No. 25 Squadron RNZAF
Encyclopedia
No. 25 Squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force
was formed at Seagrove, Auckland in July 1943 with Douglas SBD Dauntless
dive bomber
s and served in the Southern Pacific based at the Piva Airstrip on Bougainville, flying missions against Japanese forces on Bougainville and at Rabaul. It was disbanded in May 1944 and reformed as a fighter/ground attack squadron flying F4U Corsair
s. It served in Santo, Guadalcanal, Los Negros and Emirau, before returning to New Zealand and being disbanded in September 1945. A SBD-4 Dauntless operated by 25 Squadron was for a time preserved in the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum
at Wigram
, displayed in the condition which it was recovered after being lost with its crew while on a training mission at Espiritu Santo. One of the SBD-5 aircraft operated by 25 Squadron has been restored to flying condition in America for the "Planes of Fame" museum, in the colour scheme of an American aircraft.
The commanding officer was Squadron Leader Theodore Jasper MacLean de Lange (born Simla
16 June 1914, died Rotorua
4 July 2005), a burly and moustachioed figure who later became the Air Member for Personnel. He became a CBE in 1965 and retired in February 1966.
Other members of the squadron were mostly from the army co-operation and anti-aircraft units, with an average age of 23 years, although at least one pilot (Leslie McLellan-Symonds b. 1911) was older than de Lange.
The initial supply of aircraft was nine SBD-3 aircraft from MAG-14. These machines were reputed to be veterans of the earlier Pacific battles and were in poor condition.
For the next few months the crews trained while the maintenance personnel struggled to keep the aircraft flying, requesting and receiving several more SBD-3 (and later SBD-4) machines from the Americans to maintain operational numbers. The aeroplanes were operated in their original USMC markings with squadron numbers painted on, until being "brought on charge" in November 1943.
On completion of initial training, the squadron celebrated by flying eighteen aeroplanes over Auckland
just before luncheon on 6 January 1944, to the great interest of the civilian population.
to Espiritu Santo
for further training with American units. A further supply of eighteen SBD-4 aircraft were awaiting them, but these were almost as decrepit as the machines they had left behind in New Zealand. Nevertheless, the squadron was able to complete training in gunnery, dive-bombing and formation flying. It was during this training period that NZ5037 went missing with both crew members while on a practice Beam Approach. Despite extensive searches no trace of the 'plane or its crew was found. NZ5037 remained lost in the jungle until 1987 when it was located and returned to New Zealand by 3 Squadron
.
The squadron finally received eighteen new SBD-5 aircraft in February 1944. The intention was to deploy the squadron immediately at Piva airstrip on the island of Bougainville
, but due to the tenuous state of the Allied beach-head on the island, deployment was delayed until the risk of shelling on the Piva airstrip had reduced.
on 22 March, escorted by four Ventura
s and one C-47 from 40 Squadron. A Catalina
from 6 Squadron
stood by at Halavo in the Florida Islands
as a safety aircraft.
At Guadalcanal NZ5055, piloted by F/O Bruce Graham, swerved on landing at Henderson Field and collided with an oil-drum. The 'plane was written off.
From Henderson Field the squadron flew to Piva on 23 January. While in transit, the gunner in NZ5063 inadvertently fired his stowed machine-guns
and caused considerable damage to the fuselage. The guns were not supposed to be able to be fired while pointed at any part of the aircraft.
Upon landing at Piva, the New Zealanders found themselves on a narrow beach-head, with Japanese forces shelling and attacking the perimeter.
The first mission flown from Piva was an artillery-spotting exercise undertaken by MacLean de Lange and his gunner at 0615 on 24 March. Over the course of the day, the squadron flew three more sorties against the Japanese. So close were the enemy, that during one of these raids, ground crew on the airstrip were able to watch the pilots drop their bombs.
.
In addition, dozens of artillery pieces were destroyed and considerable damage caused to airfields and other military property.
NZ5055 crashed and was written-off at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on March 22nd.
NZ5054 and NZ5059 crashed and burned on landing at Piva on April 2nd after a strike when their "hung-up" bombs jolted loose and exploded.
