Colourised photos

[McFly]

Some good looking 'colorised' photos from Nathan Howland featuring a few RNZAF aircraft... (link)

FG-1A '215' of VMF-211, and PV-1 serial 'NZ4505' of 8 Squadron RNZAF at Torokina.



RNZAF Corsair NZ5444 from No.15 Squadron taking off from the Marston matting strip, at Piva Airfield, Bougainville. 1944.

F4U-1A 17878 of VMF-215, with F6F ofVF-38, and RNZAF P-40M B'ville 10th DEC '43.

F4U-1A/ 1-D Corsairs at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain after RNZAF units departed Green Island. Airmen and natives gathered around aircraft '76'. No. 3SU

This is a front view of Corsairs on the tarmac at RNZAF Station, Ardmore, December 1944, after a severe downpour of rain, with sun just starting to break through again!?

Espiritu Santo; New Hebrides; Vanuatu; No. 31 Servicing Unit; 31 SU; F4-U's Corsairs, nose art; 'Struggle Buggy', NZ5350, with NZ5339 & NZ5347 being refueled and maintained by ground crews.



A nice shot of a rather damp Corsair at RNZAF Station Hobsonville, WW2, shortly after a downpour in 1944!



A gathering of Vickers Wellington Mk. I aircraft outside of the production line at Weybridge, 1939. It is believed that all the aircraft in this shot would go on to serve with No. 75 RNZAF Sqdn.

Sunderland ML792 (later NZ4101), sitting on the water at RNZAF Station Hobsonville, 1944.

A 3/4 front view of Grumman Avenger NZ2520 with the nose art of the Disney character 'Dumbo' riding a bomb and the name "We Never Miss". RNZAF Station Whenuapai. The tail of NZ2508 to the right right.

This particular Corsair is equipped with long range fuel tanks, and is about to land on the airstrip at Jacquinot Bay, New Britain after RNZAF units departed Green Island.

F4-U1s Corsairs of No.21 sqdn in the capable hands No. 31 Servicing Unit, undergoing maintenance at Espiritu Santo. The three main aircraft in shot are NZ5356 (closest), NZ5314 and NZ5358 (both opposite with engines running). Guadacanal in the summer of 1944.

F4-U1's of No. 18 Squadron Corsairs in flight over the ocean. Guadalcanal July 1944.

F4U-1A Corsair. (NZ5339 coded '39')

A Goodyear F4U-1A of the RNZAF No. 21 Squadron, being serviced and washed down of dirt and sand, whilst others prepare for take-off, at Piva Airfield, on Bougainville, Solomon Islands Summer 1944.

[Mustang51]

Absolutely love them. I think that we forget it was "in colour" sometimes

[Dave Homewood]

Yes, Nathan Howland is one of the very best at this sort of art.

[Antonio]

Another NZ link:
L4280 was allocated to the RNZAF but not delivered

[davidd]

Hmmm, very nicely done, but some confusion with US Navy designation of Corsairs, some location blunders, and a few really weird captions which make no sense at all, or make "observations" of the view with (from what I can see) no evidence to support such statements.

And no such thing as F4U-1A or FG-1A Corsairs (this battle has been going on for decades! I thought this had been settled 20 - 30 years ago, but no!)

None of the very early Vickers Wellingtons EVER operated with 75 (NZ) Squadron, the only "NZ" serialled Wellingtons actually delivered to the "New Zealand Bomber Squadron in the UK" or simply the "New Zealand Squadron", were NZ301 to 305, and these reverted to their original RAF serials in November 1939 by which time they had migrated to other units.

The last Corsair photograph (directly above) is an F4U-1, not an FG-1A, and it is photographed at Espiritu Santo (Pallikulo airfield), in the New Hebrides (now Vanuatu), and NOT Bougainville, and I doubt it is 21 Squadron, but the Servicing Unit was No. 31. It is all but impossible to date (or provide accurate locations) for photographs of any wartime RNZAF aircraft unless there is an official caption, or circumstances and features that can assist in narrowing down the time frame. The date of this one HAS been provided from a unit history which mentioned that the official photographer was busy that day, taking shots all around the base, and of aircraft on training flights (31st October 1944). It is also pointless to use temperate zone seasonal names when you are deep in the tropics! (No seasons as such, unless it is described as the "wet" and the "dry".) I have had to take on people who persist in this ridiculous practice, but they have no idea of what I am talking about! Do I live in a silo?

I have not the energy to continue on this enterprise, have other priorities, others may wish to take over! However worst blunder is arguably the RNZAF Sunderland in US Navy colours - the perils of interpreting b&w images!

[Antonio]

Oct 17, 2024 9:19:10 GMT 12 davidd said:

 However worst blunder is arguably the RNZAF Sunderland in US Navy colours - the perils of interpreting b&w images!

Agreed.
You put into words what my thoughts were.

BTW: I hope that my comment re Wellington L4280 allocation to the RNZAF was taken as being operated by 75 (NZ).
Nope. Didn't happen.
The aircraft went straight to an OTU (15 OTU?) from memory