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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2005 18:43:01 GMT 12
Welcome one and all, I have started this forum for those people interested in discussing wartime RNZAF history, be it the people, the places, the aircraft, the events, whatever you want to talk about. If you have a query about the wartime RNZAF please post it here and we'll see if someone can provide an answer. Don't forget to check out the main website: www.cambridgeairforce.org.nzAll the best Dave Homewood Webmaster Cambridge, New Zealand
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Post by turboNZ on Feb 26, 2005 19:43:38 GMT 12
Just what you were saying before at the Flyp*st forum.. That's wild that story about the Kamikaze Tiger Moths. Can't believe that ay....maybe if we had the A-4's still and North Korea or some other volatile country decided to invade us, we would od the same with them... Oh, that's right, we have the CT-4E's....you can rest easy now.... TNZ
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2005 19:50:30 GMT 12
Don't be silly Chris, the CT-4E's don't belong to the RNZAF, they'd never be able to use them as suicide bombers! They could get the sqwawks out of the shed though, we do still own them! Turbo Chris refers to my post here forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showthread.php?t=39067
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Post by turboNZ on Feb 26, 2005 19:52:07 GMT 12
Oh that's right, our advanced trainers are leased....that's so sad...I got an RNZAF question but I'll post it to modern board TNZ
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Post by Hidey ho on Feb 26, 2005 20:32:29 GMT 12
Hi Dave, just to let you know I'm on board.
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Post by hairy on Feb 26, 2005 20:34:51 GMT 12
OOPS, got it wrong already Hidey ho was me.
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Post by Dave Homewood on Feb 26, 2005 20:46:36 GMT 12
Welcome Hairy,
Good to see you here, mate. You can keep us up to date on Auckland happenings.
Cheers Dave
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stephen
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by stephen on Sept 1, 2005 0:21:16 GMT 12
From steve: can you guys help me in my research in the following areas:
1. The underground emergency opps centre for RNZAF Whenuapai Station ww2... where approx was it located in comparison with today? 2. was there any underground ammo storage at whenuapai in ww2 or was it all at hobsonville? 3. The heavy aa ?3.9inch emplacement in trig road...does it still exist today? 4.RE: Col Cobbs crash of his his B17e in 1942 (whenuapai)on Mr Sintons Farm.....I have read our RNZAF report into the crash etc has anyone read the USAAF report of such? I have heard a lot of unofficial info RE: the copilot unhappy/refusing to fly?
excellent site
cheers steve
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2005 1:17:14 GMT 12
Welcome Steve, Hmm, tough questions. Have you read the two volume "Defending New Zealand" books by Peter Cooke? Excellent books with lots of obscure facts such as you require. When I lived at Whenuapai, I think, going from vague memory, that there were underground bomb store bunkers over the back of the airfield near the golf course. I could be wrong and won't swear by it, but I think there were. I'd imagine that if there are some there they would date from the war. Especially with the station being one of the major bomber bases. I do not know where the underground ops room was on the base, sorry, but I have scanned this photo from Vol 2 of the book mentioned above. It is not too helpful in pinpointing the location on the wider base, but if you've not seen it before it may be of interest. I wonder if it is still there ot whether it was filled in or blocked up after the war. Ohakea's was filled in I believe. I am not aware of any emplacements on Trig Road. I do not recall seeing any in the time I lived up there. Perhaps if you contact the Hobsonville RSA they may have someone there who knows more as it is very near there: Hobsonville RSA 114 Hobsonville Rd, Hobsonville 1250 Phone: 09 416 7227 Fax: 09 416 7234 As for the B17 crash, a friend of mine's late husband was a flight mechanic at Whenuapai with No. 3 GR Sqn at the time. She said he told her all about how the aircraft arrived with a very rough engine. Though the Americans had no tools or skilled mechanics with them, when the RNZAF chaps including Jim offered to assist them, they refused rudely. Apparently it was as if they didn't trust the Kiwis with their fancy bomber. Apparently the crew tried to rectify the engine, but come time to leave it was still very rough. The pilot said they'd go anyway. Stupid fateful decision. Jim was one of the first on the scene and incredibly he managed to pinch a piece of the wreckage before it was locked down by investigators and military police. It was part of the propeller blade. He later cut it down and made it into a really neat and beautiful clock, the chord of the blade giving a real art deco look. Sorry I can't be more help with your questions. Maybe some of the wartime veterans who read this board may recall Whenuapai in those days.
