Geoff Fisken and NZ3072 "Wairarapa WildCat"

[Dave Homewood]

Anyone with even the slightest interest in RNZAF history in WWII will have heard of Geoffrey Fisken and his famous personal aeroplane, Curtiss P-40M Warhawk NZ3072, which he dubbed the "Wairarapa WildCat".

However, here is a revelation that I'd bet most people do not know. Believe it or not, Geoff only flew NZ3072 a total of just nine times, ever.

And only on the first of those flights did he encounter the enemy, shooting down two aircraft. The other eight flights were patrols and escort cover that were negative with regards to air combat.

Interesting huh?

[johnnyfalcon]

How many "Wairarapa Wild Cats" were there? Just one? Or more, like "Gloria Lyons"?

[Dave Homewood]

Only one.

And the cats were removed from the aircraft soon after Geoff left Guadalcanal too I believe.

[davidd]

The "pussycats" were painted on when it was repaired at Tontouta (New Caledonia) after the accident on the ferry flight from NZ, by American servicemen (apparently their unit motto), and the name was added later by RNZAF personnel.
David D

[baz62]

[quote author="Dave Homewood " source="/post/274843/thread" timestamp="1553499525"

However, here is a revelation that I'd bet most people do not know. Believe it or not, Geoff only flew NZ3072 a total of just nine times, ever.



Interesting huh?

[/quote]

Yeah that is interesting. I just assumed it was one he flew quite a bit. From memory those kill markings were from previous aircraft not actually in 3072.

[Dave Homewood]

Mar 25, 2019 21:55:07 GMT 12 davidd said:

The "pussycats" were painted on when it was repaired at Tontouta (New Caledonia) after the accident on the ferry flight from NZ, by American servicemen (apparently their unit motto), and the name was added later by RNZAF personnel.
David D

Correct regarding the application of the cats. I still have not worked out who was flying it when it collided with NZ3048 and NZ3057. Any ideas who was ferrying either of those aircraft? It was not Geoff, he had flown NZ3048 back to Whenuapai the day before, after his first attempt to get to the Pacific Islands was cut short when he encountered engine issues and turned back to Waipapakauri and then managed to get it back to Whenuapai all on the 26th of March. So whoever flew it north the next day did three legs, to Waipapakauri, then Norfolk Island, and then Tontouta, which was not normal, and I wonder if perhaps fatigue contributed to the collision.

As for the name, when Geoff was allocated NZ3072 with the cats on it, he wrote home to his wife and told her about them. He asked if she could think of a suitable name for his plane, and she considered that since No. 14 Squadron was based in Wairarapa for a year before heading to Whenuapai and then the islands, and because his Rigger and Fitter were both from Wairarapa, and because Geoff had lived there a few months farming before the war (he was actually from Gisborne despite what some people write) and she suggested the Wairarapa WildCat name. He loved it and had it applied.

[Dave Homewood]

Mar 26, 2019 16:34:51 GMT 12 baz62 said:

Yeah that is interesting. I just assumed it was one he flew quite a bit. From memory those kill markings were from previous aircraft not actually in 3072.

Whilst the aeroplanes were owned by the Servicing Unit, pilots (and in bigger aeroplane cases, crews) were allocated "their own" machine. This did not mean they always flew that aircraft, but it meant that if it was available they would usually be allocated it for the particular operation by the SU, but not always.

What it did mean though was if anything needed to be done to that aircraft like a compass swing, or a test flight, or a ferry flight, it would usually be that pilot (or crew) who would have first responsibility for it. Again sometimes that didn't happen if the pilot/crew were busy elsewhere too.

Something that I am finding, the deeper I look, is all the rules and conventions we have heard about are generally for years in fact have very much blurred into grey around the edges. For example when squadrons were posted to Torokina it's always said of the two RNZAF fighter squadrons that would be there, one would be attached to No. 2 Servicing Unit and the other to No. 4 Servicing Unit. But the reality is while they usually did stick to flying aeroplanes from their own SU, a number of times they flew operations as a squadron with aircraft from both SU's.

It all adds to the great ball of confusion that is history.

The fact remains that while we have always associated the famous man with his famous P-40M, Geoff only flew NZ3072 nine times, and he flew many more operational flights than that in other aeroplanes. 

