OVER 1000 AWARDS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25718, 14 December 1944, Page 4

OVER 1000 AWARDS

MINISTER'S TRIBUTE TO AIRMEN

(P.A.) WELLINGTON, Dec. 13. “The announcement of a further 18 awards to New Zealand airmen carries the total won by them in all theatres of this war to past the thousand mark,” said the Minister of Defence (Mr F. Jones) to-day. “This magnificent record of sacrifice and achievement is a tribute to the R.N.Z.A.F. in particular and to the whole of the Dominion’s fighting services in general. Throughout five years and a-quarter ol war their deeds have been of a quality in which we take the greatest pride and for which their country must ever be grateful.” . , The Minister said the Allied air power was now supreme, and the contrast between this and the earlier years of the war did not need emphasis. New Zealanders had played a part in the dark days, as there were 500 of them in the H.A.F. at the outbreak of war. 'ln all, 11.529 men had left New Zealand fully or partly trained for flying duties. Of these, 7511 had gone through the Empire air training scheme in Canada. There was still a tremendous job to be done in the Pacific, the Minister said, and it could not be said that the end of the war was round the corner. Because of the way New Zealanders had fought, however, the position in the Pacific was much better than we had a right to expect two or three years ago. Mr Jones said that a total of 26 New Zealand airmen had received three or more decorations, and there were six who had won four decorations. Thirty members of the R.N.Z.A.F. and 24 New Zealanders serving with the R.A.F, had won the D. 5.0., and one had a bar to it. A total of 474 members of the R.N.Z.A.F. and 143 New Zealanders in the R.A.F. had received the D.F.C., 53 had been awarded a bar, and two had a second bar; 168 New Zealanders had received the D.F.M., 50 had been awarded the A.F.C., and 12 the B.E.M. There were also five C.GjM.’s, one M.C., five G.M.’s, two M.M.’s, and four A.F.M.’s, making a total of 1013. Ten New Zealanders held the American D.F.C. and nine the U.S. Air Medal. There were also 13 awards from Poland, France, Belgium, Russia, Jugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Norway. Twenty-one British Empire honours had also been conferred upon New Zealanders, and 170 airmen had been mentioned in despatches.