ;D
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Post by phas3e on Sept 17, 2011 12:20:20 GMT 12
Are you sure they were RNZAF? they look like FAA camouflage and markings
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Post by angelsonefive on Sept 17, 2011 13:43:21 GMT 12
The Avenger could have been RNZAF.
The planes on the tarmac, though, looked to me like Vultee Vengeances.
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Post by strikemaster on Sept 17, 2011 16:25:50 GMT 12
Aha, I didn't think they were corsairs. THe markings looked a bit like 50/50 USAF/RNZAF. A bit weird. The Avenger has Pacific RNZAF markings and you get a good clear shot of it.
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Post by phas3e on Sept 17, 2011 16:42:53 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 17, 2011 21:00:21 GMT 12
Can someone please post some screen shots?
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Post by phas3e on Sept 18, 2011 2:02:30 GMT 12
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 18, 2011 9:50:28 GMT 12
Thanks for that. That is most definately a Fleet Air Arm Avenger, and most definately not RNZAF.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 18, 2011 9:54:00 GMT 12
The RNZAF always had either a red or a blue circle in the centre of the roundel. They also had a yellow ring round the outside. The Royal Navy British Pacific Fleet had a white ring round the outside of the roundel and no centre dot, as seen there. The BPF also wore bars on the roundels as they operated alongside the US Navy and it was an identification means.
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Post by strikemaster on Sept 18, 2011 21:20:04 GMT 12
Cheers phas3e. The outer part of the roundel is hard to tell without colour at that speed. So they aren't American, Dave? How much were the Air Arm involved in the Pacific? |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 18, 2011 23:46:18 GMT 12
Definately not American.
The Royal Navy Fleet Air Arm had a large presence in the Pacific War from late 1944 onwards. The fleet that had been based at Trincomalee, Ceylon, was shifted to the port of Sydney, Australia as home base and became the British Pacific Fleet as of 22nd of November 1944.
As well as battleships, cruisers, corvettes, destroyers, mine-layers, sloops, submarines and the other ships of a large fleet including the fleet train, the British Pacific Fleet had twelve fleet carriers and nine escort carriers within its battle order. The fleet had 17 aircraft carriers with 300 aircraft at any one time, I believe.
Of the aircrew in the British Pacific Fleet, 25% were New Zealanders. They were flying Corsairs, Seafires, Fireflies, Avengers and Barracudas as the main strike force.
The fleet took part in some major battles, including Operation Meridian (the attacks on the Palembang oil refineries), and the invasion of Okinawa, and they were making attacks on mainland Japan right at the end of the war. I have met a number of BPF pilots and aircrew memebrs, two of whom were shot down over Japan on 10 August 1945. One was made a POW, the other rescued by a US submarine at sea after ditching.
So they did have a significant contribution. Of course before the BPF formed they were the British Eastern Fleet who were also making a huge impact against the Japanese in the Indian Ocean, and supporting the ground troops in Burma and making attacks on other Japanese held countries.
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Post by strikemaster on Sept 18, 2011 23:51:33 GMT 12
The American ref was a joke, there was no reference to any one beside the Americans. i thought it funny they used footage of non-US aircraft.
Interesting, thanks Dave.
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Post by John L on Sept 19, 2011 17:51:43 GMT 12
Also flying Hellcats. I knew an ex Hellcat pilot many years ago (ran a second hand bookstore in Dominion Rd just down from the Mt Eden shops) - he really liked them - reckoned they were the best of the FAA planes.
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Spotted it watching the series this week, was kinda chuffed to see them.
