A New RNZAF P-40 Theory

[Dave Homewood]

I have looked at this photo hundreds of times over the years, in Charles Darby's great book RNZAF: The First Decade, and elsewhere. I have noticed the two-toned spinner many times and never known what it was about.



When the photo resurfaced this week on the Air Force Museum of New Zealand page a new thought occurred to me. We know this aircraft - NZ3142 - has just been shot down by NZ3147 while they were exercising with the Fighter Gunnery School.

For a couple of years now I have been part of a small group researching NZ3147's history for its owner Brett Nicholls, as he is restoring it to fly. One of the photos I tracked down shows NZ3147 at Rukuhia in what has to be the late 1940's, or very, very early 1950's. It's the one on the far right, you can make out its distinctive code FE-B1, and it too has a two-toned spinner!



This is the only shot we have of NZ3147 still with its spinner. It comes via Scott Cowley. We have others of it sitting in that same spot and more recognisable from its markings but later and the spinner has been removed.

NZ3147 had served with No. 2 (Fighter) Operational Training Unit between August 1944 and September 1945 so I'd assumed the multi-coloured spinner was one of the eccentricities that many of the OTU fighters had.

HOWEVER last night I realised, hang on, NZ3142 and NZ3147 both served together at the Fighter Gunnery School at Gisborne in May-June 1944, and both have two toned spinners. NZ3142 had that spinner in the known date of that photo, 20th of June 1944.

So my theory now is perhaps... perhaps... the spinner colours were actually a distinguishing unit marking for the school? NZ3142's photo shows they did not wear unit codes (like FE- at 2OTU or OD at 4OTU). Only the C on the cowl. So maybe the spinners distinguished them instead?

So what I am putting forward with my theory is has anyone come across other P-40's with the two-toned spinners? And if so, can their serial be identified, and can we match it to known Fighter Gunnery School aeroplanes?

The P-40's I know of that flew with the Fighter Gunnery School in May-June 1944 were:
NZ3128
NZ3141
NZ3142
NZ3147
NZ3157
NZ3168
NZ3171

Over to the think tank...

[baz62]

That is interesting and something i hadn't really noticed either. My first thought was she had a white spinner but the front part had been replaced with one of a different colour. If you look at this photo of NZ3009 you can just mark out the demarcation line where it splits. However that also could be a handy way of painting just the front part. Remove it, paint it a different colour and put it back on and volia a two tone spinner. The other mystery is what is the front colour? Blue maybe? Damn these black and white photos

01OFMC28 by Barry Tod, on Flickr

[shorty]

3256 has the two colour spinner

[Dave Homewood]

Have you got a photo of NZ3256 please, Shorty?

Mike Nicholls pointed out four last night to me via email.

This one that Phas3e posted in 2011, which I had also been looking at, may well be a Fighter Gunnery School one but as it is nose on to camera we will never know. It is a late model N.



This one at Torokina on the right marked J is NZ3179, but that would not be a FGS marking on that one as it was with 4 SU, and this was before the FGS opened I believe.


Taurangaruru "A" is also Torokina and 4SU, so same deal.


And FE-S, which I believe was NZ3225. It is not on the list of aircraft that I so far know were at Gisborne with the FGS, but the ones I know were there all come from two logbooks, and the chances are there were other P-40's at the school that those two did not fly.



So none of these fit exactly, although NZ3225 might possibly and also the unknown one at the top of this post may too. Good to keep in mind.

[johnnyfalcon]

The last three have the colours reversed

[Dave Homewood]

Well actually only one has the colour the opposite way from all the others.

[johnnyfalcon]

True!

[davidd]

The photo of "Taurangaruru" at Torokina includes a well known pilot sitting on the wing, Peter Gifford (second from right), who would have been with 19 Squadron at this time.
David D

[Dave Homewood]

Yeah but what about the spinner theory David? Any thoughts?

[davidd]

Dave H,
Have just lost a summary of all the P-40s with the FGS/FLS at Gisborne (and Ardmore) which took about an hour to compile (I was about to send it!), and do not have the will to write it again tonight, but I can say that the RNZAF was rather inconsistent with painting its aircraft in WW2, and particularly with such tempting items as large spinners! In fact I think other air forces were probably just as bad. However the FGS was allocated a code group to identify its aircraft, this was "JZ", formerly allocated to 15, then 17 Squadrons at Whenuapai, then Seagrove from about June 1942 till July 1943. JZ codes were recorded on at least two of the FGS P-40s at Rukuhia by Darby and Hansen, NZ3128 (JZ-B) and 3171 (JZ-D), and I believe that Harvard NZ1039 (also an FGS/FLS aircraft) was marked with the latter "C" on sides of its engine cowling. I have also seen a (rather poor) photograph of a Corsair at Rukuhia marked with a "JZ" code, which shows that this custom was also carried on with them after the remaining P-40s were allotted to the two OTUs in late October 1944. Unfortunately, as you know, good photographs of FGS/FLS aircraft are extremely scarce, especially their Corsairs.

Hope to re-do the details of all the aircraft serving with this interesting unit.

