PACIFIC “HOTSPOTS”

Otago Daily Times, Issue 25798, 20 March 1945, Page 6

PACIFIC “HOTSPOTS”

REGULAR ATTACKS BY VENTURAS NEW ZEALAND TASK FORCE (R.N.Z.A.F. Official News Service) GREEN ISLAND, Mar. 10. Operating from Green Island, New Zealand Air Task Force Venturas and American Mitchells are regularly attacking Japanese strongholds on New Britain, New Ireland and Bougainville. Anti-aircraft fire is experienced fairly generally over all three islands and in some of the known “hotspots,” light, medium and heavy fire is both intense and accurate. On several occasions within recent weeks bombers have been holed, crews have been wounded and sometimes aircraft have been forced to*" ditch.” In the last-mentioned cases, the justly famous American " Black Cats ” have done a sterling job. These Catalina flying boats, painted black for night work, are nearly always circling nearby while an attack is on and a pilot, when he is hit and realises he will have to abandon his .aircraft, makes instinctively for the sea, where he knows the flying boat will be waiting to make the rescue. The New. Zealand Ventura squadron operating from Green Island contains many aircrew members with a wide experience of bombing sorties, both in the Pacific and in the United Kingdom and Middle East. Squadron Leader D. B. Collie, of Invercargill, was previously with the R.A.F. Coastal Command and since has served in Fiji and at Munda in the Pacific. Squadron Leader D. S. Hamilton, of Christchurch, another flight commander, has also had previous experience in the Pacific. Other squadron members on their third Pacific tour include Flight Lieutenant D. W. Riddler (Timaru), Flight Lieutenant W. M. Golden (Auckland), Flight Lieutenant W. J. Monks (Dannevirke), who piloted one of the first Hudsons to land on Guadalcanal', Flight Lieutenant C. Bromley (Auckland), who is the navigation leader, Flight Lieutenant L. Dyer (Hastings), Pilot Officer E. Miller (Whangarei) and Pilot Officer R. G. Vaughen (Hastings), who has flown for three years as wireless operator with the same pilot. Flight Lieutenant Golden. The squadron gunnery leader is Flight Lieutenant K. Bevan, of Levin, who has flown in England and the Middle East. Another who has served in England on Wellingtons and is (tow on his second Pacific tour is Pilot Officer D W Grindle, of Geraldine. Flight Lieutenant H. R. Dean, of Waipukurau, has a record which is probably unique in the R.N.Z.A.F. He joined the squadron as an aircraftman, second class, and has remained with the same squadron for four years, now being on his second Pacific tour. Flight Lieutenant B. Glanville, of Christchurch, one of the pilots, has had previous experience in the area with a New Zealand Dauntless Divebomber Squadron, before transferring to Venturas. These are some of the men who are relentlessly attacking the Japanese, whose bases lie on three sides of them. Their aircraft are carrying bomb loads in excess of what the original Flying Fortresses carried—anything up to 3950 pounds of bombs and depth charges—and they were dropping their loads where they will be least appreciated by the enemy.