Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 23, 2022 20:49:06 GMT 12
The Press dated the 14th of April 1977 has a feature on No. 41 Squadron in Singapore.
A jungle airdrop, and then back for morning tea
By NAYLOR HILLARY, who recently visited New Zealand forces based in Singapore.
Bristol Freighter NZ5911, of No. 41 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F., with 1000lb of supplies to be dropped by parachute, took off from Singapore at 9.30 a.m. “We get you overseas in five minutes,” said the pilot, as the aircraft crossed the narrow strip of water dividing Singapore and Malaysia. The flight was bound for a drop zone which, according to the pre-flight briefing, was a clearing near a river junction in the Malaysian jungle 60 miles north. The letter “A” picked out in marker panels' and a yellow smoke flare would mark the spot.
From 500 feet up, travelling at 120 miles an hour, the jungle flashes past in a confusing blur of green. Thick forest conceals the contours of the hills; streams vanish and reappear; each clearing — greyish red with tailings from old tin mines — looks the same as every other clearing.
“It’s a big drop zone — 100 yards square,” said the navigator, Flight-Lieutenant J. H. Seward. “We’ve had to drop on a zone 30 yards square with trees 150 feet high all round it.” Up in the cockpit the crew — Flight-Lieutenant A. R. Marbeck and Flight-Lieutenant M. McGeorge — found the zone without difficulty. One circuit for a quick look, and the aircraft came down to 250 feet. The pilot positioned the aircraft for the run over the zone and then left it to the navigator, lying prone in the forward nose compartment, to give the order to drop to the Army despatch party waiting by the open door of the aircraft. Five runs, with about 200lb of rations hurled out on each run — the weight limited to what the launchers could manhandle. On the final circuit the five parachutes could be seen, collapsed in a neat line in the clearing, and tiny figures in jungle green were trotting towards them.
The supply drop was not merely being turned on for the benefit of visiting journalists on board the Bristol. The supplies were for the men of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, who were acting as ‘'enemy” in Exercise Merbuk last month, deep in the jungle. The weather was fine with a distant heat haze. But conditions are not always so good. Cloud forms quickly over the rolling jungle hills; haze can cut visibility to less than two miles. In real operations accurate timing is essential for a ground recovery party does not like to linger near a clearing.
The Bristols fly low to stay out of the busy commercial air corridors round Singapore, so low that on the return to Tengah the chimney of the new Senoko oil-fired power station, 660 feet high, towered over the Bristol as it crossed the north coast of Singapore Island. Flying time from Singapore, back to Singapore, was a little over an hour. The crew and passengers, after their overseas trip, were back in time for morning tea.
A Bristol freighter (top) of No. 41 squadron at Tengah Air Base, Singapore, and one of the new Andover transports (bottom) which may replace the Bristols.
The author deliberating whether to jump. He didn’t.
Sergeant Ed Bamber, of Christchurch, a helicopter crewman, No. 41 squadron, instructs Singaporean officers in the use of a helicopter rescue sling.
'You call, we haul’ is motto
Wing Commander G. A. Parkinson, commander of No. 41 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F., claims with pride that the squadron has served overseas longer than any other New Zealand unit.
The squadron has been based continuously at Singapore since 1955 — a total of 22 years next month. Before that, the squadron helped to fly New Zealand prisoners of war home from Japan; it took part in the Berlin Air Lift in 1949, and it supported British forces operating against terrorists in the Malayan jungle. Today, the squadron is equipped with four Iroquois helicopters and three Bristol freighters. It divides its time between transport, tasks for the New Zealand Government and diplomatic posts, support for other New Zealand forces in South-East Asia, and support and training for Singapore and Malaysia as part of New Zealand’s military assistance programme.
Its aircraft have flown to Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, often carrying aid or disaster relief. The motto of the squadron, “Korero, Ka Oti,” is translated officially as “Speak, and it shall be done.” But the unofficial translation — “You call, we haul” — is a fair description of the squadron’s work.
Nearly half the flying time of the Bristol freighters is spent on missions for Malaysians, Australians, and Singaporeans. About a quarter of the helicopters’ flying time is spent the same way. As part of the Five Power Defence Agreement, No. 41 Squadron shares Tengah Air Base in Singapore with Australian and Singaporean squadrons. Many of the 115 men in the squadron also share accommodation with Australians or their Singaporean hosts; houses for married airmen are scattered among Singaporean housing, and the squadron is proud of its close formal and informal ties with the host country.
