F/S John E Miller DFC

[tc64]

Hi all,

I've recently discovered that this man from Waihi, who was a Flight sergeant at the time, along with F/L Vanderpump, were both awarded the very first United States DFC's in the RNZAF.

They were awarded them in a ceremony in the Pacific and were gazetted 19-10-1943.

"SUDDENLY THE B24 THEN CAME UNDER SUSTAINED ATTACK FROM 8 to 10 JAP ZERO FIGHTERS. FLYING IN A PAIR OF P40 TOMAHAWKS F/Sgt MILLER & F/L VANDERPUMP TURNED & GAVE BATTLE, FINALLY DRIVING OFF THE JAP FIGHTERS,THEREBY SAVING THE B24 & ITS CREW - THEN THEY STAYED WITH THE B24 UNTIL IT REACHED ITS BASE, IN THE GUADALCANAL AREA".

I'm wondering if anyone out there has any info regarding this man as I have stumbled across his medals overseas and am on the verge of buying them, expensive as they are?

Perhaps in some eyes not as desirable as a UK awarded DFC, but I would have thought these two men's awards must be fairly important? How many other Kiwis have won US DFC's I wonder?

He was later a Warrant Officer & I have found out he passed away in 2009 and his Wife a few years later.

Any thoughts or help would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers, Tony

[Dave Homewood]

They were not the first RNZAF members to receive the DFC (US), the first awarded was an immediate award to George Gudsell, although he was not actually presented the award for many months as there was a load of red tape nonsense to go through as no RNZAF member had till that point been given a foreign award, and so it went all the way up the chain to the King and back down again before permission was given to present the award, ad that was done well after his arrival back in NZ.

In the meantime F/Lt Robert Browning Watson was also awarded a DFC (US) and permission to present the award was made earlier than Gudsell's so he was presented it on 8th of July 1943, and the press stated he was the first. But he was only the first presented.

So there were at least two other RNZAF airmen who were awarded DFC's by the USA before Mort Vanderpump and Honk Miller.

[Dave Homewood]

AMERICAN AWARDS

TWO NEW ZEALANDERS

PROTECTION OF BOMBER

(0.C.) SOUTH PACIFIC BASE, Oct. 1

Two Royal New Zealand Air Force recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross, awarded by the commander of United States Army Forces in the South Pacific area, Lieutenant-General Millard F. Harmon, by direction of the President of the United States, are Flying-Officer Mortimer T. Vanderpump and Flight-Sergeant John E. Miller. The awards are for "extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flights."

Flying-Officer Vanderpump's citation says that on September 3, while returning from a raid on an enemy aerodrome one of the heavy bombers experienced engine trouble and was lagging about a mile and a-half behind the formation. In response to a call for assistance from this disabled bomber, "the New Zealand officer and his wing man fell back and were so successful in their protective manoeuvres that approximately 10 attacking Japanese fighters were driven off and the heavy bomber returned to its base without further incident. Flying-Officer Vanderpump's outstanding flying ability and determination to attack the enemy contributed greatly to the safe return of a friendly bomber, rendering his actions in keeping with the highest traditions of the Allied Air Forces.

Flight-Sergeant Miller was the pilot of a P-40 that was escorting heavy bombers on a raid on an enemy aerodrome on the same date. On the return trip one of the bombers was attacked by approximately 10 Japanese fighters and radioed for help. He and another New Zealand pilot (apparently Flying-Officer Vanderpump. although the name is not specified) dropped back and drove off the enemy aircraft.

EXPERIENCED PILOTS SERVICE IN SOLOMONS AREA
Flying-Officer Vanderpump was negotiating for a short service commission in the Royal Air Force when the war broke out, and he thereupon volunteered for pilot service in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, commencing his training in April, 1940. He was born at Auckland in 1920, and educated at St. Patrick's College, Wellington, and served in the Special Reserve of the Army. Commissioned at the conclusion of his pilot training, he then underwent further training as a flying instructor, but at his own request was later transferred to operational flying. He has completed two tours of duty in New Zealand fighter squadrons in the Solomons area. At the time of entering the Air Force Flying-Officer Vanderpump was a student. His next-of-kin are his father. Mr. 0. P. Vanderpump, Brooklyn, Wellington, and his wife, who lives at Clyde Road, Wairoa.

Flight-Sergeant Miller applied for R.N.Z.A.F. pilot service shortly after the outbreak of war and commenced his training in December, 1940. Born at Whangaruru, North Auckland, in 1914, he received his secondary education at the Waihi District High School. In civil life he was a motor mechanic, and followed motor engineering and motor-cycling as a hobby. As a service pilot he has served in Singapore, New Zealand and the Pacific area. His next-of-kin is his wife, who lives at Barry Road, Waihi.