NZ5058 was written off due to damage received over Rabaul on April 17th.
, New Zealand on 13 September 1943 and crashed and burned with the loss of P/O William McJannet and Sgt Douglas Cairns.
familiarisation flight. The aircraft went missing in the cloud covered hills around the area and despite extensive searches the wreckage was not found until 1987.
. It has never been established how or where his flight ended, although the most likely scenario is that he ditched or bailed out near the Tanga Islands. McLellan-Symonds was later captured and shot in the left thigh by the Japanese and transported to Rabaul, where he was interned at Tunnel Hill Road. McLellan-Symonds' last days were described by one of his fellow prisoners, Jose Holguin, in his testimonial written in 1948, reproduced in part below.
"A prisoner of war known to me only as Simmons arrived at Tunnel Hill Prisoner of War Camp in April 1944. He was suffering from a leg wound on his left thigh. I and other prisoners of war provided Simmons with first aid treatment by tearing our shirts into bandages. However, because of the lack of medical attention shown Simmons by the camp authorities, who did nothing to improve his condition, he became delirious and did not know his whereabouts or condition. This was after our removal from the Tunnel Hill prisoner of war camp cave on or about 15 March 1944, to a prison shack which we occupied after our removal from and near to the Tunnel Hill prisoner of war camp cave. Simmons would crawl towards the locked door and say, "Hurry, we will be late, the car is waiting and everything is all set". We would carry him back to his spot on the floor whenever he would escape our attention. After repeated requests were made by myself and the other prisoners of war, Chief Medical Orderly Oyamada came to the prison shack and after looking at Simmons, said that Simmons needed a blood transfusion and an operation to remove a bullet which was embedded in his thigh, but that it would be impossible to give such aid to Simmons without orders from Doctor Fusitita or Colonel Kikuchi. Simmons died on 28 May 1944 and to the best of my knowledge, the cause of his death was attributed to a lack of proper medical attention or treatment which he should have received and which developed into blood poisoning, thereby resulting in his death. I believe that Simmons was a member of the New Zealand Air Force, and had been shot down by the Japanese on or about 20 April 1944. in the vicinity of Bougainville, Solomon Islands."
Franklin Mint has produced a cast-metal model of NZ5050 but it is painted in "jungle camouflage". In fact, all SBD-5s operated by 25 Squadron were painted in the USN "three-colour scheme" of sea-blue upper surfaces, intermediate blue sides and white undersurfaces.
Detailed and well-researched colour-schemes can be seen on Peter Mossong's website http://rnzaf.hobbyvista.com/.
where the aircraft were returned to American ownership, reportedly in "as new" condition. The squadron personnel were flown to Whenuapai the following day.
25 Squadron was disbanded and reformed, with a new commanding officer, as a fighter-bomber squadron equipped with F4U Corsair
s (F4U-1s and F4U-1Ds). Several pilots transferred to the new squadron, including Graham Howie who was killed on take-off when his engine failed and he crashed into the jungle on 13 June 1945.
SBD-5s operated from Piva were handed back to USMC in May 1944. One of these is now flown by "Planes of Fame" museum; the only surviving RNZAF SBD apart from the wrecks of NZ5037, and NZ5021, whose whereabouts is unknown.
SBD-3 and SBD-4s operated in New Zealand were initially stored at Hobsonville, then sold in the late 1940's as scrap.
Royal New Zealand Air Force
The Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
was formed at Seagrove, Auckland in July 1943 with Douglas SBD Dauntless
SBD Dauntless
The Douglas SBD Dauntless was a naval dive bomber made by Douglas during World War II. The SBD was the United States Navy's main dive bomber from mid-1940 until late 1943, when it was largely replaced by the SB2C Helldiver...
dive bomber
Dive bomber
A dive bomber is a bomber aircraft that dives directly at its targets in order to provide greater accuracy for the bomb it drops. Diving towards the target reduces the distance the bomb has to fall, which is the primary factor in determining the accuracy of the drop...
