|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2017 10:01:51 GMT 12
The Wings Over New Zealand Show Episode 159 - The Duxbury Files - The Curtiss P-40 in RNZAF Service: Part One. Aviation historian David Duxbury once again joins Dave Homewood on the WONZ Show for another in The Duxbury Files series. Together they look at the history of the Curtiss P-40 Kittyhawk and Warhawk fighter series which served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force as its front line fighter from April 1942 till June 1944, and then as an important second line fighter till the end of WWII and the last of the type finally retired from RNZAF service in 1946. The RNZAF operated 297 P-40's in total, equipping No's 14, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 (Fighter) Squadrons, plus No. 2 and No. 4 Operational Training Units, and with smaller numbers serving with the Central Flying School of the RNZAF, the Fighter Gunnery School, the Electrical & Wireless School, and the Corsair Conversion Unit. The RNZAF operated P-40E's, P-40K's, P-40M's and P-40N's, plus for a short time one Packard Merlin engined P-40L that was mistakenly sent to New Zealand. The RNZAF Fighter Wing saw air to air combat in the Solomon Islands, particularly in the defence of Guadalcanal. They also escorted RNZAF, USAAF, US Navy and USMC heavy, medium and dive bombers to targets as far away as Rabaul. The RNZAF Fighter Wing P-40 pilots acquired a fantastic reputation for providing the best escort for the bombers, always staying in close to protect them and seemingly not losing any of the bombers to enemy aircraft. The Fighter Wing pilots shot down 100 Japanese aircraft in aerial combat in the Pacific, with a loss rate of only a fifth of that amount of their own fighters to enemy action. In this episode David and Dave delve deep into the history of the Kittyhawk in RNZAF service, looking at as many aspects of the type as possible, and unearthing some information not widely known to fans of the RNZAF P-40's. They also answer questions that were sent in by WONZ Show listeners. This is Part One, there is definitely more to come following this episode so stay tuned once you've listened to this one. Here's the episode: www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZShow/2017/08/p-40-in-rnzaf-service-1/  |
|
|
|
Post by ZacYates on Sept 1, 2017 11:35:31 GMT 12
I'm excited to listen to this one, thanks in advance Daves! plus for a short time one Packard Merlin engined P-40L that was mistakenly sent to New Zealand. Still living in hope of seeing a photo of NZ3074 in NZ. Did it get NZ markings at all before it was returned to the US? A P-40E model kit I got recently included a separate, complete long-tailed Merlin fuselage and it would be a fun exercise to replicate NZ3074 with it. |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 1, 2017 13:37:43 GMT 12
You'll have to listen to find the answer to that one Zac.
|
|
|
|
Post by ZacYates on Sept 1, 2017 16:10:41 GMT 12
You already had me at "P-40s"!
|
|
|
|
Post by baz62 on Sept 1, 2017 18:07:00 GMT 12
You already had me at "P-40s"!  |
|
|
|
Post by ZacYates on Sept 2, 2017 19:18:25 GMT 12
Great work Dave and David! I learned a lot from this episode, and you haven't even covered combat or the OTUs yet!
Question for the next episode: did Kiwi pilots refer to different models by the type letter or mark number? For example, would Geoff Fisken have called the Wildcat an M or a Kittyhawk III?
A more specific question for David: is the pilot whose logbook recorded a flight in NZ3074 still around?
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2017 20:06:06 GMT 12
Great work Dave and David! Thank you!! Me too! We have not gone too deep into the combat side of things. David felt, and I agreed, that the actual combat has been covered extremely well in Chris Rudge's book 'Air To Air' which is really the definitive work on the topic. So we're covering other areas not so well covered. Pilots used the US designation such as P-40E, P-40M, etc in their logbooks and other paperwork. I have never seen anyone refer to RNZAF examples in their official paperwork using the British designations like Kittyhawk III or Kittyhawk IV. Also in the RNZAF, contrary to what some might tell you, P-40E's and P-40K's were known as Kittyhawks, but P-40M's and P-40N's were known as Warhawks. That I'd very much doubt.It arrived in March 1943, and I doubt it stayed in this country for terribly long so anyone flying it would have been from the era when P-40 pilots were P-40 combat pilots (as opposed to training in them at home only). I don't think there are any P-40 combat pilots left alive now. I think Noel Hanna, who is in this episode briefly and who died recently, may have been the very last. I'd love to be proven wrong though. |
|
|
|
Post by planecrazy on Sept 2, 2017 20:55:21 GMT 12
A third of the way through this and it is great, the pictures are fantastic as well, thank you.