NEW ZEALAND HERALD, 7 OCTOBER 1943

[errolmartyn]

From Colin Hanson’s By Such Deeds – Honours and awards in the Royal New Zealand Air Force, 1923 – 1999 :

MILLER, Warrant Officer Sergeant John Emmett, DFC(US).
NZ404919; Born Whangaruru, 23 Jul 1914; RNZAF 1 Dec 1940 to 7 Jan 1944; Pilot.
Citation Distinguished Flying Cross (US) (15 Sep 1943): [16 Sqn RNZAF (Kittyhawk)] By direction of the President under the provisions of Army Regulation 600-45, August 8 1932, the Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded by the Commanding General, United States Forces in the South Pacific to: John E Miller, Flight Sergeant, Royal New Zealand Air Force, for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. He was the pilot of a P40 airplane that was escorting heavy bombers on a raid on an enemy airdrome on 3 September 1943. On the return trip one of the bombers was attacked by approximately ten Zeros, and radioed for help. Flight Sergeant Miller and another New Zealand pilot dropped back and so successfully manoeuvred that the enemy aircraft were driven off. His actions in this engagement reflect great credit upon him and his organisation, and are in keeping with the highest traditions of the Allied Air Forces. Distinguished Flying Cross 10282 presented. [Sgd] N F Twining, Maj Gen, USA.
Official History records that F/S Miller and Flt Lt Vanderpump (qv) were the first members of the RNZAF in the South Pacific to be awarded a ‘Spot’ (i.e. Immediate) award of the American DFC. Fg Off Miller completed one tour, of 43 missions, and was promoted to W/O in Nov 1943.

Errol

[Dave Homewood]

"Official History records that F/S Miller and Flt Lt Vanderpump (qv) were the first members of the RNZAF in the South Pacific to be awarded a ‘Spot’ (i.e. Immediate) award of the American DFC"

They had not even left New Zealand when Gudsell was awarded his in November 1942, as an immediate award, it's just he did not 'officially' receive it till later after all the bureaucrats had chewed it over.

[tc64]

Thanks Dave & Errol, very much appreciated. Great bit of info, interesting how the real history is actually incorrect in the face of the "official" history!
So perhaps the fact that his medals aren't really the first awarded does make them less valuable I guess, yet still an interesting award none the less?

[Peter Lewis]

Mort Vanderpump returned to Hawkes Bay postwar.
On leaving the air force in 1946 he was appointed CFI at the Hawkes Bay & East Coast Aero Club at Bridge Pa.

In 1950 Van bought Auster Autocrat ZK-AUO and formed Napier City Air Service, working as a charter operator. Finding this financially unsuccessful he then entered the aerial topdressing industry with Tiger Moth ZK-AZP which was obtained from Air Contracts Ltd. in mid-1952.

Cessna 180 ZK-BGN replaced the Tiger, and was fairly quickly repainted in Vanair advertising and named 'Susie' after his wife.

Unfortunatly, just five months later, ZK-BGN crashed at Putorino, northern Hawkes Bay, on 1Apr1955 while working and Mort Vanderpump was killed.

The company Vanair survived for many more years under a number of owners.

[tc64]

Thanks Peter, didn’t realise Mort was a Hawke’s Bay lad like myself! That’s a sad end to his story, manage to get through the war and die in little old Putorino.

[davidd]

So far as I recall, what killed Vanderpump was a "thrown" prop blade. Apparently the McCauley (or Hartzell?) prop was having some issues at this time with departing blades, for instance Percy Erceg had such a failure in about 1955/56 from memory, but by some miracle he survived the subsequent descent to mother earth! Fortunately such failures are pretty rare these days, but they can still happen, even with the big company's products.
David D

[baronbeeza]

I have been in conversation, New Plymouth Aero Club bar, with Goose Erceg when he was relating his missing engine story. The prop blade flew off during cruise, ripping the engine out, and the Cessna did the falling leaf down to earth. He was injured though, broke his finger. He said he felt a vibration and placed his hand on the throttle to reduce power. Just then the throttle rammed full open trapping his fingers, it was the cable that left with the engine, well once it also broke.

I am a little vague on his subsequent phone call to the engineers.
Legend has it that they asked about the plugs and leads when he informed them
the engine was missing. He replied by saying he would have to find the engine first... it was still missing.

[baz62]

Did they find the engine?

[Brenton]

This is an interesting story in the sense that 2 P40's, with some help from a B17 perhaps, could take on 10 Zeros (?) and better them. These P40's were unlikely to have had the advantage of higher altitude nor the luxury of engaging in hit a run type tactics like the Flying Tigers did in China. So either the NZ pilots had exceptional skills or the P40 was a better fighter plane than most give it credit for. Maybe a bit of both ?

[baronbeeza]

Jan 12, 2020 16:14:41 GMT 12 baz62 said:

Did they find the engine?

I assume they did. I got the impression it happened in Taranaki but I was surprised to see the dates David mentioned. We were in the bar 1978 or 79.
Some of the detail didn't stick in the memory, Goose was a storyteller, and character, so there is a good chance he either left it out or embellished to the point it wasn't worth anything.

I was gobsmacked of course, who else could survive a plane crash without a scratch, apart from his finger. Was it a 180 or 185 and without an engine and prop it wasn't even going to glide. My impression was that it did the falling leaf and just happened to be on the roll forward at the exact instant a landing was required.

