FLIGHT-LIEUTENANT G.R. BRABYN
Royal New Zealand Air Force
History of the Mosquito in RNZAF service
All images Crown Copyright.
At the end of the Second World War, British
industry was left with a huge capacity to produce aircraft which the RAF no
longer required. Consequently the fate of many aircraft produced by the great
wartime factories in the immediate post-war period was dispersal to maintenance
units and storage before scrapping, often with test and delivery flying hours
only.
In fact of Mosquito production contracts
secured by de Havillands before VJ day, something like 878 aircraft were cancelled.
Despite this production in many contracts continued and a large number of new
Mosquitoes became surplus to Air Ministry requirements. Consequently efforts
were made to dispose of the aircraft with a price tag of around 5,000 pounds
sterling each including spares.
With the coming of the jet age the RNZAF
desired interim British replacements for its predominately American wartime
aircraft that would carry them through until the new generation of jet aircraft
were available. With the Mustangs cancelled in 1945 carrying a price tag of
around US$65,000 each, the attractiveness of the available Mosquitoes was
obvious.
So in July 1946 the RNZAF ordered eighty
Mosquito FB6 aircraft from the Air Ministry. The aircraft were intended, as the
Minister of Defence at the time announced, to be "sufficient for three
squadrons with attrition reserves for five years at normal rates".
Officially 30 of the aircraft were new with the remainder having
"relatively slight use".
To prepare the crews who were to ferry the aircraft
to NZ, the RNZAF purchased four ex RAAF T3 Mosquitoes - A52-1003 (NZ2304), 1005
(NZ2303), 1006 (NZ2302) and 1015 (NZ2301. These aircraft were from a batch
built by de Havillands at Leavesden, UK between June 1942 and June 1944 and
shipped disassembled to Australia. They were then reassembled by de Havilland
Australia and the RAAF. The first three were with 5 Operational Training unit,
RAAF, whilst 1015s Australian history is not known at present.
These aircraft were flown across the Tasman
by RNZAF crews (led by Squadron Leader R McKay) on the 7th and 8th November
1946. Their escort for the flight (Brisbane to Norfolk Island to Whenuapai -
overnighting at Norfolk) was RAAF Lincoln A73-1. All landed safely at Wheunapai
(still in their RAAF markings) and continued on to Ohakea except A52-1005 which
remained at Wheunapai with a mechanical fault, finally reaching Ohakea on the
11th November1946.
The first of the ex RAAF
T3 trainers arrives at Ohakea
Beginning on the 11th November the aircraft
were given 80 hour inspections. Two aircraft were declared unserviceable
because of woodwork faults. One was repaired but NZ2301 (A52-1015) never flew
again and was later reduced to spares. (NZ2302 was put into storage in July
1947).
The first Mosquito conversion course began
on the 19th November 1946 and trained crews for the forthcoming ferry of the
RAF aircraft. The course was completed on the 8th January 1947 with the first
of the crews departing three days later in a 41 Squadron Dakota for the United
Kingdom.
On the 23rd January, the first
four of the RAF Mosquitoes arrived with RAF crews (NZ2321 to NZ2324) after
leaving the RAF ferry base at Pershore, UK on the 13th December
1946. Deliveries of all RAF Mosquitoes were to be completed by August 1947 – a
futile hope as things eventuated.
Most of the FB6 aircraft came from RAF
Maintenance Units with about 36 having been used by Squadrons, Operational
Training Units or other flying units. Of the total, 48 were built by Standard
Motors at Canley, 29 by De Havillands at Hatfield and 3 by Airspeed at
Christchurch.
Early Mosquito service received a temporary
setback in February 1947 with all aircraft grounded briefly when a crack was
found in the main plane of NZ2304. March saw the arrival of three more RAF
Mosquitoes (one had arrived in February) and in April the first two (NZ2305 and
NZ2306) of four RAAF T43 Mosquitoes arrived with the other two (NZ2307,
NZ2308) crossing the Tasman in June 1947 (setting a crossing record of four
hours).
On the 10th April 1947 the public had their
first taste of Mosquito power when Flight Lieutenant Brabyn of 75
Squadron gave an aerobatics display at the Waipukurau Aero Club pageant. Nine
days later the second Mosquito conversion course began with attention from a
National Film Unit cameraman. The delivery flights of the RAF aircraft
continued until December 1948 with the last (NZ2396) arriving at Ohakea on the
7th.