He'd shot down six aircraft in No. 243 Squadron flying the Buffalo, and those markings plus his five Guadalcanal scores were added to his own aeroplane.  Just as some like Michael Herrick added their Luftwaffe kills to their allocated aeroplane.

Meanwhile Geoff shot down three more Japanese planes in other P-40's, and other pilots shot down Japanese planes in NZ3072 which had its own tally of six enemy aircraft. But NZ3072 has become inextricably linked as Geoff's famous fighter thanks to media photos.

Perhaps the aircraft he should much more rightly be linked with was his beloved Brewster Buffalo W8147 (WP-O), which he flew dozens of times.

[Dave Homewood]

Something else too, I recently saw an artwork where the artist described it as depicting Geoff Fisken's NZ3072 in combat with a Zero over Rabaul. You can see Simpson Harbour and the big volcano in the background.

The problem is Geoff never went to Rabaul, it was well out of reach of the P-40's at the stage of the war when he was up there fighting in June-July 1943.

In fact I think I can most definitely state that NZ3072 never went to Rabaul either. It was based mostly at Fighter II, Guadalcanal. At that stage they used Segi as their forward staging base where they'd refuel so the P-40's could get as far as patrols over Munda, Rendova, or perhaps a long patrol to Choiseul or Vella Lavella.

At a later stage after Geoff had finished his aerial combat the Allies had taken Ondonga and this allowed them to be a little closer. And NZ3072 did spend a little time at Ondonga between the 24th of October 1943 and its return to Guadalcanal in late November 1943. In that time the furthest NZ3072 patrolled was to Empress Augusta Bay on Bougainville.

Rabaul is however in New Britain, a lot further on and a stretch that the New Zealand Fighter Wing was not yet making. So nice as the artwork was, Geoff Fisken and NZ3072 never flew combat over Rabaul.

[Dave Homewood]

And another thing, I already knew this but have now confirmed it once and for all, despite what the owners of P-40M NZ3119 like to tell the public, Geoff Fisken did not ever fly NZ3119. It was brought on charge on the 21st of May 1943, at which point Geoff was already based at Espiritu Santo. He went to Guadalcanal in June and flew there till the 17th of July. He flew home in a C-47 on the 18th of July 1943, and that was his last RNZAF flight as he was medically discharged. Meanwhile NZ3119 never left New Zealand. Ever. It was based at Fairhall while he was in Santo and Guadadlcanal. So not only did Geoff never fly the plane, he never ever set eyes on it.

[Mustang51]

Dave, That is great detective work. Unfortunately of those who were around at the time many are no longer with us or their memories have dimmed and cannot assist. It is down to us to ensure that the "real" history is put about not fake news. Even if you look at the official records there are instances where what the record shows could not have possibly occurred. There are numerous examples of this in my fav RAAF machines' records where large groups of Mustangs allegedly did the same movements on the same days. It is clear that these alleged movements were some lazy clerk's answer to getting the status cards filled out and not accurately recording exactly what happened.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Pete. Yes I have pieced this together by reading the No. 14 Squadron Operations Record Book, plus Geoff's own logbook, and logbooks of other 14 Squadron members at the time. None of those guys from the squadron are still alive now. In fact I am not aware of any RNZAF combat Warhawk pilots at all still with us sadly. And really only a handful of the later pilots who flew the P-40 in training before going onto the Corsair.

And yes, the official records can be confusing and deceptive. I have noted a few instances where events have been recorded a day out between the ORB and pilots' logbooks for example and I do not know who got it wrong. But the worst thing is a number of the ORB's for our fighter squadrons have massive gaps, either the whole first few months to even a year in one case of some of the squadrons is missing, I guess because they did not consider it "operations", and when squadrons came home for rest and reforming there's usually no record of the flying they did at Fairhall or Ardmore which is most annoying as those are areas that really interest me. Hence the reason my search for more logbooks is important as they hold some of the data that the ORB's have omitted.

[baz62]

Sherlock Homewood. Must do your head in when you think you've nailed a date down and another bit of evidence shoots it down (so to speak!) Very fortunate you have taken this all on along of course with historians like David Duxbury. Imagine another 10 years and there is no one from that era who might have an answer.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Baz. Yes it is indeed frustrating sometimes. Like when we went back to the Archives last month to try to find more on those mystery white-nosed P-40's, and not only did we not find more, we could not even find the original file that I'd photographed last year. A bit of a cock up really. They were not from the file we thought. Also I have been reading through the OTU curriculum which I thought might possibly help but so far nothing.

