No. 75 Squadron RNZAF
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No. 75 Squadron RNZAF was formed from the RAF's World War II bomber squadron, No. 75 Squadron, which had been initially equipped by the New Zealand government and was largely manned by New Zealanders. The squadron was created when, in a unique gesture, the squadron number, colours and battle honours were transferred to the RNZAF in 1946. It had flown more sorties and suffered more casualties than any other in the European theatre.
The squadron ceased to exist on 13 December 2001, when the RNZAF Air Combat Force, comprising Nos 2, 14, and 75 Squadrons, was officially disbanded.
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[edit] History
No. 75 Squadron Royal Flying Corps (later RAF) was formed as a home defence fighter unit in World War I but disbanded at the end of the war. The squadron reformed at Driffield on 15 March 1937 as part of the RAF expansion in the mid 1930s, with transfer of pilots from No. 215 Squadron RAF, being equipped with four Vickers Virginias and seven Avro Anson for bomber training. The squadron later operated Handley Page Harrows which were replaced by Ansons in 1939, operating again in a training role alongside No 15 Operational Training Unit. Meanwhile, the New Zealand government had ordered 30 modern Vickers Wellington bombers to replace its Vickers Vildebeests. Aircrew were sent to England to train on these new aircraft before flying them back to New Zealand. They and their aircraft were attached to 15 OTU.
[edit] 75 (NZ) Squadron
In August 1939, with war seeming increasingly likely, the New Zealand government offered to loan Britain both men and machines. These took over the "75" squadron number, the letters (NZ) being added in brackets afterwards.
75 was the first of the "brackets" squadrons. Ultimately, six other New Zealand units, as well as Australian, Belgian, Canadian, Czech, French, Greek, Hong Kong, Indian, Norwegian Polish and South African squadrons were formed within the RAF, until the practice ceased in 1942. These squadrons were usually formed around aircrews from the named nation, replacement aircrew where possible coming from that nation as well, although most ground crew were British. Although often referred to, then and since, as an RNZAF unit, 75 squadron was equipped and controlled by the RAF until VJ day.
[edit] World War II
75 Squadron saw action early over France, Norway and most other European nations, but principally against Germany. The squadron was progressively equipped with Short Stirlings, Avro Lancasters and Avro Lincolns, which it was preparing to take to the far east when Japan surrendered. The squadron won a single VC, awarded to Sergeant James Allen Ward for climbing along the wing of a Wellington, in flight, to put out an engine fire. 75 Squadron claims to be the only squadron engaged constantly against Germany from 1939 to VE day. The squadron flew more sorties than any other RAF heavy bomber unit, and suffered more casualties than any other squadron. It dropped the second-largest weight of bombs.
An unusual sortie for 75 Squadron was the high altitude run over The Hague in March 1945 by a lone Lancaster piloted by Flight Lieutenant H W Hooper. He dropped thousands of leaflets containing an apology from the British government for the earlier Allied bombing of the city which had been an error.
[edit] 75 Squadron RNZAF
In recognition of their wartime record, in October 1946 the RAF officially handed over the 75 Squadron title and badge to the RNZAF. This is the only occasion that the RAF has “gifted” a Squadron title and badge to another Commonwealth Air Force and is a tribute to the sacrifices and contribution made by all New Zealander’s in the RAF during World War II.
The post-World War II squadron reformed at RNZAF Base Ohakea and re-equipped, initially with twin-engine de Havilland Mosquito fighter/bombers. In February 1958 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother presented No 75 Squadron with its Squadron Standard, the squadron having earned the Sovereign's appreciation for outstanding service. Fourteen Battle Honours were awarded, eight of which are depicted on the Standard.
The unit operated de Havilland Vampires from 1951 to 1970 out of Ohakea.
From 1958 to 1962 the squadron operated nine English Electric Canberras, on loan from the RAF, out of RAF Tengah, Singapore. They were used on anti-terrorist operations during the Malayan Emergency.
