10 SU

[shorty]

Whilst I am waiting for my fathers service record to turn up (he was ex 10 SU) can someone supply a list of the locations that 10 SU operated from in the Islands?

[Dave Homewood]

Formed at Whenuapai 1943 (fro the ground staff of No. 1 (BR) Squadron)
To Henderson Field, Guadalcanal October 1943 initially servicing No. 1 (BR) Squadron)
To Piva, Bougainville April 1944
To Emirau October 1844
To Los Negros August 1945

I seem to recall that while at Guadalcanal they also had a Detachment at Munda. I'll check this though.

[Dave Homewood]

Venturas of No. 1 (BR) Squadron were operating from Munda as early as October 1943, in that they'd fuel up and bomb up at Guadalcanal and fly to Munda, land, refuel and then head off on a strike to Bougainville. They'd often land back at Munda before returning to Guadacanal too. However I am not certain if No. 1 SU had servicing staff based on Munda, or if another unit took care of the squadron's needs there, perhaps Americans?

[Dave Homewood]

No. 1 (BR) Squadron replaced No. 3 (BR) Squadron at Guadalcanal on the 23rd of October 1943, and it was on the 30th of October that they first used Munda strip to stage through four aircraft on a strike on Kieta, Bougainville. Their briefing for the operation was done at Munda and they were escorted from there by eleven Airacobras.

[davidd]

A portion of 10 SU was moved to Munda to support the operations of their PV-1s from this forward airfield, and from 6th February 1944, Munda was the only operational base for RNZAF Ventura operations in the Solomons. Henderson Field (Guadalcanal) was at this point relegated to operating as the rear operating base for the RNZAF Venturas, with prime function being aircraft inspections (all types, including majors), plus airframe repairs as required. No actual operations were undertaken by Venturas from Henderson from this point onwards.
Sixteen members of 10 SU were ferried up to Munda on 28th November 1943 for routine maintenance of up to eight aircraft (refuelling, re-arming, daily inspections including lubricants, tyre pressures, etc), but this number was almost certainly increased greatly in early February when all operations ceased from Henderson. At a wild guess, perhaps 50 to 60 technical personnel of 10 SU, plus squadron operations and intelligence staff would have been based at Munda, leaving the large "rump" of the unit at Henderson. A personnel rotation system was quickly introduced, so that individuals spent only so much time at Munda before being relieved by fresh personnel from the rear base. Munda at this time was a "very operational" sort of base, with much more primitive conditions than those prevailing further to the south east on Guadalcanal, and the intensity of flying operations was also hugely greater at Munda than at Henderson by this late stage.
Dave D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks David. I knew you'd be able to fill in the details.

Did the Japanese ever make attacks against Munda while the Kiwis were operating from there? I have never heard of it, like they'd previously been doing against Guadalcanal, but as it was a lot closer to their airfields I assume it was possible?

[davidd]

Dave,
Yes, the Japanese launched numerous air attacks against Munda, after their ground forces had been eliminated or ejected from the area, but because most of these attacks were undertaken during the hours of darkness (due to Allied air superiority), the damage they were able to inflict was not that great, although they tried hard enough. In early January 1944, they caught about six RNZAF PV-1s parked at Munda (they were there to launch an attack of their own the following morning) and therefore got in the first punch. Fortunately for the RNZAF only one raider was involved in this instance, and its small bombs were dropped some distance away, but being of the fragmentation variety they caused damage to five of the six New Zealand aircraft, although none were seriously damaged apart from holes in their wings and fuselages, etc, and all were soon back in commission. Only one RNZAF aircraft in the Pacific war was ever destroyed by enemy action on the ground, and that was a P-40 at Torokina (Bougainville) in March 1944, and this was wrecked by Japanese artillery fire from up in the hills. An airman standing on (or near) it was blown off by the blast and injured, but he survived.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks David!!

[davidd]

Dave H,
The six NZ PV-1s were attacked at Munda on night of 12th/13th January, with five being damaged by bomb fragments, including two 'seriously" damaged. The Japanese attack was delivered at 0200 hours on the 13th, bombs dropped being 12 x 100 pounders, all bombs (described as "anti-personnel") landing within 150 yards of the revetments containing the PV-1s. The Venturas were temporarily based here to undertake survivor patrols the same morning. I imagine the revetments must have saved the NZ aircraft from being more much seriously damaged.
Dave D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks again.

[Raymond]

Hiya!

Hope youve found the reccords interesting, I recently requested some earlier also,

My grandfather was also in 10 SU at Guadalcanal from 13/10/43 to 29/12/43 as had to return to nz due to vehicle accident.

Ive been planning to build a ventura for some time from this peroid, though been trying to sort out schemes and markings...don't suppose any br-37s were over there then?

