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Post by wanganui on Dec 5, 2012 7:56:39 GMT 12
Could any of the forum members tell me if US supplied P-40 and Corsair aircraft were operated with US radio & oxygen equipment or was it of British (or Aust/NZ) origin while in RNZAF service??
Thanks in advance, Kerry.
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Post by alanw on Dec 5, 2012 14:42:34 GMT 12
Could any of the forum members tell me if US supplied P-40 and Corsair aircraft were operated with US radio & oxygen equipment or was it of British (or Aust/NZ) origin while in RNZAF service?? Thanks in advance, Kerry. Hi Kerry Would be standard US fit for both oxygen and radio. Regards Alan |
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Post by wanganui on Dec 5, 2012 19:52:49 GMT 12
Thanks Alan for the quick response. Regards, Kerry.
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Post by davidd on Dec 9, 2012 9:08:18 GMT 12
RNZAF originally had only British oxygen equipment (Type D mask) for our P-40Es, and British parachutes and harnesses, Mae Wests and goggles (MK.IIIA), and locally made flying clothing (boots, helmets). Later in Tonga (October 1942 onwards) 15 Sqdn took over a quantity of US flying equipment as there was not enough in NZ to equip these additional aircraft - the pilots were most unhappy with the US harnesses and quick release (mainly because there was NO quick release, the famous British "fist smashing" unit which held the whole harness together and mounted on the chest). Also the RAF Mae West (1941 pattern) was more popular then standard US types. The US oxygen masks (with clumsy rebreather bag) were also unpopular and worse still, orignally there were only enough masks for half the pilots, so they had to share!! This was intolerable, as the US had undertaken to supply all such semi-technical equipment (which was beyond the capability of NZ manufacturers); unfortunately this was fine in theory, but the local American supply system claimed it had insufficient numbers in stock to supply the RNZAF due to the scales of issue and units officially in theatre, or some such. And remember that this was for pilots flying major interception missions at up to 20 - 25,000 feet in mid-1943, oxygen NOT optional. Later the situation improved, but the main oxygen mask used by RNZAF P-40 pilots was a Canadian-manufactured black rubber mask called (from memory) to C-4, although later these were replaced by the RAF type G masks. Locally made tropical helmets, made from KD material, with cut outs to reduce sweating, were introduced in early 1943 and were later replaced by standard US Navy tropical helmets made from fine drill, although there was also a later NZ helmet (introduced late 1944) made from an open weave khaki material produced in some numbers, which never really replaced the American helmets. British Mk.VIII goggles replaced the earlier Mk. IIIAs and US Navy goggles (ANxxxx?) were also fairly popular. The American throat microphone also became a popular replacement for mask-mounted mikes (although disliked by many!) and later permitted Corsair pilots to fly without oxygen masks when flying low-altitude bombing missions over Bougainville in 1945; they simply wore these mikes, plus American sprung steel, headband-mounted ear speaker sets, and an American HBT fatigue cap - much cooler and less sweaty!
The RNZAF's P-40s and Corsairs always used standard USAAF or US Navy radio equipment, from new (although they were not usually installed in shipped P-40s, but came boxed separately), and there was some variation with Corsairs equipment, especially the FG-1Ds. Many P-40s (generally the models in combat) were converted from SCR-274Ns to SCR-522 sets in first months of 1944 (priority to those in the forward area, those in NZ retained the 274Ns till well into 1944, eventually it is beleived that even early-model P-40s received SCR-522s). And in case you were wondering, our P-51D Mustangs also arrived with standard USAAF radio equipment (strictly speaking actually AN equipment), including Tail Warning Radar, and American oxygen systems. Incidentally, US and RAF oxygen systems were supposed to be interoperable from a fairly early stage (bottles, regulator, tube and mask) but some were not quite perfect. The fatal crash of a Canterbury TAF squadron P-51 into Lyttelton harbour in Sept 1952 resulted in the mixing of items of Vampire and Mustang oxygen equipment being banned, as this was considered to be the most likely cause of this accident.
David D
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Post by wanganui on Dec 11, 2012 21:38:37 GMT 12
And i think David that is the definitive answer!! Thanks for the info.
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