David D

[Dave Homewood]

I hate it when that happens. Thanks David.

So it sounds like maybe the theory is nonsense....

[shorty]

I have FE-S as 5256?

[tbf25o4]

A random thought on the P40 spinner markings. I wonder if the different spinner colours were used by section leaders or gunnery instructors at the OTU/FGS/FLS to identify their aircraft when
teaching students air-to-air combat techniques. A glance in the "six-oclock" position could tell the student whether he was being harrassed by an instructor or another student

[Dave Homewood]

Aug 21, 2020 9:00:12 GMT 12 shorty said:

I have FE-S as 5256?

Guessing you mean NZ3256.

I suppose it is possible that NZ3225 and NZ3256 both wore FE-S codes, but I have never seen any evidence of the latter. And both survived the wore to end up at Rukuhia so one did not replace the other due to a crash.

[Dave Homewood]

Of the P-40's known to be on the Fighter Gunnery School, their models were:

NZ3128 P-40N-1
NZ3141 P-40N-1
NZ3142 P-40N-1
NZ3147 P-40N-1
NZ3157 P-40N-5
NZ3168 P-40N-5
NZ3171 P-40N-5

[davidd]

The FGS at Gisborne was originally established on 1st May 1944 with just ten aircraft (three P-40s and 4 + 3 Harvards), and was intended to train 12 "pupils' per 4-week course. The earliest P-40s I have records for in May - June period were 3128, 41, 42, 47, 57, 68 and 71, same as listed above. Harvards in use over same period were 1018, 19, 33, 36, 38, 39 and 57, so looks as though they were somewhat oversupplied with aircraft according to the establishment. Also throughout life of the FGS/FLS, the "flying instructor" strength of the school was only about two or three, increased later to about three or four, which included the commanding officer. CO's were S/L R M Mckay (from 1/5/44), A/S/L A G Sievers from 3/8/44 (after McKay departed for UK and his meeting with the Meteors of 616 Sqdn), A/S/L B H Thomson from 22 Sqdn and Flying Wing Ardmore from 7/5/45 till 10/9/45. Other staff pilot were Sievers from 13/6/44 till appointed OC; F/L J R Court and F/O J H Mills from 7/8/44, F/L R Gray (ex India) from 14/9/44, and F/L B E Gibbs from 23/3/45. I may be short of a few other later replacements. Number of courses to pass through these schools was 14 (7 each for FGS, and FLS), with courses "end to end" (that is, not overlapping). Contrary to best intentions, numbers of "pupils" per course were smaller, typically about eight men initially, but a few were as large as ten with FGS. FLS also started with 8 or 9 pupils, increasing to 10 for final four, so only about 120 pilots passed through these two school over a period of fifteen months. Right through, the duration of all courses remained at 4 weeks, but No. 1 Course did not commence till 22nd May, and the final course had to be extended for several days because of some bad weather. There were always small gaps between courses.

The FGS was transferred from Gisborne to Ardmore between 3rd and 8th July 1944, at which time personnel establishment of unit was stated to be 6 officers, 6 SNCO's and 67 "other ranks". The P-40s on strength were all allotted to other units in late October 1944 when the FGS was re-equipped with F4U-1 Corsairs (NZ5509, 10, 23, 25, 37, 38, 41, 45, 48) although establishment was only for eight. Harvards in use at this time were NZ1013, 18, 19, 33, 36, 38, 39, 49, 57. There were some changes of individual aircraft, but seems that aircraft establishment remained the same till the unit was closed down on 10th September 1945 (presume 10 F4U, 7 Harvard).

On 8th February 1945, FGS was reorganised and renamed as Fighter Leaders School, and aircraft establishment was altered by addition of two more Corsairs to bring total to ten.

A bit more to come.

David D

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks David, so it seems those P-40's with the NZ32xx serials that had two-toned spinners were not connected.

Rather a small unit for WWII, and at the remote Gisborne station with only No. 31 Squadron there alongside them, it must have been a tight knit group, and probably a fun unit to be on. Especially for the instructors, messing about in fighters all day.

[Damon]

I think the Corsair with the JZ code maybe NZ5566 as NZ5256 went to No.25 Squadron on 13 June 1944.Ditched into sea near Cape Molkte on 14 June 1944 due to engine failure. Sergeant W. Thomson rescued uninjured. Aircraft written offbooks at Bougainville. According to NZ Serials website.

JZ-M most likely NZ5566 .Nosed over at Ardmore.

[davidd]

Extremely difficult to locate photos are other evidence of Fighter Gunnery School/Fighter Leader School Corsairs (or in fact any of their other aircraft), with or without code letters, etc. Damon, it sounds as though you may have stumbled upon one of the rare images of a JZ-marked Corsair, last digits "66". Apparently 5566 was indeed serving with the FLS in April 1945.

David D

[joey05]

Is it simply a case of we had white spinners and hubs as well as green ones in service across different units and the different ones seen here on P40s (white spinner, green hub and vice versa) were simply a mix and match of what was serviceable parts on the day the maintenance was done?