ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE

Camp News, Volume 1, Issue 42, 27 September 1940, Page 7

ROYAL NEW ZEALAND AIR FORCE

Rapid Development FROM LAST GREAT WAR TO THIS . t "New Zealand was a genuine pioneer in the matter of military aviation,” declared Squadron Leader T. W. White, commanding officer of the Royal New Zealand Air Force station at Rongotai, in an address recently on “The History of the New Zealand Air Force.” . “Away back in 1912,” he said, “Gene ral Godley reported that preliminary arrangements had been made for the training of officers and n.c.o.’s in flying., Lieutenant Burn went to Upavon for training, and was eventually reported missing in Mesopotamia. Deathless fame was won by many •of our men who were in the front rank of the war aces. “After the war, there came the startling offer of 100 gift planes from the British Government, but problems of expenditure -and organization proved difficult.. Early in 1921, however, 33 gift planes did» arrive here. An Air Board was then in being, with Captain T. M. Wilkes as secretary. Looking back, it is remarkable how accur - ate were the forecasts of that time as to what would be needed for our defence purposes. “In the Defence Report of 1922. the modest beginnings of an identifiable aviation corps made their first appearance. This reads oddly nowadays. In the list of the strength of the New Zealand Permanent Forces there are these items: Aviation : Two . officers, two other ranks.

The Banner Year. • “But 1923 was the banner year, foi then the New Zealand Permanent Ait Force became an individual unit in the forces, and the first official air bast was established at Wigram, 16 years after Sir Henry Wigram’s first pro phecy. The next ten years show pro gress, but it was spasmodic. Still great work .was done by air force pilots, flying in all weathers and landing on lonely beaches during the Murchison earthquake. That was in 1929, and two years later splendid work was done again in the Hawke’s Bay disaster. “It is certain that the visit of Group Captain the Hon. R. A. Cochrane. A.F.C., R.A.F., was a ' milestone in the advance of oui Air Forces. He came to New Zealand in November, 1936, and formulated a for ward policy which the Government vigorously implemented. He was retained as the first Chief of the Air Staff, and swift action became general. The expenditure on Air Force development in less than two years was greater than the total previous expendi-

ture on aviation in all the years from the beginning. z ‘•The work in aerodrome construction was little short of amazing; records in earth shifting ' were made and broken every day. Modern hangars were constructed. some of them equal to anything in the world. A factory was established for the' production of training aeroplanes. A large Air Force Reserve of men was created. An adequate stock of bombs was made available. The Railway Workshops scheme for training flight mechanics and flight riggers was in active, operation. New Zealanders’ Attitude. "In the last Great War. over 700 New .Zealand airmen took part. New Zea-

landers, then, as now, definitely showed that they , have a special aptitude for aerial warfare. . New Zealanders have taken part in almost every important air operation since the war began—the first raids on Keil and Wilhelmshaven, the long-distance leaflet raids to Prague and Vienna, the nine-hour raid on Sylt, and lately the long-distance raids over Germany, and occupied France, Norway and other occupied territories. A reconnaissance flight over Norway by a New Zealand crew was the longest 'flight of the first year of the war, no less than 2000 miles on its outward and homeward journey. “It is only years of planning that

have enabled us to do everything asked by Britain. The air expansion scheme of 1937 was so capable of expansion, and so well devised that New Zealand is able to participate in the Empire training scheme with full effectiveness. By January of next year, that is to say in less than six months from now. New Zealand will have a peak output of 2882 pilots, observers and air gunners; 880 of these will be fully trained here and 2002 will be partially trained and sent to Canada for advance work.”