In 1970 ten A-4K and 4 TA-4K Skyhawks were purchased and allocated to the squadron which was the primary attack squadron for the RNZAF. Early in their life all of the aircraft were modified with cranked refuelling probes, the four TA-4s are the only dual-seat Skyhawks in the world with cranked probes. The Skyhawk fleet underwent Project KAHU in the late 1980s, which upgraded the avionics systems. The squadron's former Royal Australian Navy A-4G aircraft were then re-designated A-4K/TA-4K. The Skyhawks were taken out of service when the squadron was disbanded in 2001.
[edit] Disbandment
The Air Combat Force, comprising Nos 2, 14, and 75 Squadrons, was officially disbanded on 13 December 2001. A political group called "Save Our Squadrons" was formed to protest the move, and took high court action to prevent it. Unsurprisingly the court action was not successful. The New Zealand National Party promised to re-establish an air combat force if was re-elected, although recent statements from their defence spokesperson have suggested the cost to do so might be prohibitive.
[edit] Media
A Squadron History by Norman Franks was published in the 1990s, titled Forever Strong (a translation of the squadron's Maori motto, Ake Ake Kia Kaha). A pictorial history of the final days of 2, 14 and 75 Squadron has been published, as has a children's book about a Skyhawk serving with the squadron. Aircraft of the Squadron featured in the film Sleeping Dogs and the Disney movie The Rescue.
The National Archives schools web-site features an interview with Gordon Ford, a British wireless operator who served with 75 Squadron.[1]
[edit] Preserved aircraft
A Vampire FB Mk.5 in 75 Squadron colours is at the Museum of Transport and Technology (MoTaT) in Auckland together with a de Havilland Mosquito formerly used by the squadron, which is under restoration. Also at MoTAT is an ex-French Avro Lancaster wearing 75 squadron colours on one side, and the colours of an RAF squadron with New Zealand aircrew on the other side. A Kahu Skyhawk preserved at Ohakea also carries 75 Squadron colours on one side, the other being in 2 Squadron colours. This is the authentic scheme used by later RNZAF aircraft to simplify rotation of aircraft between the squadrons - although the aircraft itself is a new machine assembled from spares, and never saw service. Another Skyhawk in 75 Squadron colours is preserved (in an early colour scheme, circa the mid 1970s) at the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum at Wigram - again not an actual RNZAF aircraft, but rather an early model Skyhawk converted to A4K standard for display alongside a De Havilland Vampire in 75 Squadron colours. A private US flight training firm began negotiations to purchase the 17 surviving A4K aircraft in September 2005. The firm is required to remove national markings, but intended to retain the squadron badges and colour schemes "to preserve the traditions of the RNZAF". The purchase had still not been completed two years later and the aircraft remained in storage at RNZAF Base Woodbourne.
[edit] A note on New Zealand squadrons in the RAF
It is now largely accepted that World War II squadrons of the Royal Air Force manned by pilots of the Royal New Zealand Air Force are recorded by the formulation 488(NZ) Squadron RAF, but some authors (e.g. Bill Gunston) have used the formulation 488 squadron RNZAF. At the time, New Zealand was part of the British Empire, and its citizens simultaneously New Zealanders and British. Contemporaneous documents sometimes refer to the squadron as an RAF squadron and as an RNZAF squadron within the same document, not only because no contradiction was perceived, but because there was no contradiction. Between 1939 and 1941 the RNZAF could be argued to have seen its role as training pilots for the New Zealand squadrons of the RAF, just as New Zealanders prior to the onset of war served not with the Royal New Zealand Navy but with the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. This changed later in the war when Britain stopped segregating airmen by nationality into 'bracket' squadrons and instead created squadrons of airmen mixed from Commonwealth and other allied nations, while the RNZAF developed a large combat arm equipped under lend lease by the United States controlled by the New Zealand Government and actively fighting in the South Pacific.
[edit] Bibliography
- Norman L. R Franks Forever strong: The story of 75 Squadron RNZAF, 1916-1990, Random Century 1991. ISBN 978-1869411022