Ps long shot: does anybody know of a sgt meyer, presuming also rnzaf? At guadal canal at that time?

[Dave Homewood]

When you say br-37, do you mean RB-34 Venturas? None of them ever went to Guadalcanal with the RNZAF, they only served at Whenuapai, Ohakea and Nausori, Fiji. The latter was a short posting, they proved unsuitable for the tropics and were replaced by Hudsons.

[Raymond]

Hiya

Whoops, yea i meant b-34! ( was reading on the boards about them, for some reason i have a soft spot for mediocre aircraft lol)

Will pick up the 72nd ventura sheet, though suspect will have to mash together decals for a ventura for this timeframe and SU

[Dave Homewood]

I would not call the B-34 a mediocre bomber. They were almost identical to the PV-1 other than their front windows. And Air Gunner I spoke with who served in both variants reckoned there was no different in the operation of them. The reason they became restricted is because they'd already seen considerable service prior to the RNZAF acquiring them second hand, and it had been in the Aleutians where they'd endured extreme cold for long periods, so when they got to the extreme heat of Fiji things like seals began to perish, etc. But they were fine for NZ-based operations and training, and they equipped No. 1 (Bomber) Operational Training Unit, and I believe also No. 9 Squadron's Whenuapai Detachment, without major issue. Meanwhile the PV-1's were brand new when they arrived here and so better suited to Pacific service, where they performed brilliantly (once the RNZAF had worked out their fuel systems oddities) as patrol aircraft, as medium bombers, and as fighters. The Ventura was much better suited to the types of operations they were flying in the Pacific than the low level ops that the RAF had thrown them into over Europe where they were often cut to pieces. If we'd received the B-34's brand new I think they'd have given excellent service in the Pacific too.

[pjw4118]

Dave and others , if NZ had been equipped by the USAAF rather than the USN , would our squadrons been equipped with B24 Mitchells or A26 ? Invaders, both apparently much more capable that the PV1 ?

[Dave Homewood]

B-25 Mitchells were actually on the cards for the Hudson replacement apparently, until the US Navy took over as our regional supplier for Lend Lease (we'd been receiving USAAF types under Lend Lease previously, i.e. P-40's, C-47's, C-60's). We also had A-24 Banshees on order too but they were delayed and the order switched to the Navy supplier, so became SBD Dauntlesses.

I think many in the RNZAF was initially disappointed about the Ventura being supplied rather than the Mitchell but they soon proved the PV-1 was a good aircraft.

I doubt we'd ever have looked at getting Liberators or Invaders.

[Raymond]

Cheers for the info dave!

On a side note; how confident can we be that the br-34s were repainted in blue over the OD During their career?

Looking at the black and white photos I just can't see it myself - though im probably biast in interpretation due to the OD motat example!

[Dave Homewood]

The reason the MOTAT one retained its Olive Drab is because upon arrival in New Zealand it went straight to the Technical Training School at RNZAF Station Nelson to become an instructional airframe. So when it was much later saved by the museum from an apple orchard it still wore that scheme.

However there are not too many photos around of the others that remained in service, flying with the OTU and the Whenuapai SU, so it's difficult to know how many may have required a repaint and what scheme they went into. I am still yet to find any decent photos of the No. 4 (GR) Squadron B-34's in Fiji, too. It's likely they flew in either Olive Drab or got a repaint in the green/blue camo colours that the Hudsons wore at the time.

[nzoliver]

Aug 8, 2017 23:23:07 GMT 12 Raymond said:

Hiya!

Hope youve found the reccords interesting, I recently requested some earlier also,

My grandfather was also in 10 SU at Guadalcanal from 13/10/43 to 29/12/43 as had to return to nz due to vehicle accident.

Ive been planning to build a ventura for some time from this peroid, though been trying to sort out schemes and markings...don't suppose any br-37s were over there then?

Ps long shot: does anybody know of a sgt meyer, presuming also rnzaf? At guadal canal at that time?

My Grandfather was in No 10 SU at Emirau, Guadalcanal and Bouganville. He was the liason person between the US and NZ for swapping and supplying parts for planes. He had his 'own' Jeep (this is how I became a Jeep addict!) and he regularly drove in 'darkness' between bases to swap parts. This Jeep went with him through all the tours he did.
He rememberd small Japanese raiding parties coming into camp and cutting ears off fellow personel. He also remembers the U.S.'CeeBees' constructing the runways and the 'bloody din' they made when the planes landed and took off.

I have his RNZAF records. I wish I still had his Jeep!! Had a number of MT2090!!

[Dave Homewood]

Welcome to the forum nzoliver. Do you have any photos from those days that your grandfather may have gotten, or taken himself?