14 Sqdn Corsairs in Japan

[camtech]

Or more correctly - What happened with 14 Sqdn Corsairs in Japan.

I've just finished reading the book "The Occupiers", by Alison Parr, and towards the end of the book, there is brief discussion about the burning of the Corsairs, along with two small photos.
What I hadn't taken much notice of until now is the image, in both photos, of a P51 Mustang in amongst the Corsairs to be burnt and also in the pile already burning. I assume these are Aussie aircraft, damaged or left behind.

Corsairs burning Japan by Les Billcliff, on Flickr

Also, a comment attributed to Ian Martin, an electrician with 14 Sqdn, that "Just one of the Corsairs survived. Ian recalls it was rescued at the last minute by the Americans."
I have heard this story before, but this is the first time I have seen it in print. My guess it was used by the Americans as a hack or hoon machine, then destroyed before anyone up the command chain got too nosey. Anyone add to this?

[Dave Homewood]

Fascinating about the Mustang.

I'd heard of the one survivor too but don't know any details.

[davidd]

Also notable in the left-hand photo is the Corsair with the "C1" roundel, seldom seen. I presume it had wing roundels and fin-flash to match?
David D

[Mustang51]

That's an RAAF P-51 for certain. Interesting in that it does not appear to be badly damaged but it is gutted. Perhaps a "Christmas Tree" machine? Shot on the right shows some port side skin damage but is it a result of an incident or stripping. Never seen that before. Interesting that the tank bay doors are still attached but most of the other panels have gone. Also interesting that the port side gear door fairing is still attached. Cannot tell if the stbd side door is on but broken or if it is something in the background.

[baz62]

You can see the roundels on the folded wings David.............can't see the fin flash mind you!

[camtech]

Looks like two different Mustangs - the one on the left is upside down, while the right hand one is right side up.

[camtech]

Quick look at ADF Serials indicate a number of candidates for the Mustangs.

[saratoga]

Both images the Mustang is upside down,the second image,the angle seems to loose the wings,or a trick of the light.The second image appears to be 90 degrees to the right of the first.

[davidd]

baz62
Didn't even notice that Baz, quite right. The roundels on most of the Corsairs were considered "peace-time" roundels by the RNZAF - unfortunately "the powers that be" were a few years behind the times - the RAF decided to stay with the 1942-style Type C roundels, so the RNZAF was well and truly out of step. Our last remaining PV-1 Venturas at Ohakea also had very strange roundels, also noted as "peace time". There is a photo of the Corsair with Type "C" roundels taxiing in Japan, seems as though they were more up to date in current RAF roundels than the people back in NZ. However by this time, Mosquitos (and six Auster J/5s) were also arriving in NZ from the UK with this type of roundel applied, just to rub it in. The first Gloster Meteor also had them, as did dozens of the later Oxfords and Harvards - and the Sunderland IIIs which arrived in December 1944.
David D

[markrogers]

I just noticed that the corsair with the "C1" roundels has a braced canopy. The FG-1D corsairs were late model corsairs with clear braceless canopies, all the photos I've seen of the RNZAF FG-1D corsairs had the braceless canopy and this is the first photo I've seen of a FG-1 corsair with a braced canopy. It may have had it's original canopy replaced at some stage with a spare one bought out from NZ.

[Dave Homewood]

Maybe it is not an RNZAF Corsair at all? Did the Royal Navy have any Corsairs in Japan?

[davidd]

Dave,
I am fairly certain that is an RNZAF Corsair - it has the same wing roundels as the rest of the Corsairs visible in photo, something which an RN Corsair would never wear. I imagine that this canopy was a replacement, probably supplied from NZ to replace a damaged one - there were large numbers of spares still at Rukuhia. Incidentally it is known that the Rukuhia "graveyard" also supplied sufficient main undercarriage legs to 14 squadron to permit all the original (Goodyear factory produced?) examples to be replaced. There were, from memory, three cases of welding failures on the original aircraft sent to Japan, due to faulty workmanship, and the decision was quickly made to replace them all with the much older legs from the graveyard inhabitants. Faulty manufacture of airframe and aero-engine components was not unknown in WW2, with the RNZAF reporting faulty parts in most engines and airframe types in service, some of only a minor nature, but others so bad that aircraft were grounded until half-decent replacements were received and installed (as in this Corsair u/c case).
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Of course at the time when the Corsairs were active in Japan, Rukuhia was not a Graveyard. It was still No. 1 Stores Depot, and the most of the hundreds of aircraft were still maintained in running condition as reserve aircraft and spares sources.

[davidd]

Partially true Dave, but after the NZ and USA Governments completed their negotiations regarding the settlement of the Land-Lease arrangements in July 1946, pretty well all the aircraft stored at Rukuhia were doomed, as, unless NZ wished to purchase them from the USA government, they were to be disposed of and were never to be flown again. This applied to all the PV-1s, B-34s, TBFs (except for six to be retained for postwar RNZAF), Corsairs (except for those sent to Japan with 14 Sqdn, which could be operated there until the end of NZ's obligation), Hudsons and P-40s. The NZ Govt also decided to retain all the C-60 Lodestars and C-47s, most PB2B-1 Catalinas, as well as the P-51D Mustangs, either for postwar RNZAF or for the new NZNAC. Tenders were called for the disposal of the unwanted aircraft in October and November 1947, and successful tenderers were advised early the following year. The surplus Douglas SBDs at Hobsonville, along with the surviving PBY-5 Catalinas located there were also disposed of at about this time. None of these aircraft could be passed on to other governments without the express permission of the US Govt, and so far as I know, none were, apart from perhaps the Lodestars and C-47s, which were by that time fully civilianised, and they had been paid for in full anyway, and were not regarded as "instruments of war", and the Lodestars at least all went to American civilian firms. Reason for these conditions were of course to prevent them falling into the hands of undesirables, but more importantly, to clear the decks of obsolete types so that postwar governments were more-or-less obliged to purchase new aircraft as much as possible. However NZ was obliged (morally and sentimentally) to purchase new or re-conditioned British military aircraft anyway.
Dave D