Re arming during exercise
"Hardtack" at Kaitaia Airfield
Several aircraft suffered mishaps on the
long ferry flight. PZ375 was advised overdue over the Arabian sea between
Karachi and Santa Cruz on the 27th August 1947. Two days later wreckage of a
wing tip was spotted by an RAF Dakota. A search by a Pakistani sloop found no
trace of aircraft or crew.
TE746 piloted by Wing Commander B R Hoare
(RAF) was lost in a tropical storm in the Gulf of Carpenteria on the 26th March
1947 when the aircraft crashed into the shallows just off the northern tip of
Sydney Island, killing both crew. The aircraft had an unserviceable radio and
appears to have crashed whilst letting down below cloud to determine its
position. The wreckage was found on the 3rd April. PZ196 was written off at
Mingaladon, Rangoon, on the 26th November 1947 after undercarriage trouble
caused take off to be abandoned. The aircraft swung into a monsoon ditch and
caught fire. TE856 was left at Calcutta by its crew in April 1947 after burning
out an engine. It was finally delivered to NZ in December 1947 and became
NZ2374.
RS599 experienced engine failure on the
delivery leg between Malta and Fayid and force landed at RAF station El Adem on
the 25th August 1947. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Brabyn, RNZAF, was
later congratulated for his skill during this emergency. The aircraft finally
reached NZ on the 25th May 1948 to become NZ2391.
One further RAAF Mosquito came to the RNZAF
in 1946. A52-101 was a Bankstown built FB40 of the survey flight, RAAF
Fairburn, Canberra. The aircraft came to Whenuapai on an unofficial Tasman
crossing record attempt on the 18th December 1946 (it succeeded in 3 hours 48
mins averaging 400mph). Two days later it was damaged when the undercarriage
failed on landing at Ohakea. After repairs by the RNZAF in January/February
1947 the aircraft was purchased from the Australian Government in May for 50
pounds with a total airframe time of 170 hours and 30 minutes. It became NZ2320
but because of its unique configuration it saw little, if any, RNZAF service
before being finally reduced to produce in May 1950.
14 Squadron was reformed at Ohakea with an
initial equipment of four Mosquitoes. It appears that 14 squadron was intended
to be a full fighter-bomber squadron like 75 squadron but the serious shortage
of technical and ground crew in the RNZAF at the time precluded this
eventuality. The Squadron reverted to a multi-engine conversion unit equipped
with Oxfords in mid 1949.
75 squadron’s Mosquito operations had also
been affected by the RNZAF's post war staffing problems. Despite the arrival of
200 cases of ground handling equipment in September 1947, late 1947 to early
1948 was noted for poor aircraft serviceability through a serious shortage of
spares and ground crew. The situation improved by February 1948 with a better
flow of spares and the arrival of eight RAF ground crew, but apart from the
aircraft which went into storage with no RNZAF service, the shortage was to
lead to the frequent mothballing of serving individual aircraft.
75 Squadron used Mosquitoes on a variety of
tasks typical of a peacetime role. Aircraft from the Squadron were engaged in
exercises with the Navy ship "Bellona" In November and December 1947,
May and October 1948 with dummy bombing and torpedo attacks to provide
experience for the ships gun crews.
In March 1949 Mosquitoes provided a dummy
attack on the three ship Royal New Zealand Naval Squadron. Meteorological
flights were conducted in April1948 at 28,000 feet, and again in
January 1949 with cosmic ray research apparatus installed. The aircraft were
required to fly precise tracks at intervals of 5,000 feet up to a ceiling of
35,000feet (although the maximum flown was in fact 30,000 feet).
Taxying out at Ohakea for
exercise "Hardtack"
Mosquitoes performed at airshows at
Waipukurau, Timaru, Masterton and Paraparaumu in 1947, Taieri in 1948,
Westport, Hastings and Hamilton in 1949, New Plymouth and Auckland in 1952. As
well Mosquito formations overflew virtually every town and city in New
Zealand.on recruiting drive displays, Battle of Britain commemorations and
station open days.
In January 1950, low level runs were made by
six aircraft over Queen St and the Epsom Showgrounds in Auckland to mark the
opening of the Empire Games.
