Help with accurate RNZAF statistics please

[Dave Homewood]

Can anyone here please supply accurate numbers for:

- How many people served in the RNZAF for all of WWII, Sep 1939-Sep 1945?

- How many of them were WAAF's?

- How many regular officers and airmen were there already serving in the RNZAF on the day war was declared, 3 Sep 1939?

- How many RNZAF personnel served in the Pacific? I have seen varying figures.

- Is the figure of 10,500 RNZAF men serving with the RAF in WWII accurate?

Cheers
Dave

[Tony]

Dave,
I honestly don't know.
The only stats I can give you are aircraft numbers.

But

Here are some links to the Official Histories and these may help. (Saves buying the (now) very expensive publications)

Royal New Zealand Air Force
nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2AirF.html

New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force (Vol. I)
nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-1RAF.html

New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force (Vol. II)
nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-2RAF.html

New Zealanders with the Royal Air Force (Volume. III)
nzetc.victoria.ac.nz/tm/scholarly/tei-WH2-3RAF.html

New Zealanders in the air - D-Day
www.nzhistory.net.nz/war/d-day/nzers-in-the-raf

[errolmartyn]

Based on a cursory examination of the service numbers allotted, and allowing for the 4000 or so numbers not taken up, the number of airmen enlisted during the war was about 51,000 and the number of direct entry officers about 1300.

About 4700 women enlisted in the WAAFs.

So we are looking at about 57,000 personnel all up plus those who joined pre-war, making for a grand total in the order of about 59,000. Some did not stay long, electing for transfer to the Army or Fleet Air Arm, or were discharged for medical or other reasons. 3675 RNZAF airmen and officers and 8 WAAFs died during the war.

It would be a major, long-term exercise to come up with the exact figures.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks chaps!