About the same time we were hearing a similar story about an Auster. It may have ever been the same jug.
Goose had a son Matt, who was doing his CPL at the time. Kerry Pierce was best mates with Matt and they were doing the same thing. Kerry's story was that he was flying along in his Auster, again Taranaki I suspect.
Nek minnit, engine screams. Prop gone. Kerry said the engine failure checklist was very easy as much of the early stuff was unnecessary, checking fuel, mags, and the likes. (FMIP).


Did they find the prop ?
same, same, no idea ...

Did someone say another beer ?

[baronbeeza]

A thread drift I know but to elaborate a little on the Cessna.
Peter Lewis wrote a good article in his Cessna 180 thread.

C180 ZK-BQJ was registered to Rural Aviation 0n 1May1956 having previously been allotted the factory registration N4975A.

This aircraft joined the company's operational fleet, and was among those displayed by Rural Aviation at the Agricultural Aviation expo at Palmerston North in November 1956.

It then continued to work in the Taranaki area, and became the favorite mount of Don "Goose" Erceg. Both Don and ZK-BQJ became famous when the engine departed the airframe after propeller failure during a positioning flight on 1March1958, and Don was able recover control sufficiently to carry out a subsequent forced landing:
"In the vicinity of New Plymouth, New Zealand, in March 1958 a Cessna C-180, ZK-BQJ engaged in aerial topdressing suffered a propeller failure which threw one blade.
The resultant imbalance then threw the engine completely out of the airframe almost instantly.
As it departed the engine forced the top cowling over the windscreen, and also impacted the starboard main-wheel, cutting the tire.
The moment the engine came off the Cessna was thrown into a vertical snap roll, so rapidly that the pilot’s crash helmet was cracked when hitting the windscreen pillar!
Then followed a flat spin, from which normal spin recovery was successful.
To counter the pitch-up resulting from the rearward c of g change, the pilot applied full forward elevator, and lowered the flaps.
The ensuing flight path was controllable sufficiently to affect a successful force landing, with no further damage to the aircraft.
The free flying engine impacted in the farmer’s wood pile with no other damage to any person or property, but gave the farmer’s wife a severe fright as she hung out washing.
After a calming cup of tea, the pilot checked in with his operating company and reported that he needed a replacement aircraft, and when asked why, responded that the engine was missing.
“Have you checked the plugs?”
“No point, I can’t even find the engine!”
They took him at his word and duly arrived in a replacement aircraft, complete with engineer ready to replace plugs etc!".
Three days later after some remedial work, The 180 took off from the field and was ferried to maintenance for some rather more substantial work

[baz62]

Jan 13, 2020 8:28:43 GMT 12 baronbeeza said:

Jan 12, 2020 16:14:41 GMT 12 baz62 said:

Did they find the engine?

About the same time we were hearing a similar story about an Auster.
Did someone say another beer ?

Don't know about an Auster but a RCAF Chipmunk landed with the Gipsy hanging on only by the fuel lines!

[davidd]

Another amazing case of ALMOST losing an engine in flight (but not in NZ) occurred at some date in the early 1930s in Singapore, in fact I think it was a Flying Club, probably with plenty of ex-pat British chaps and chap-esses. Aircraft was a DH 60 Moth floatplane, and when the engine departed its mounts after their propeller disintegrated, it got snagged in the struts (or perhaps struts and diagonal tensioning cables) connecting the floats beneath the engine, and thus managed to stay more or less in equilibrium. The pilot was thereby able to maintain control and alighted on the sea - I think there were two occupants, both unhurt. Also a British Miles Messenger pulled a stunt very much like the Cessna 180 in NZ, after shedding its Cirrus Major resultant on a lost prop, some time in 1950s I think. Shocking thing to happen, losing your prop (and especially half your prop!) - preferable that the whole prop should fly off, at least you would then probably keep the engine. Believe the two incidents detailed here were covered in the Putnam books on British civil aircraft.
David D

[baronbeeza]

I have no idea what caused the Auster prop to depart and it was only bar talk at that. I understood it was a clean departure though, there one sec, gone the next.
I am sure Kerry said it was an Auster he was flying and I would think it must have been very close to 1978. He would only have been flying for a few years because he was about a 1954 model himself.

It should feature in some accident of incident reports. I am thinking possibly out of Hawera or Stratford.
Baz is the man with the Auster stories.

***EDIT***
I thought Matt and Kerry both went over to Oz to do their top dressing. Again about that same time 1978/79.
This is what Matt has to say these days, I am still looking for Kerry.

/

[lvdp]

Jan 11, 2020 12:00:52 GMT 12 Peter Lewis said:

Cessna 180 ZK-BGN replaced the Tiger, and was fairly quickly repainted in Vanair advertising and named 'Susie' after his wife.

No, his wife's name was not 'Susie'.

He was married to Betty Margaret (nee Signall) of Wairoa.

Rather, the name 'Susie' is taken from his youngest daughter, Susan Mary, who was fondly and still known as 'Susie'.