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Post by corsair5517 on Oct 26, 2012 22:11:54 GMT 12
Yeah, I've read it and liked it, and it'll always have a place on my bookshelf!
Chris, if you could, would you mind having a sticky-beak at the price when you're passing, please?
For those who haven't read it, Sir Robert Clark-Halls' biography is a goody, too; I worked on his sons farm in North Canterbury where I also had the privilege of reading the sons manuscript as well; John was an MTB skipper in the Med and boy, there were some hair raising stuff there! Sadly, I don't think it'll ever be published....
My neighbour in South Otago was a night intruder pilot in Bostons; single ship missions over Italy, Yugoslavia etc. ; very interesting man to talk to!
John
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Post by corsair5517 on Oct 25, 2012 22:00:53 GMT 12
Thanks, fellas!
Jeez.... $62NZ is getting a bit steep, eh!! Still... will have a crack at a personal approach...
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Post by corsair5517 on Oct 22, 2012 23:25:34 GMT 12
Hiya, fellas.... I'm trying to get a hold of the above book for my rather limited collection of Pacific Theatre books; anyone got a copy they'd sell, or know where I could get one?
Also, does anyone know of anything published by any of the soldiers of 3Div in the Treasury Islands? These chaps seem ill served by mainstream literature, I feel
John
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Post by corsair5517 on Sept 1, 2012 0:03:58 GMT 12
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 31, 2012 23:48:37 GMT 12
As a kid I asked dad the classic "what did you do in the war dad?" and typically for his generation he gave me the impression he'd done very little and hadn't been involved in anything heroic. I used to make small Airfix planes which he gladly helped me with. I always picked which planes to do and so 'naturally' choose the Spitfire,Hurricane,Kittyhawk(RAF desert cam with sharks mouth).Then the Me109,FW190 and even a Zero. He never once suggested I do a Corsair.. This. Though fortunately, mine became a little more free with information as I grew older!! I do remember a time in NZ when I was at school and WWII Army jackets from Harold Banks in Dunedin were the "go" and I wanted one; Dad was never one to be profligate with funds and rummaged around in an old trunk and produced his AF battledress tunic, complete with wings, rank tapes and shoulder flashes. I thought "Great!!" until he cut the wings and tapes off to my horror... I hadn't earned them and wasn't entitled to wear 'em, and even at that tender age, I thought that was fair enough! I visited him at home one day and found him going through the afore-mentioned trunk, chucking out his uniforms and other stuff; I was mortified and informed the silly old beggar that he must desist forthwith!! He didn't think anyone would be interested....
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 31, 2012 23:41:04 GMT 12
Just harking back to Porton, 15 Sqn must have been involved as well, as Dads' log has entries for Porton Plantation on 10.6.45 (2'35") and again on 20.6.45 (1'20"), both times times armed with 325lb depth charges...
I also have a copy of a training film for the F4U on DVD; American and has some great footage...
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 31, 2012 23:35:43 GMT 12
Hi corsair5517 Just interested to know if your father flew Corsair NZ5262 ? Thanks Corsair Nope, sorry; he flew NZ5260 on 12.2.45 and 1.3.45, NZ5261 on 7.4.45 and NZ5263 on the 27 and 28.3.45.... all from Nissan Ocean Strip. I note, too, that he flew NZ5631 from Bougainville - Cactus - Santos - Tontouta - Norfolk - Whenuapai - Rukuhia starting from 24.9.45 and finishing up on 1.10.45 for a total of 21 hours 10 minutes, with a 35 hour test flight in Santos thrown in....
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 31, 2012 0:36:40 GMT 12
Take a deep breath, fellas, before you hurt yourselves on the furniture!
Facebook's fine if you limit its use and control the filters etc.; it's a good way to get youngsters interested in something! Apple gear is easy to use, tough as old boots and has good software as part of the package; why bother with anything you need to baby along; after all, I have a life and I want to spend as little time staring at a damn computer as I can!!
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 31, 2012 0:25:10 GMT 12
There were so many stories about this a/c when I first got involved with looking for it.... the blokes I went into the New Creek area with were told some cracking yarns about a flying boot on a rock in the middle of a creek found some years after the crash; about how the aircraft was in 2 major pieces; about how there was a skeleton with a broken leg in what was thought to be air force kit some way from any visible crash site.... the list goes on! The locals we spoke to - who are now dead or incommunicado - became very cagey when we leaned in and listened hard, presumably because there was an awful lot of simmering rivalry in there over gold claims or dope plots. One bloke even promised to take us to the wreck if the Air Force took us all in on a helo; the Air Force - understandably when this guy wouldn't elucidate any further! - declined his offer and I am left wondering if he really knew something; he certainly described what could only be an F4U quite unprompted.... I only went in twice looking, and watched as the Army and Air Force did a joint op., ostensibly for training in the area, with a full work up on what they might find. It is tiger country and I'm too old and too fat to be wandering around in there now, so it gladdens my heart to see others taking up the search, though I feel that the only way it will ever be found is when someone actually stands on it! I still have all of my maps and stuff from the searches we did, and transcripts of the witness statements etc.; also went and had a yarn with Bob Reynolds which was a very odd experience; I got the feeling that there was something he was keeping back, but we'll never know now... Nice fella, but very guarded....