|
|
|
|
Post by ZacYates on Sept 2, 2017 21:03:42 GMT 12
Pilots used the US designation such as P-40E, P-40M, etc in their logbooks and other paperwork. I have never seen anyone refer to RNZAF examples in their official paperwork using the British designations like Kittyhawk III or Kittyhawk IV. Thanks Dave! That is very, very interesting! I had no idea "Warhawk" was a thing here! |
|
|
|
Post by davidd on Sept 2, 2017 23:07:07 GMT 12
Just a slight correction to the "Kittyhawk" thing, the RNZAF only OFFICIALLY referred to the "E" as a Kittyhawk, all the others were supposed to be called "Warhawks". However most of the personnel involved with them (pilots and technical staff) generally used the short American designations, which were not only much easier to remember, but were also capable of being much more precise, such as P-40N-1 or N-5, for example. The RAF mark numbers were known about but never used (they were all shown in the British and NZ Aircraft Recognition publications, and other official documents), probably because of their imprecise nature - the designation Kittyhawk II for instance covered about five separate models, and Kittyhawk III covered even more. Those among the pilots and groundstaff who were in the least bit interested in their aircraft generally knew of these differences, and could even look at the full designation painted on the side of the fuselage if in any doubt - that is why they painted it there. My father, who served in the RNZAF from beginning of 1943 till just after the war was pretty keen on aircraft, although he never served as aircrew after his trial flight in a Tiger at the Delta in about mid 1944, but he did serve at Bougainville on the staff of COMZEAIRTAF from late 1944 onwards as a wireless operator. Although there were no P-40s located at the Piva complex at this late stage, he reckoned that the name "Kittyhawk" was much more commonly used than "Warhawk" by the people he worked with, but that "P-40" was even more popular, and probably reflected the general American practice of using the designation only, much like today in fact.
David D
|
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 2, 2017 23:19:26 GMT 12
Thanks David. My mistake on the P-40K's. I am pretty sure I have seen them referred to as Kittyhawks at the time but that may not have been the official line.
|
|
|
|
Post by ZacYates on Sept 16, 2017 15:09:16 GMT 12
A couple of notes after (finally) listening to Part Two: - Graham Orphan's P-40K is an RAAF example - Rowan Blair was the pilot of NZ3108, the story is in Gerard Morris' Warbirds Over Wanaka book: flic.kr/p/Y9CLeo- 3 Sqn's (desert Kittyhawks) codes were CV, as worn by NZ3094 - 75 Sqn RAAF's (ZK-CAG) codes were GA - a lot of the flying P-40Es in the USA are ex-RCAF although more Russian ones are coming online - I said a bad word very loudly when David said NZ3220 no longer has its cowling - is anyone else now hanging out for the David Duxbury Dauntless Datafiles? |
|
|
|
Post by Dave Homewood on Sept 16, 2017 15:51:11 GMT 12
My mistake, I was way off track there then.
What was this related to, Zac? I have forgotten where that came into the recordings (far too many stories and facts to recall). Was that the Tongn P-40K that crashed at Santo?
Again you have lost me with this one.
Yep. I thought we said that.
That is what David was saying.
I nearly did too, I didn't know it was no longer with the aircraft.
That is a distinct possibility for down the track. Ever since I began interviewing veterans I have hoped I'd find even just one who flew the Dauntless in action as I always found them a fascinating piece of RNZAF history. And I have been captivated with them ever since I saw the 1987 news item about Dauntless NZ5037's wreckage being recovered from the jungle by No. 3 Squadron RNZAF for the RNZAF Museum. Sadly I have never met anyone who was on No. 25 Squadron (not even in their later incarnation flying Corsairs!), and I met only two pilots who flew a Dauntless once only, each. Now I think all the No. 25 Squadron aircrew members are dead and I doubt there are any of the No. 25 Servicing Unit groundcrew members left either. So a show like you suggest is the only way I can see of paying tribute to those brave men who bombed the Japanese with their Dauntless divebombers.
|
|
|
|
Post by ZacYates on Sept 16, 2017 17:24:24 GMT 12
What was this related to, Zac? I have forgotten where that came into the recordings (far too many stories and facts to recall). Was that the Tongn P-40K that crashed at Santo? That's right, the one that was landing toward the fuel truck thinking it was landing lights. Now that I'm on a computer here's a photo of the said story:  Untitled by Zac Yates, on Flickr Again you have lost me with this one. David mentioned the Aussies in the desert possibly having CA codes. Yep. I thought we said that. Sorry, I may have misheard as I thought David suggested it was CA. |
|
|
|
Post by rone on Sept 16, 2017 17:24:41 GMT 12
With regards the name Kittyhawk, this from my Aircraft Recognition No.14a 1943. The Kittyhawk is a recent development of a design which commenced with the radial-engine P36 of the U.S. Army Air Corps. when fitted with an Allison engine,this became the P. 40, which was used by the R.A.F.and called the Tomahawk. The Kittyhawk, which is the same as the U.S. Army P. 40D, is merely a redesigned Tomahawk. A later version uses the Packard-built Rolls Royce Merlin engine. The silhouettes are under lined Curtiss P-40D, P-40E.
|
|
|
|
Post by rone on Sept 16, 2017 17:33:31 GMT 12
And from a later publication, N0.14c 1943. New Zealand fighter squadrons in the Pacific are equipped with this type of aircraft, the latest models are equipped with Allison 1,325 hp engines. A descendant of the Mohawk, Tomahawk, and Kittyhawk, the Warhawk has proved to be a match for Japanese fighters except at the highest altitudes.
|
|