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stephen
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by stephen on Sept 2, 2005 0:12:35 GMT 12
Hi Dave.. Many thanks for your info...yeap I do have Peter Cookes books...brillant research material. I have been in contact with him on a couple of occasions and he put me in contact with a ex RNZAF member in Wanganui who has a large collection ww2 air stations material and mailed me valuable information on Whenuapai's air defences in much more detail...From his material I suspect the heavy aa emplacement is still there and located on private land ...on a ridge on trigg road maybe half filled in.(i can see a fenced off site from the road in the right location... The underground command post...from aerial pics in the 1950s i suspect was located close to the present crash fire station??any thoughts?... I toured the B17 crash site some years ago after doing the chat at Hobby RSA and what you recount was what i heard as well plus some tales concerning the hours before departure. The aircraft certainly did not gain enough height however I am not sure it was by reason of the rough engine...did you recall seeing a tv doco on the crash? Your comments re the bunkers near the golf house which i can vaguely see from the road makes sense...surely every time they required to place a few 250lb bombs on a hudson for patrol they could do this without trucking them from Hobsonville..... Have you ever read the Public Works Dept official record of their aeodrome construction unit in nz...I read this about 20 years ago in wellington..it would be great to have that on your site!
cheers steve
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2005 1:18:40 GMT 12
Hi Stephen, I'd be interested to contact that chap in Wanganui. Would it be possible for you to send me his details in a private message, if you don't mind. Thanks. Interesting abou the heavy AA battery. I wonder where else these were dug in around the country. I assume it was probably Aerodrome Defence Unit personnel who manned it, and not the army. If so, there may be a lot of aircrew still around who remember the site. Perhaps a letter to the RSA Review magazine would bring forward some clues for you. You prbably know this, but for those reading who do not, the ADU's were mostly made up from new recruits who were to be trained as aircrew. They often entered these ADU's when they had just joined up, and were awaiting placement on their flying course. They could spend a number of months patrolling the aerodromes like Home Guard at night, and would be in the classroom by day. Do you know what sort of AA guns the ADU's used? Was it a variety of whatever could be found or was it more standardised? Were AA guns made in NZ or all imorted? The only Whenuapai crash I've seen documented on TV was in Secret New Zealand a few years ago. But that was about a seperate crash, the overloaded Liberator full of Jap prisoners who were to be swapped or something. I wish I'd taped that now. I have not read that Public Works history, sounds interesting. There is a good history online called War Economy on the etc site here that you may find of interest www.nzetc.org/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2Econ.htmlPerhaps the NZArmourer site may be able to help with more details of the Whenuapai bomb dump www.nzarmourers.com/list.htm
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stephen
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by stephen on Sept 2, 2005 1:53:33 GMT 12
Hello Dave....your info on the adu...i did not know that background...the chap in Wanganui ....i just can't remember his name of hand ...however he is listed as a contributor in defending nz vol 2 ...at the moment my vol 2 is at work ...i will get back to you Fri....I have just shifted house...(real cose to AIA!) and i can't locate his maps he mailed to me. The maps were NZ army and very detailed which took me to Whenuapai many times to locate..the then and now..which is fasinating to me. His health is failing... however from what Peter Cooke told me and his detail in his letters....he must have the most comprehensive information on WW2 RNZAF stations ie maps photos etc than anyone in the country inc the airforce museum..The adu from my understanding only looked after bofor tyye aa guns inside the airfield fence line...the army was responsible for everything out side the gate ..i believe.... back to the chap in wanganui..his collection would be really impressive ..i hope his health has improved ....I know he was finishing a research book and he was a RNZAF technician from the 50s. I had hoped on visiting him about 6 mths ago...
