Interesting facts about No. 75 (NZ) Squadron

[Antonio]

Great shot.
NZ302 is there but only served with The NZ Squadron.
It was re-serialled L4340

Interesting astrodome hatch on the nearest aircraft

[Antonio]

Couldn't resist:

[davidd]

That may be a light, certainly not an astrodome. Of much interest are the early "turrets" as fitted to our first Wellingtons, designed by a certain Barnes Wallis no less, and NOT a resounding success by all accounts, had to be ripped out and replaced by "conventional" hydraulically operetd types. The only virtue of the earlier turret was that they were quite light, and very streamlined, but operationally useless.

[camtech]

Agree David, certainly looks like a formation keeping marker light. Interesting hatch just aft of the light.
The second aircraft, NZ302, certainly has an astrodome of some sort, as does the aircraft in the right background. Was that a specification of the NZ aircraft or a general fitting on Wellingtons?

[Antonio]

Oct 16, 2024 19:26:00 GMT 12 camtech said:

Agree David, certainly looks like a formation keeping marker light. Interesting hatch just aft of the light.
The second aircraft, NZ302, certainly has an astrodome of some sort, as does the aircraft in the right background. Was that a specification of the NZ aircraft or a general fitting on Wellingtons?

That was the hatch I was referring to, not the light.
Looks like it could be made to slide forward.

[fwx]

The RNZAF’s specification (Type 403) for their first six Wellingtons was treated by Vickers as ‘extras’ on top of the standard RAF Mark I specification and fit out. They included long-distance fuel tanks and a fuel system with jettison capability, long-distance oil tanks, an air (flotation) system, outer flares, and extra fuselage fairings. The flotation system involved 14 canvas bags located in the bomb bay, to be inflated by carbon-dioxide cylinders after the bombs and fuel had been jettisoned and the bomb bay doors closed.

I don't think the astrodome fitted to NZ302 was part of the RNZAF spec, as the other five a/c appear to have had the standard Mark I sliding hatch in that position. There were also camouflage scheme differences within the six aircraft - at least two (NZ300 and NZ302) had a hard, straight demarcation line between the standard RAF camouflage scheme and the black underside, while NZ303 and NZ304 had a hard wavy demarcation line. One of the six appears to have had a “mirror” camo’ scheme. It's a mystery why these variations occurred in machines so close together on the production line.

The Wellington in the far background appears to be a Mark IA (Fraser Nash front turret, not Vickers), so would not have been a RNZAF machine. This photo was taken April-May 1939 and the first batch of RNZAF Mark 1As were not built until August 1939. The RNZAF had originally ordered the second batch of six Welingtons as Mark Is, but some time around January 1939 changed them to Mark IAs. Several of the RNZAF spec requirements (fuel jettison, air flotation) and astrodome were standard in the Mark IA, so the RNZAF dropped their spec and the rest were built to RAF spec, long-range equipment being purchased separately.

And if the nearest Wellington is (as speculated elsewhere) NZ300, the first built, then it was never delivered to the RNZAF, held back at Weybridge apparently due to some technical issue.

[Antonio]

Oct 17, 2024 8:05:30 GMT 12 fwx said:

One of the six appears to have had a “mirror” camo’ scheme. It's a mystery why these variations occurred in machines so close together on the production line.

The Brits loved their camo schemes with the 'A' scheme for even serial numbers and the 'B' scheme of the odd serial numbers.
Really noticeable on early Hurricanes

[fwx]

Hi Antonio, yeah heard about the odd/even system but the photos suggest only one a/c had the mirror scheme.

And the demarcations don't fit either:

NZ300 – straight
NZ302 – straight
NZ303 – wavy
NZ304 - wavy

Cheers, Chris

[Dave Homewood]

Of course, inexplicably, the RNZAF allocated the NZ3xx serials to these Wellingtons at the same time as they were allocating the identical serial range to their new Vickers Vincents.

[davidd]

Dave, the Wellingtons were first of course, the Vincents flew around wearing their original RAF serials (and rather confusing "code numbers/letters") for quite some time in service at Hobsonville, Ohakea, and Woodbourne, etc., before they finally decided to use the now-vacant block of serials (starting at 301 rather than 300, to fit in with the latest style) which were actually applied to the Vincents in 1940. There are lots and lots of photos of the early NZ Vincents flying around with (firstly) the Auckland GR Squadron (Territorial) which used at least 12 of first shipment, then at Ohakea with Air Observers' School, and one was allocated to 1 FTS at Wigram to join the Vildebeests there in late 1939. The best photo is one of practically all the Auckland GR Squadron aircraft flying in formation over the Bay of Islands, led by their CO (who I think was S/L W G Coull at the time, he told me about that flight, but not much detail, about 50 years ago!) Actually, those confusing code numbers/letters referred to above were mainly single or dual numbers painted externally, but the letters were only referred to in aircrew logbooks I have seen, such as C12 (they only used A, B and C from mmemory). Make of that what you will, seem to recall that they MAY have referred to the Flight they were permanenntly part of.

[Dave Homewood]

Yes that is correct that the Vincents initially wore their original RAF serials for the first six months or so of their service but I am pretty sure I found in my research that the NZ3xx range was allocated to them at the point of their entering RNZAF service in 1939.

[Dave Homewood]

And yes the Auckland GR Squadron had large numbers, and were prefixed in paperwork by the Flight letter, but they were only A and B Flights, they never had a C Flight as far as my research has found.