Houses for the married staff, built 20 years ago by the British, stand in tree-lined streets with names like Spitfire Road and Sycamore Crescent. About 60 children from New Zealand and Australian families attend the New Zealand primary school near Tengah. The squadron’s pre-school also caters for Singaporean children.
But the squadron sometimes feels isolated from the main New Zealand force in Singapore, 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, and from force headquarters, both of which are based about 10 miles away.
From the housing at Tengah to the nearest shopping centre is about eight miles; during the day the area round the airport is a noisy place with almost continuous landings and take-offs by high performance fighters from the R.A.A.F. and the Singapore Armed Forces.
The squadron claims its men are trained when they come from New Zealand for their two-year tour in Singapore. But the squadron also welcomes the opportunity to train in an environment quite unlike that found in New Zealand. Most aircrew carry out survival exercises alone in the jungle once a year. The helicopters use a flat, marshy area in eastern Malaysia for special exercises; and the squadron practices deploying to other parts of South-East Asia.
But a question mark hangs over No. 41 Squadron. Its faithful Bristol freighters — clumsy, even ugly in appearance — have served the squadron, and New Zealand and its allies, well for 20 years. They are still reliable, but they are wearing out and they are due to be phased out of operations by the end of this year.
They will have to be replaced, for as long as New Zealand has a significant presence in South-East Asia it will need "work ‘ horse” supply aircraft, even though Malaysia and Singapore are expanding their air transport capabilities. Officially the squadron does not know what aircraft it may have a year from now. Unofficially, aircrew hope that some of the Andover transports which New Zealand has just acquired will be sent to Tengah.
One Andover visited Tengah earlier this year on a proving flight. Three or four would be needed to maintain New Zealand's air transport capability the area. There is no certainty that so many could be spared from duty in New Zealand. No 41 Squadron believes it will remain in the area for some time. But its 115 men — and its 24 air crew especially — would like to know what aircraft they will be flying in 12 months time.
A jungle airdrop, and then back for morning tea
By NAYLOR HILLARY, who recently visited New Zealand forces based in Singapore.
Bristol Freighter NZ5911, of No. 41 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F., with 1000lb of supplies to be dropped by parachute, took off from Singapore at 9.30 a.m. “We get you overseas in five minutes,” said the pilot, as the aircraft crossed the narrow strip of water dividing Singapore and Malaysia. The flight was bound for a drop zone which, according to the pre-flight briefing, was a clearing near a river junction in the Malaysian jungle 60 miles north. The letter “A” picked out in marker panels' and a yellow smoke flare would mark the spot.
From 500 feet up, travelling at 120 miles an hour, the jungle flashes past in a confusing blur of green. Thick forest conceals the contours of the hills; streams vanish and reappear; each clearing — greyish red with tailings from old tin mines — looks the same as every other clearing.
“It’s a big drop zone — 100 yards square,” said the navigator, Flight-Lieutenant J. H. Seward. “We’ve had to drop on a zone 30 yards square with trees 150 feet high all round it.” Up in the cockpit the crew — Flight-Lieutenant A. R. Marbeck and Flight-Lieutenant M. McGeorge — found the zone without difficulty. One circuit for a quick look, and the aircraft came down to 250 feet. The pilot positioned the aircraft for the run over the zone and then left it to the navigator, lying prone in the forward nose compartment, to give the order to drop to the Army despatch party waiting by the open door of the aircraft. Five runs, with about 200lb of rations hurled out on each run — the weight limited to what the launchers could manhandle. On the final circuit the five parachutes could be seen, collapsed in a neat line in the clearing, and tiny figures in jungle green were trotting towards them.
The supply drop was not merely being turned on for the benefit of visiting journalists on board the Bristol. The supplies were for the men of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, who were acting as ‘'enemy” in Exercise Merbuk last month, deep in the jungle. The weather was fine with a distant heat haze. But conditions are not always so good. Cloud forms quickly over the rolling jungle hills; haze can cut visibility to less than two miles. In real operations accurate timing is essential for a ground recovery party does not like to linger near a clearing.