s and served in the Southern Pacific based at the Piva Airstrip on Bougainville, flying missions against Japanese forces on Bougainville and at Rabaul. It was disbanded in May 1944 and reformed as a fighter/ground attack squadron flying F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
s. It served in Santo, Guadalcanal, Los Negros and Emirau, before returning to New Zealand and being disbanded in September 1945. A SBD-4 Dauntless operated by 25 Squadron was for a time preserved in the Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum
Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum
The Royal New Zealand Air Force Museum or Air Force Museum of New Zealand as it is now known, is an air force museum located located at Wigram, the RNZAF's first operational base, in Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand...
at Wigram
Wigram
Wigram is a suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. Technically called Wigram Park, the second half of its name is rarely if ever heard. The suburb lies close to the industrial estates of Sockburn and the satellite retail and residential zone of Hornby...
, displayed in the condition which it was recovered after being lost with its crew while on a training mission at Espiritu Santo. One of the SBD-5 aircraft operated by 25 Squadron has been restored to flying condition in America for the "Planes of Fame" museum, in the colour scheme of an American aircraft.
Formation
25 Squadron was formed at Seagrove, near Auckland, on 31 July 1943 with twelve crews and a maintenance unit. This was later increased to eighteen crews.The commanding officer was Squadron Leader Theodore Jasper MacLean de Lange (born Simla
Shimla
Shimla , formerly known as Simla, is the capital city of Himachal Pradesh. In 1864, Shimla was declared the summer capital of the British Raj in India. A popular tourist destination, Shimla is often referred to as the "Queen of Hills," a term coined by the British...
16 June 1914, died Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
4 July 2005), a burly and moustachioed figure who later became the Air Member for Personnel. He became a CBE in 1965 and retired in February 1966.
Other members of the squadron were mostly from the army co-operation and anti-aircraft units, with an average age of 23 years, although at least one pilot (Leslie McLellan-Symonds b. 1911) was older than de Lange.
The initial supply of aircraft was nine SBD-3 aircraft from MAG-14. These machines were reputed to be veterans of the earlier Pacific battles and were in poor condition.
For the next few months the crews trained while the maintenance personnel struggled to keep the aircraft flying, requesting and receiving several more SBD-3 (and later SBD-4) machines from the Americans to maintain operational numbers. The aeroplanes were operated in their original USMC markings with squadron numbers painted on, until being "brought on charge" in November 1943.
On completion of initial training, the squadron celebrated by flying eighteen aeroplanes over Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
just before luncheon on 6 January 1944, to the great interest of the civilian population.
Espiritu Santo
On 30 January 1944 squadron personnel were flown by Lodestar and C-47 aircraft of 40 SquadronNo. 40 Squadron RNZAF
No. 40 Squadron RNZAF is a transport squadron in the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It remains on active duty.- Origins :...
to Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo
Espiritu Santo is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of . It belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region of Melanesia. It is in the Sanma Province of Vanuatu....
for further training with American units. A further supply of eighteen SBD-4 aircraft were awaiting them, but these were almost as decrepit as the machines they had left behind in New Zealand. Nevertheless, the squadron was able to complete training in gunnery, dive-bombing and formation flying. It was during this training period that NZ5037 went missing with both crew members while on a practice Beam Approach. Despite extensive searches no trace of the 'plane or its crew was found. NZ5037 remained lost in the jungle until 1987 when it was located and returned to New Zealand by 3 Squadron
No. 3 Squadron RNZAF
3 Squadron is a unit of the RNZAF. It remains on active duty.-History:No. 3 Squadron RNZAF formed as a Territorial unit of the New Zealand Permanent Air Force based at Christchurch in 1930....
.
The squadron finally received eighteen new SBD-5 aircraft in February 1944. The intention was to deploy the squadron immediately at Piva airstrip on the island of Bougainville
Bougainville Island
Bougainville Island is the main island of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville of Papua New Guinea. This region is also known as Bougainville Province or the North Solomons. The population of the province is 175,160 , which includes the adjacent island of Buka and assorted outlying islands...
, but due to the tenuous state of the Allied beach-head on the island, deployment was delayed until the risk of shelling on the Piva airstrip had reduced.