regards steve
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stephen
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by stephen on Sept 2, 2005 17:52:25 GMT 12
Hi Dave
The chaps name in Wanganui is Gordon Burns.. He was a photographer in the service from 1948. I have found his first letter to me he wrote to me last year. The contents will of interset to you..Please let me know how you would like to view this, scan,fax or hard mail?
regards steve
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2005 21:00:24 GMT 12
Thanks Stephen. Hard copy by post would be preferable if that's ok please. I really appreciate this.
To. 13 Froude Street, Leamington, Cambridge, NZ
Thanks again
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 9, 2005 17:30:36 GMT 12
Hi Stephen,
Just a note to acknowledge that I received the letter ok. Sorry, I forgot to post this yesterday. It certainly is interesting, and I will have to contact Gordon when I get a chance. As I see he mentions he has a computer, I hope he's online and can take a look at my site (so he can point out all the discrepancies and mistakes).
You asked if I get financial support from any agencies for my research. Sadly, no, not as yet. The only funding I've had was from the Waipa Council to erect the plaque we put in at the Town Hall last year to commemorate Cambridge's airmen and airwomen in WWII, and at that reunion several wonderful veterans made donations to help pay for the event and towards costs of the research, etc.
If you can recommend any outlet that may fund such things I'm all ears. Everywhere I asked at said they fund history projects but not websites. That is so lame. If I put out a book it could be funded, yet be full of mistakes, can't be added to and would only be able to be distributed locally. With the website I can add more and more as new info comes in, I can correct mistakes (and do try to as they're pointed out) and also people in the UK, Holland, Canada, USA, Aussie, Africa, can see it. I have had emails from many countries abroad from people who've found the site. I'd never get such feedback from a book! But these historical funding agencies are stuck in the past and don't embrace new media it seems.
PS - did you want that original letter back at all?
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stephen
Leading Aircraftman
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Post by stephen on Sept 11, 2005 0:09:12 GMT 12
Hi Dave Your site is obviously annoyed a few...God knows why..certainly well in advance of the RNZAF Museum site...where i canot see any link to this one....thats crazy in such a small country(unless i missed it)
..I have a copy of the letter ..no probs.. If you wish send me an email to stephen_shirl@hotmail.com with your phone no and I will call you direct for a chat at a convenient time.
cheers steve
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Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 11, 2005 0:52:13 GMT 12
Hi Stephen,
I'm not sure if the site has annoyed many people. I hope not. Almost all emails I receive are very complimentary and encouraging. Many of them seek help in their own research and I try to assist if I can. One or two have offered corections to things and a surprising number have been from family memebrs of Cambridge airmen or airwomen who've stumbled onto the site and wanted to offer more info or photos, which is always great.
I think the RNZAF Museum site does serve its purpose well enough for what it is, especially as they are limited in budget and staff and do their best.The museum does a fantastic job, and their site does give enough info to advertise the museum and its aims I guess. It's a darned siight better than their old site which never used to even list the aircraft they have.
But it would certainly be nice if they did add links to other RNZAF related research sites like mine. It could be of mutual benefit in the end.
I have been told by a chap who found my site that he knows the Chief of Air Staff and several ranking RNZF men. He emailed them my homepage, and apparently he said all of them reacted with a lot of positive comments. His words were about the CAS that he was "blown away by it". That in itself is encouraing.
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Post by turboNZ on Sept 11, 2005 12:30:37 GMT 12
Wow that's great Dave. Yoyr hard work is certainly noticed and appreciated here by us forumites. Good to have a thread that doesn't have to include Spitfire or Mustangs in it.....
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Post by hairy on Sept 11, 2005 13:35:32 GMT 12
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Post by turboNZ on Sept 11, 2005 13:53:46 GMT 12
lol.... (Too much Flyp*st huh )...
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