The Bristols fly low to stay out of the busy commercial air corridors round Singapore, so low that on the return to Tengah the chimney of the new Senoko oil-fired power station, 660 feet high, towered over the Bristol as it crossed the north coast of Singapore Island. Flying time from Singapore, back to Singapore, was a little over an hour. The crew and passengers, after their overseas trip, were back in time for morning tea.
A Bristol freighter (top) of No. 41 squadron at Tengah Air Base, Singapore, and one of the new Andover transports (bottom) which may replace the Bristols.
The author deliberating whether to jump. He didn’t.
Sergeant Ed Bamber, of Christchurch, a helicopter crewman, No. 41 squadron, instructs Singaporean officers in the use of a helicopter rescue sling.
'You call, we haul’ is motto
Wing Commander G. A. Parkinson, commander of No. 41 Squadron, R.N.Z.A.F., claims with pride that the squadron has served overseas longer than any other New Zealand unit.
The squadron has been based continuously at Singapore since 1955 — a total of 22 years next month. Before that, the squadron helped to fly New Zealand prisoners of war home from Japan; it took part in the Berlin Air Lift in 1949, and it supported British forces operating against terrorists in the Malayan jungle. Today, the squadron is equipped with four Iroquois helicopters and three Bristol freighters. It divides its time between transport, tasks for the New Zealand Government and diplomatic posts, support for other New Zealand forces in South-East Asia, and support and training for Singapore and Malaysia as part of New Zealand’s military assistance programme.
Its aircraft have flown to Sri Lanka, India, Nepal, Japan, South Korea, South Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, often carrying aid or disaster relief. The motto of the squadron, “Korero, Ka Oti,” is translated officially as “Speak, and it shall be done.” But the unofficial translation — “You call, we haul” — is a fair description of the squadron’s work.
Nearly half the flying time of the Bristol freighters is spent on missions for Malaysians, Australians, and Singaporeans. About a quarter of the helicopters’ flying time is spent the same way. As part of the Five Power Defence Agreement, No. 41 Squadron shares Tengah Air Base in Singapore with Australian and Singaporean squadrons. Many of the 115 men in the squadron also share accommodation with Australians or their Singaporean hosts; houses for married airmen are scattered among Singaporean housing, and the squadron is proud of its close formal and informal ties with the host country.
Houses for the married staff, built 20 years ago by the British, stand in tree-lined streets with names like Spitfire Road and Sycamore Crescent. About 60 children from New Zealand and Australian families attend the New Zealand primary school near Tengah. The squadron’s pre-school also caters for Singaporean children.
But the squadron sometimes feels isolated from the main New Zealand force in Singapore, 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment, and from force headquarters, both of which are based about 10 miles away.
From the housing at Tengah to the nearest shopping centre is about eight miles; during the day the area round the airport is a noisy place with almost continuous landings and take-offs by high performance fighters from the R.A.A.F. and the Singapore Armed Forces.
The squadron claims its men are trained when they come from New Zealand for their two-year tour in Singapore. But the squadron also welcomes the opportunity to train in an environment quite unlike that found in New Zealand. Most aircrew carry out survival exercises alone in the jungle once a year. The helicopters use a flat, marshy area in eastern Malaysia for special exercises; and the squadron practices deploying to other parts of South-East Asia.
But a question mark hangs over No. 41 Squadron. Its faithful Bristol freighters — clumsy, even ugly in appearance — have served the squadron, and New Zealand and its allies, well for 20 years. They are still reliable, but they are wearing out and they are due to be phased out of operations by the end of this year.
They will have to be replaced, for as long as New Zealand has a significant presence in South-East Asia it will need "work ‘ horse” supply aircraft, even though Malaysia and Singapore are expanding their air transport capabilities. Officially the squadron does not know what aircraft it may have a year from now. Unofficially, aircrew hope that some of the Andover transports which New Zealand has just acquired will be sent to Tengah.
One Andover visited Tengah earlier this year on a proving flight. Three or four would be needed to maintain New Zealand's air transport capability the area. There is no certainty that so many could be spared from duty in New Zealand. No 41 Squadron believes it will remain in the area for some time. But its 115 men — and its 24 air crew especially — would like to know what aircraft they will be flying in 12 months time.