The aircraft were also involved in several
search and rescue operations during their five year service. One such operation
was the crash on Mount Ruapehu of the NAC Electra "Kaka' . Mosquitoes from
75 Squadron searched for the missing aircraft over a five day period and later
dropped supplies to the rescue parties.
The squadron's Mosquitoes were also able to claim the sinking of two ships. Operation "scuttle" was conducted on the 26th June 1950 in co-operation with the Marine Department. The old barque "Lutterworth" was sunk by 4 aircraft using 60lb HE rockets and 250lb HE. bombs. The operation lasted 15 minutes from attack beginning to sinking and was filmed by the National Film Unit in a 5th Mosquito.
Operation "Scuttle Two" on the
24th January 1952 gave the squadron another opportunity to display their
training skills. The former ferry "Arahura" was attacked by seven
Mosquitoes armed with rockets whilst an eighth carried a national film unit
cameraman once again. With a 60% rocket "hit" rate the ship sunk 35
minutes after the attacks began.
On two occasions squadron Mosquitoes
ventured overseas, although only to Fiji and Tonga in reinforcement exercises.
The first was a deployment of two aircraft NZ2323 and NZ2325, to Nausori for
two weeks in May 1950. The aircraft performed displays at Nausori, Lauthala,
Suva and Navua as well as a flyover at Tonga.
Three Mosquitoes returned to Fiji in late
august 1950 carrying out cannon and rocket attacks on Sandy Island at Suva. A
brief stopover at Tonga in early September was included to satisfy local
officials who had been more than enthusiastic about the previous Mosquito
"flyover" in May, as witnessed in the Tongan press at the time. The
aircraft returned to Ohakea on the 8th September in a flight time of 6.5 hours.
Servicing at Nausori
during the deployment to Fiji
In early 1951 a national state of emergency was
declared because of the wharf strike and virtually the entire complement of 75
Squadron was seconded to operation "Airwharf" at Wellington and New
Plymouth docks. As a consequence all flying ceased from the 23rd February 1951.
Apart from engine run-ups one test flight in April and two in early July,
normal flying did not begin again until the end of the "Airwharf'
detachment on the 13th July 1951 with a rocket attack on Taieri airfield and
the resulting "destruction" of three Mustangs and a Harvard.
In phase two of the operation on the 9th
December the "Southern" forces retaliated when a force of Mustangs
and Harvards evaded seven Mosquitoes patrolling at 10,000 feet and
"attacked" Ohakea.
The swansong of the RNZAF’s Mosquitoes was a
deployment of seven aircraft to Kaitiaia airfield on the 3rd March 1952 for
operation "Hardtack". The exercise was a deployment to a
"forward" airfield and squadron personnel lived under canvas for the
two week duration with all servicing carried out in the open. The crews did
local familiarization cross country and display flying as well as a
"scramble" for Movietone news.
The squadron returned to Ohakea on the 18th
and on the 29th six aircraft provided a display at an Ohakea open day in what
was to be the last act of service by the RNZAF's Mosquitoes.
On the 9th April 1952 orders were sent by
RNZAF headquarters in Wellington advising that there was to be no further
training on Mosquito aircraft as the time had come to replace them, with a
"small reserve" of Mosquitoes to be kept as "potential strike
aircraft." 75 squadron crews were to be attached forthwith to 14 squadron
for conversion to Vampires.
On the 17th April an order was sent to 75
Squadron to move all serviceable Mosquitoes to Woodbourne and follow with
others that could be made serviceable with minimum effort. Consequently six
aircraft were flown to Woodbourne on the 21st April1952 with two more the
following day and the last serviceable squadron aircraft, NZ2306, on the 24th.
Disposal of Mosquitoes by the Government
Stores Board had begun in February 1952 with seven wingless fuselages offered
for sale at Ohakea. A second batch of 16 engineless Mosquitoes at Woodbourne
was tendered in November. Further batches of aircraft and spares were offered
for tender in January and April 1953, February and October 1954, August 1955
and May 1956 (with this last batch of 16 aircraft the same as those tendered in
August 1955 i.e. re-tendered). Indicative of the use made of the Mosquitoes was
that in the second batch tendered in November 1952, the average airframe time
was 71 hours, little more than delivery time in virtually all cases.
