KAIN’S OLD SQUADRON

Waikato Times, Volume 194, Issue 22248, 18 January 1944, Page 2

KAIN’S OLD SQUADRON

GOOD SERVICE IN ITALY MAORI AIRMAN’S SUCCESS (N.Z.E.F. omcii War Correspondent) CENTRAL ITALY, Jan. 13 Flyi*g now in Italy with the late Flying-Officer E. J. (Cobber) Kain’s old squadron is Flight-Sergeant E. M. Karatau, of Turakina, the first Maori Spitfire pilot. Since the Allied invasion of Italy he has flown dozens of sorties over landing beaches, above the front and across the Adriatic Sea in support of the Yugoslav Partisan forces. Until recently the squadron was commanded by a New Zealander, Squadron-Leader E. L. Joyce, D.F.M., of Hamilton, and he had two Maoris, Flight-Sergeant Karatau and PilotOfficer Ted Bennett, a brother of Lieutenant-Colonel Charles Bennett, former commander of the Maori Battalion. Pilot-Officer Bennett, who was the first Maori fighter pilot to join the Desert Air Force, was a night fighter pilot in Africa. He completed his tour of operations in Spitfires in Italy. Ever since Flying-Officer Kain became the Royal Air Force’s first fighter ace in this war New Zealand has always been well represented smonT this squadron’s mixed group of British and Dominions pilots. Twice in Africa it was commanded by New Zealanders, SquadronLeader Joyce in Tunisia and Squad-ron-Leader Derek Ward. D.F.C. and Bar, of North Auckland, in Libya. Notable Fliers When Squadron-Leader Ward was leading the squadron on night strafing raids the Luftwaffe’s airfields in Cyrenscia one of his most prominent young sergeantpilots was Squadron-Leader Joyce. Within a few months SquadronLeader Joyce became the leading night fighter pilot. In five nights over El Alamein he shot down three German bombers. Soon after the squadron’s total bag reached 300 in Tunisia. He returned from a training period to be the squadron’s commander at the end of the North African campaign. During the Sicilian invasion and in Southern Italy his promotion from warrant-officer to squadron-leader in less than a year was one of the most rapid known in the R.A.F. in Africa. Two other New Zealanders, one of whom is now the pilot with the longest service in the squadron, flew with Squadron-Leader Joyce , during the invasion and from airfields in Southern Italy. They are WarrantOfficer W. J. Mygind, of Pahiatua, and Flight-Sergeant John Horn, of Wellington. Both Squadron-Leader Joyce and Flight-Sergeant Horn had brothers fighting in North Island infantry battalions in the New Zealand Division. Yet another New Zealander, Flighf-Sergeant T. W. Buck>ley, of Auckland, has been with the squadron on recent offensive sweeps over Albania and Yugoslavia.