No 3 Squadron RNZAF
3 SQUADRON RNZAF
Motto
KIMIHIA KA PATU
SEEK OUT AND DESTROY
HISTORY
Formed, April 1941
Disbanded, June 1945
Reformed, 1 May 1965
C. O. s
S/L, Monkton. C. L. RNZAF, April 1941 to April 1942
S/L, Bray. J. W. H. RNZAF, April 1942 to September 1942
OBE
S/L, Fisher. G. H. RNZAF, September 1942 to July 1943
S/L, Busch. J. J. RNZAF, July 1943 to November 1943
S/L, Greenaway. A. B. RNZAF, December 1943 to January 1944
OBE
W/C, Morrison. I. G. RNZAF, February 1944 to June 1945
Re-Formed
S/L, Huchins. I. A. RNZAF, May 1965 to September 1965
S/L, Cranfield. W. J. RNZAF, September 1965 to December 1965
W/C, Siegert. C. L. RNZAF, December 1965 to November 1966
DFC
BASES
Harewood, Christchurch April 1941 to February 1942
Whenuapai, Auckland February 1942 to October 1942
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 15 October 1942 to 6 December 1942
Kukum Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 6 December 1942 to 23 October 1943
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides 23 October 1943 to January 1944
N Z January 1944 to May 1944
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo,New Hebrides, May 1944 to July 1944
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands July 1944 to August 1944
Piva U, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, August 1944 to October 1944
North & South Fields, Emirau, St Mathis Group 12 October 1944 to November 1944
N Z November 1944 to February 1945
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 9 February 1945 to March 1945
Nissan Island, Green Islands, Solomon Islands, March 1945 to 5 June 1945
Jacquinot Bay, New Britain, Bismark Archipelago 5 June 1945 to 26 June 1945
Hbsonville, Auckland May 1965 to
Whenuapai, Auckland May 1965
Aircraft Types
[Ex Ohakea Museum]
Vildebeestes April 1941 to January 1942
Baffins April 1941 to January 1942
[Ex Ohakea Museum]
Vincents April 1941 to January 1942
[Ex Ohakea Museum]
Hudson January 1942 to 1944
Ventura 1944 to June 1945
Auster AOP 1 May 1965 to
Bristol Freighter 1 May 1965 to
Sioux 1 May 1965 to
Iroquois 1 May 1965 to 1 July 2015
Wasp 1 May 1965 to
Augusta A109
NH 90 1 July 2015
CODE LETTERS
Whenuapai 1942 J V
ROLES
General Reconnaissance April 1941 to 1942
Bomber Reconnaissance 1942 to June 1945
Battle Field Support 1 May 1965
EFFORTS
Hours Flown
Sorties
Destroyed 1 [2 On Ground ]
Probable [1 On Ground ]
Damaged
Bombs Tons
Subs Sunk 1 3 April 1943
Damaged 1 2 December 1942
Barges Sunk 3 February 1943
ROLE OF HONOUR
F/L, Allison. W. G. C. 24 July 1943
F/L, Mc Cogmick. M. W. 5 June 1943
F/L, Rutherford. W. O. 7 July 1943
No 3 Squadron, like 1 and 2 Squadrons, started life as a Territorial Unit of the NZ Permanent Air Force, based in Christchurch, in 1930.
The pilots in the Squadron did their annual flying using aircraft Stationed at Wigram, until 1938, when the Squadron received their first aircraft, Blackburn Baffins,
At the outbreak of war in September 1939, the Squadron also received some Vickers Vincents and Vildebeests, and was tasked with protecting shipping entering or leaving Lyttelton Harbour.
In April 1941 the Territorial Squadrons were amalgamated to form NZ General Reconnaissance Squadron at Whenuapai.
A New Squadron was formed at Wigram, using the same aircraft that the Territorial Squadron had u,sed.
January 1942 saw the Squadron re-equip with Lockheed Hudsons, and on 9th October 1942 the Squadrons was moved to Palikulo Bay on Espiritu Santo Island.
By the 16th October they were operational, and on 23 November 1942 they became the first RNZAF Squadron deployed to the front line at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal Island.
This was a flight of 6 aircraft and 8 crews, a small ground crew team had been shipped in 2 days earlier to set up a camp in a jungle clad gully close to Henderson Field.
This airfield, by this time was crowded as the second bomber airfield had not been complete, the Squadron joined the other 64 fighters, 5 heavy bombers, and 34 dive and torpedo bombers on the airfield.
The Squadron was attached to the Search and Patrol Group, conducting daily and nightly searches off the approaches to Guadalcanal and daily low level searched along the coastlines of Islands that may be used as Japanese staging posts.
They replaced the US dive bombers and long range heavy bombers in their role, allowing them to do their designed jobs.
Although usually armed with 4 x 500 lb bombs, the crews were informed that their job was to report enemy movements, not go looking for trouble.
Although being lightly armed, a Hudson, flown by F/O Gudsell, twice fought off the attacks from 3 Japanese Zero’s, for which he was awarded the US Air Medal.
After the defeat of the Japanese fleet at the Batle of Guadalcanal in the middle of November 1943, the chief concern of the US Command was to get advance warning of the convoys of the “Tokyo Express” so the US Bombers could attack them before they reached Cape Esperance.
To get the maximum cover from darkness the ships left the Shortland Area in the Northern Solomons about noon, they would pass down
”The Slot” in the early afternoon. They were observed by the Coast Watchers on Vella Lavella and Choiseul Islands, whose reports were of immense importance,
Warnings were radioed to Gudalcanal, and if received early enough, and the weather favourable, the bombers had a chance to attack them before nightfall.
The air observation supplemented the Coast Watchers and covered areas to the North and West of Guadalcanal.
A move to Kukum Field, on Guadalcanal Island lasted until October 1943, when they were moved to Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo again.
In January 1944, the Squadron returned to NZ for rest and recuperation until May 1944, when they again returned to Guadalcanal and re-equipped with Lockheed Ventura aircraft, and advanced to Piva U, on Bougainville Island, flying patrols against Japanese shipping and ground targets.
No 4 Squadron relieved them in November 1944 for another short period of rest and recuperation in NZ. This lasted until February 1945, when they spent February and March on Guadalcanal before deploying to Nissan Island, Green Islands until disbanding in June 1945.
On 1 May 1965, the Squadron was reformed as a Battle Field Support Squadron, operating Bristol Freighters from Whenuapai, Auster AOP’s from Hobsonville, and becoming a dedicated helicopter Squadron with the Bell Sioux’s and Iroquois from Hobsonville, and the Naval Support Flight flying the Wasps and later Seasprites from various RNZN Ships.
This Naval duty was passed to No 6 Squadron in 2005.
The pilots from the Squadron flew in Vietnam with the US Helicopter Squadrons, Peace Keeping duties in the Sinai as well as East Timor,
And for many years they maintained a flight of Iroquois at Singapore, to support the NZ Army and combat Indonesian insurgents.
Detachments have also recently served in the Solomon Islands and Antarctica.
Today, the Iroquois have been replaced with 5 Augusta A109 LUH’s [one as a source of spare parts, or a replacement airframe], primarily in the training role,for pilots converting from fixed wing aircraft to rotary wing.
3 more were purchased to bring the number up to 8.
Eight NH 90’s to support the NZ Army, Police, NZ Department of Conservation, Search and Rescue, VIP Duties, and heavy lifting
with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner
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