Some difficulty arose with the sale of
Mosquitoes to Aircraft Supplies of Palmerston North who purchased 19 aircraft
in 1953. The company brought the aircraft on behalf of Transworld Engineering
Corporation of Burbank, California who were supposedly to use them for high
altitude aerial mapping and surveying (with new 2 stage, 2 speed Merlin engines
to give an operating altitude of 50,000 feet!)
Long term storage at
Woodbourne was the fate of fhe majority of the Mosquitoes purchased
However Aircraft Supplies went into
liquidation in December 1955 and the receivers were instructed by the American
firm to sell the aircraft. A Member of Parliament at the time, Mr Hayman, who
had conducted a campaign to have a Mosquito preserved as an historical item by
the RNZAF, purchased two of the companies aircraft that remained at Woodbourne
(NZ2355 and NZ2328).
This suggestion of the RNZAF retaining an
example was officially rejected in June 1956. One wonders what the staff of the
RNZAF museum would make of that decision today!!
Six of the aircraft supplies Mosquitoes had
been entered on the civil register on the 2nd September 1953 as ZK-BCT to BCY.
NZ2384 (ZK-BCV) was flown to the USA in February 1955. The government then
stepped in and prevented the departure of the other five as rumours abounded
that they were destined for a South American air force. These five were
cancelled from the register in May 1957 and broken up for scrap at Longburn,
Palmerston North. Remnants of these aircraft were still in the area as late as
1975.
ZK-BVC became N9909F on the American civil
register owned by the Insurance Finance Corporation of Studio City, California
and based at Whiteman Park airfield. It stayed there for many years unit its
registration was cancelled in December 1970. The derelict aircraft, its
fuselage sawn in two, was purchased three years later by US Navy Pilot James
Merizan who began the massive task of restoring the aircraft. In 1984, this
aircraft was sold to the Swedish Air Force Museum but it is still in the US.
Another sale of eight aircraft to M & M
Aero Services of Hamilton, Ontario Canada for $100,000 fell through when the
Canadian government refused to give the company a re-export permit without
knowing the eventual destination of the aircraft.
The Williams brothers (ANSA Co, who were to
purchase the RNZAF Mustangs) of Upper Moutere purchased the last batch of
Mosquitoes (except NZ2336) mainly for the hydraulic fittings and wheels,
selling the engines to Cliff Horrell of Ashburton.
Three Mosquitoes (other than those purchased
by Mr Hayman, M.P.) were purchased by individuals. NZ2305 was purchased from
Ohakea by a Marton farmer, Robin Coleman in 1955. The aircraft was collected
minus engines and propellors (they were held separate from the aircraft and too
heavy to move), its outer main plane was sawn off, and the aircraft towed with
the rear fuselage on the back of a truck, to his farm on Galpins Road. The
aircraft was purchased for 25 pounds mainly for its hydraulic oil and fittings
and remained stored under a large macrocarpa tree until it was donated to MOTAT
in June 1967. Restoration work on the aircraft at MOTAT is well advanced
and it is now displayed in the hangar at the Keith Park memorial airfield.
NZ2382, the oldest of the RNZAF's FB6's (and
the only one delivered in brown green camouflage - all others arrived in light
grey/green), was purchased by Bruce Goodwin of Pigeon Bay, Christchurch in
1953. In 1968 members of the Ferrymead Aeronautical Society located the wings
and other components of this aircraft. The society also has the fuselage of
NZ2328 acquired from J Clarke of Oamaru. Also in Christchurch, Ted Packer has
the fuselage of NZ2355, wing parts of NZ2383 and components of several others
(although most of his collection has now been donated to the RNZAF Museum).
John Smith's Mosquito NZ2336
at the time of its disposal from Woodbourne
NZ2336, from the last batch of Mosquitoes
sold in 1956, was sold to John Smith of Mapua, Nelson. Although he was forced
to cut the aircraft into manageable sections at Woodbourne to facilitate
transport to Gardener's Valley, Mapua, he spliced the aircraft together again,
where it remains intact and complete inside and out in remarkable condition.
The Government Stores Board recorded at the time that he intended to retain it
as a "museum piece" and it remains today as the most complete
Mosquito in New Zealand.
http://www.integration.co.nz/aviation/RNZAFMos.htm
Prepared by Bob Dalrymple, PO Box 122, Dapto, NSW Australia 2350
eMail: bob@relativelyyours.com