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 19, 2012 18:51:27 GMT 12
OK, then... Antonov An2; I swear this thing damn near hovered in the headwind; amazing airplane. French AF aerobatic team; Alpha Jets Belgian F-16; insanely loud and flown to edges of the envelope! Just a Seafire amongst the clouds... Heavy metal; the Lanc! Lancaster with the Hurricane and Seafire of the BBMF Little Swedish Saab; perhaps what the Me 1101 would have looked like?! Even heavier metal; the Vulcan!! Even louder than the F-16; it went into a power climb over St Aubins Bay, and you could literally feel it through the ground; awesome!! Simply beautiful... Vulcan with the Red Arrows; without doubt the most amazing aerobatics I've ever seen! Better than the Blue Angels, even!!
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 19, 2012 18:23:08 GMT 12
Hi there, fellas; I'm John Stokes, and I've reached 53 not out! My interest, I suspect like many in here, is the RNZAF WWII a/c, in particular, the Corsair and the Kittyhawk because that's what my father flew. I was a volly at Wigram a long time ago and can remember when the Dauntless came in out of the belly of a Hercules! I've had a hunt around the West Coast for NZ5517, unsuccessfully, and a more successful bash around Little Malaya for the Auster that had been parked in a tree. I have to say that I found the Air Force very hard work indeed with some people in positions of influence that, really, you wouldn't give scissors to! The army on the other hand were fabulous to work with, and on one dig to find bits of an Avro 626 in Kaiapoi were the making of the expedition. I've also had a brief look for Moncrieff and Hood where a friend from the culling days said he saw metal shining... no luck there, either!
I've never held a PPL but am lucky enough to have some friends with aeroplanes....
I haven't modelled a kit since I was a kid, but am in awe of those who can!
Now living in Australia after a stint in Europe, am slowly getting to grips with the aviation scene here.
My favourite books on aviation are the autographed copies of "Quest for wings", "Sir Robert Clark-Hall" and "Too young to die" that I was lucky enough to get some years ago.
Movies? Well, none really though I have just watched a movie called "Memorial Day" which included a scene with a P-38 and a P-51 on strafing runs which were not CGI; very cool!
Other interests are the Atlantic Wall in Europe as I spent an awful lot of time crawling all over German concrete from Holland to the Channel islands; I am a musician by inclination, though haven't played out for a year or two and I collect 80's Japanese electric guitars. I have taken up the game of croquet in preference to golf or bowls, which are as boring as batshit to me, anyway!!
So... there we go; happy to have found this forum and hope to learn something (I have already!), and maybe contribute a little as well....
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 19, 2012 11:20:13 GMT 12
I disagree; it only LOOKS like chaos but the Pariaians seem to have it all worked out! I stood there for about 10 minutes and watched the traffic circle the Arc; the first thing that surprised me was that there was little or no leaning on the horn happening and secondly that everyone seemed to just get on with it! That said, I did watch one little blue Citroën go around five times!! However, I wouldn't feel terribly comfortable driving in Paris, though I drove all over France, in a right hand drive car, with no problems at all; the roads are terrific and people's driving manners and skills are way beyond what I've found since we've been back down this end of the world!
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 19, 2012 9:21:56 GMT 12
I was living in the Channel Islands in 2010 and saw this; anyone interested in pix of the Vulcan etc.??
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 19, 2012 9:18:21 GMT 12
My father never applied for his, either; all he got was a ribbon from the Pacific Star, which I now carry as a lucky token! I applied for his medals when I was working at Wigram, and Alan Polaschek who was the medal curator there was kind enough to mount them for me. Alan also gave me a rev-up -rightly so!- when I carelessly said that were "just campaign medals"; I was firmly told that they were, in fact, a record of a very young mans service in the face of the enemy!
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 18, 2012 23:31:40 GMT 12
The doco is called The Savage Shore, from 2002, made by Channel 7, by the way. I've got a copy of that, and some other material, that my father (15 Sqn) got from his Aussie friend, who was in 5 Sqn RAAF; "Savage" certainly sums it up!! Dad still has the jungle greens that he was issued when the RNZAF crews went out to the front line to visit the Aussie infantry that they supported. They were asked to change into the greens so as not to be a stand out target for snipers....
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 18, 2012 22:30:33 GMT 12
My father was on Jacquinot Bay when the Zeke was flown in, I think by W/C Kofoed (sp?). He said that there was already another Zeke there, and a Dinah and a Sally were also acquired by RNZAF. He has photos of them..... somewhere! The surrender crosses were green, he thinks.....
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 18, 2012 14:34:38 GMT 12
Yes, he is, still living in NZ and fit and spry at 88!! There are more of these little pix if anyone is interested including some of the accomodations etc. He has some taken in Jacquinot Bay and Cactus as well, but they have been misplaced at the moment. I do, however, have a digitised copy of his logbooks... ... and yes; that's the way he did them; at 21 and in a combat zone. davidD; 60 years on, I don't expect his memory to be 100%... thanks for that!
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Post by corsair5517 on Aug 18, 2012 0:50:28 GMT 12
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