But the cool thing is when you go looking for something, even if you find nothing you usually find three of four very interesting sidelines that you never expected.

[Mustang51]

Been trying to find out the Aircraft Code for a Beaufighter for years. Got my mate Neville involved and he is all over the Beaufighter. After numerous trips to Archives he looked at some innocuous boxes with nondescript titles. In there were logs of take-offs and landings at a number of Oz home airfields in the northern area. Those led to other boxes and after searching through those ....Voila !!!!~ not only one but two Codes found for that aircraft in two different stages of its operational career. Persistence is the key word

[Brenton]

Dave, whilst 'Sherlocking' around P40's if you can find out anything about NZ3125 I'd love to know it.

[Dave Homewood]

I'll keep an eye out Brenton.

[agalbraith]

Good work Dave, very interesting!

[Dave Homewood]

Here is an official article that was written the day that Geoff shot down three enemy aircraft on the same operation - note the writer gets his kill tally totally wrong, it should have been 11, and they intimate he was in the Wairarapa Wild Cat during this engagement, but he wasn't:

PLANES SHOT DOWN

GREAT ODDS FACED

NEW ZEALAND AIRMAN

“WAIRARAPA WILDCAT”

(Official R.N.Z.A.F. News Service) GUADALCANAR, July 4

An outstanding success was scored this afternoon by Flying-Officer G. B. Fisken, of Masterton, formerly of Rotorua, when he shot down three more Japanese warplanes, bringing his total to five since he reached Guadalcanar a fortnight ago.

Flying-Officer Fisken is a member of one of the New Zealand Squadrons flying fighters from Guadalcanar and his latest success brings his unit's total “bag” to 21 Japanese aircraft definitely destroyed with others listed as probably destroyed.

Two Zero fighters and a Mitsubishi long-range medium bomber fell to Flying-Officer Fisken’s guns today. Eight pilots of the New Zealand Squadron were patrolling the Munda area this afternoon, one flight of four being led by Flying-Officer Fisken. A swarm of Zeros estimated to total between 25 and 30 swept down on the Dominion formation, which was at 15,000 feet and still climbing. A burst from the Japanese guns put out of action one of the New Zealand fighters. The pilot was not hurt but his guns would not fire owing to shots from a Zero penetrating his instrument panel and destroying his switches. As the Zero turned away Flying-Officer Fisken followed in a swift turn. He fired and his second burst caught the Zero and sent it down in flames.

Eight Zeros then singled out Fly*-ing-Officer Fisken for special attention and he dropped out of range in an aileron turn. Burst of Fire

Pulling out at 8000 feet he saw another bunch of Zeros below him at about 5000 feet. Another New Zealander was attacking this formation by himself and Flying-Officer Fisken dived on the last man of the Japanese formation, firing off a climbing turn after his dive. He caught the Zero in a burst of fire, closing again. This second Zero smoked, turned on its back - still smoking, and dived into the sea.

Separated now from the rest of his flight, Flying-Officer Fisken set about regaining height in an effort to rejoin the other Allied aircraft. He observed a formation of 18 Mitsubishi bombers at about the same altitude. He again chose the nearest and fired a three-second burst into it. The enemy aircraft dived straight down and the New Zealander followed, firing all the way. At 9000 feet the bomber blew up and burning pieces filled the air. The action, which lasted only about 30 minutes, was fierce.

All the New Zealanders returned, but one got back only as a result of his own skill and the stamina of his aircraft, the tail-plane of which was in tatters. The rudder was mostly in shreds, the elevators out of action and the fuselage liberally peppered, but the pilot made a safe landing.

The Kittyhawk flown by Flying-Officer Fisken bears on its motor cowling as a mascot a painting of a large angry-looking black tomcat. Over it is the name of the aircraft, “Wairarapa Wildcat ” The pilot of this aircraft and his rigger and mechanic are all from the Wairarapa. 

[shorty]

The way I read that is that the total for the unit is 21 not that Fiskens total is that.

[Dave Homewood]

Ah yes, correct.