RNZAF 21st Anniversary Airshow - Ohakea 1958

[Dave Homewood]

Well, there would have been several airshows at Ohakea during the 1950's. I believe there was a big one in 1953 for the Coronation for example.

The thing we have to establish is the cross markings. Was it indeed German?

If it was German, was it a 'modern' 1950's Luftwaffe aircraft on a visit? Did the Luftwaffe ever send aircraft as far as NZ postwar?

Or was it an aircraft painted to represent a Luftwaffe bomber for an airshow display, perhaps for a Battle of Britain Day or something? I mean in 1950 at Farnborough a squadron of Spitfires (including TB863) were painted as Me109's to re-eanct the Amiens raid and act as enemy to Mosquitoes.

A third thought is perhaps the markings that you as a youngster equated as a Luftwaffe cross was not at all that. The postwar Search and Rescue aircraft in RNZAF service carried a yellow cross on blue brackground rather than traditional roundel, which were international markings to denote SAR aircraft.

The Hudsons that were used by the SAR units also had two engines and twin tails, and were medium sized bombers. they did not have tricycle undercart but they would have been out of the service by then anyway. But my point is perhaps you saw a visiting aircraft from Australia, the Pacific or USA or wherever that was wearing a variation of the SAR cross?

[angelsonefive]

Hi everyone,
SSS has given us a pretty good description of the B-25 Mitchell.
Who was operating B-25's in this neck of the woods in the time frame given ?
I can think of one sure candidate and another possible.

Indonesia. Relations with the West became a little frosty from about 1960 but I would not rule out a visit from the Indon. Air Force before then.

The possible candidate would be Holland . In its wartime guise as the Netherlands East Indies Air Force the Dutch AF operated a considerable number of Mitchells from bases in Oz and adjacent islands.
There is a good chance that a mere decade or so after WW2 the Dutch were still operating one or two Mitchells in their then colonial territory in western New Guinea.

As for the question of the cross-like markings, that has me stumped, but I think Dave might be on to something with the idea that it could be a symbol other than a nationality marking.

[sss]

Guys
This is obviously a knowledgeable forum and the sticking point is the markings.
I don't have the smarts to add a file/picture so have sent Dave H an email with a graphic of the markings.

Cheers
SSS

[yak2]

No twin tails or trike U/C, but markings (Japanese surrender)match and it is presumably the Zero that went to NZ.

[Bruce]

I would Suggest a Dassualt Flamant, Operated at the time in the French Polynesia and Asia region by the Aeronavale. Tricycle gear, twin tails, etc. Once again the markings are the sticking point...
I'm puzzled by the aparent Luftwaffe markings... The Postwar Luftwaffe reformed in 1955 but its markings were the "iron cross" type with outward tapering arms (similar to WWI) not the open right angle type of WW2. If it was another type disguised a a German wartime type for a mock battle or the like, surely that would show up in the various programmes or photographic records?

[pa18]

FH C119?

[shorty]

I've read the newspaper clippings about the show and there is no mention of anything matching the description. I don't think there has ever been a Flamant or C-119 visit NZ (or a Noratlas)and the last Mitchells wer the USAAF mail ones just at the end of the war. I have one more source to track down. Will let you know if I find anything

[Dave Homewood]

Aug 21, 2008 11:28:38 GMT 12 sss said:

Guys
This is obviously a knowledgeable forum and the sticking point is the markings.
I don't have the smarts to add a file/picture so have sent Dave H an email with a graphic of the markings.

Cheers
SSS

Here is the graphic that SSS asked me to post:

[angelsonefive]

Temporary marking to denote the " enemy " aircraft in an exercise ?

SSS, can you tell us more about the " desert style " paint scheme ?
I take it that the plane was camouflaged .
If so, in what colour or colours ?

[Dave Homewood]

Hold on, the National Film Unit made a film in 1958 to mark 21 years of the RNZAF. I don't suppose they dressed an aircraft up for a sequence in that?

[shorty]

I have just located a complete list of all aircraft (and their serials) that were exhibited at the Ohakea show on 29 March 1958.
The only trike gear, twin engine aircraft there were a RAAF Convair Cv440 (A96-313), RAAF P2V-5 Neptune (A89-311) , 10 Devons and Cessna 310 VH-REX

None seem likely candidates.

[Dave Homewood]

Shorty, would I be able to please get a copy of that list for my airshow site?

[shorty]

Dave, check your email.

[sss]

Ray
By desert style my memory says light sand colours. Not as 'white' as the current MEAO cams and no green as the current ADF DPCUs.
But yes camouflaged with the markings in black against the sand background, as per the sketch on the outside of the tail booms.

Cheers
SSS

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks Shorty.

Well sss, you have well and truly stumped the panel I think.

[angelsonefive]

sss,
Thanks for the reply.
By " tail booms " do you mean that the aircraft was of the same configuration as the AW Argosy,
C-119 Flying Boxcar, Nord Noratlas and DH Vampire ?

[tbf25o4]

shorty,
can you check your list to see if a Blackburn Beverley from MEAF/FEAF was in NZ around that time. I can remember one a Rotorua a couple of years later.
The MEAF ones were in a desert scheme and had tricycle undercarriages a single boom but twin fins and rudders

[Dave Homewood]

Paul, were temporary markings sometimes applied to visiting aircraft during the large scale exercises? Perhaps that might be an answer, as then RAF and RNZAF had virtually the same roundel so maybe for the purpose of an exercise temp 'baddie' markings were applied.

Or perhaps it was a victim of an Ohakea S&S nightime mission, such as many an aircraft suffered, like the Kiwi Vulcan, etc.

[tbf25o4]

Dave, spurious markings on visiting aircraft were very common
"Zapping" a visiting aircraft with a range of different symbols was common, and it would not be suprising that one was so marked as a "baddie" had their been an exercise associated with the deployment.
Perhaps the most interesting of the zapping was the HS748s that visited Wigram in the late 1970s which had kiwi roundels applied over all the kangaroos. Professionally done by the S&S workers when the crews were away tiki touring for a weekend.
The aircraft staged through whenuapai where the AOC OPs Grp got very excited and had them repainted into the correct markings before they returned to Aussie

[Dave Homewood]

Haha, brilliant!

I reckon it'spossible it was a zap then.