Bougainville
25 Squadron flew in its SBD-5s to GuadalcanalGuadalcanal
Guadalcanal is a tropical island in the South-Western Pacific. The largest island in the Solomons, it was discovered by the Spanish expedition of Alvaro de Mendaña in 1568...
on 22 March, escorted by four Ventura
Lockheed Ventura
The Lockheed Ventura was a bomber and patrol aircraft of World War II, used by United States and British Commonwealth forces in several guises...
s and one C-47 from 40 Squadron. A Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
from 6 Squadron
No. 6 Squadron RNZAF
No. 6 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force is the squadron operating New Zealand's navy's air arm. While historically having been disbanded several times through changes in the country's military structure, it has a history going back to before World War II, when it operated flying boats. The...
stood by at Halavo in the Florida Islands
Florida Islands
The Nggela Islands, also known as the Florida Islands, are a small island group in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands, a state in the southwest Pacific Ocean....
as a safety aircraft.
At Guadalcanal NZ5055, piloted by F/O Bruce Graham, swerved on landing at Henderson Field and collided with an oil-drum. The 'plane was written off.
From Henderson Field the squadron flew to Piva on 23 January. While in transit, the gunner in NZ5063 inadvertently fired his stowed machine-guns
M1919 Browning machine gun
The M1919 Browning is a .30 caliber medium machine gun that was widely used during the 20th century. It was used as a light infantry, coaxial, mounted, aircraft, and anti-aircraft machine gun by the U.S. and many other countries, especially during World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War...
and caused considerable damage to the fuselage. The guns were not supposed to be able to be fired while pointed at any part of the aircraft.
Upon landing at Piva, the New Zealanders found themselves on a narrow beach-head, with Japanese forces shelling and attacking the perimeter.
The first mission flown from Piva was an artillery-spotting exercise undertaken by MacLean de Lange and his gunner at 0615 on 24 March. Over the course of the day, the squadron flew three more sorties against the Japanese. So close were the enemy, that during one of these raids, ground crew on the airstrip were able to watch the pilots drop their bombs.
Tour Summary
25 Squadron flew missions from Piva for approximately eight weeks. During this time they flew almost daily missions against Japanese forces on Bougainville and New Britain. Many of the missions were against airfields near the Japanese stronghold of RabaulRabaul
Rabaul is a township in East New Britain province, Papua New Guinea. The town was the provincial capital and most important settlement in the province until it was destroyed in 1994 by falling ash of a volcanic eruption. During the eruption, ash was sent thousands of metres into the air and the...
.
| Total missions: 32 Bombs dropped: 498,800 lbs Ammunition expended: .50 cal 108,000 .30 cal 217,000 Enemy aircraft destroyed: Direct hits confirmed 18 Direct hits reported 30 confirmed damaged: 7 reported damaged: 6 |
In addition, dozens of artillery pieces were destroyed and considerable damage caused to airfields and other military property.
NZ5055 crashed and was written-off at Henderson Field on Guadalcanal on March 22nd.
NZ5054 and NZ5059 crashed and burned on landing at Piva on April 2nd after a strike when their "hung-up" bombs jolted loose and exploded.
NZ5058 was written off due to damage received over Rabaul on April 17th.
NZ211
Stalled while low flying near WaiukuWaiuku
Waiuku is a country town in the Franklin District, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the Waiuku River, which is an estuarial arm of the Manukau Harbour...
, New Zealand on 13 September 1943 and crashed and burned with the loss of P/O William McJannet and Sgt Douglas Cairns.
NZ5037
NZ5037 with its crew of F/O Alexander Moore and F/Sgt John Munro went missing on 11 February at Espiritu Santo on a radio rangeLow Frequency radio range
The low-frequency radio range , also known as the four-course radio range, LF/MF four-course radio range, A-N radio range, Adcock radio range, or commonly "the range", was the main navigation system used by aircraft for instrument flying in the 1930s and 1940s, until the advent of the VHF...
familiarisation flight. The aircraft went missing in the cloud covered hills around the area and despite extensive searches the wreckage was not found until 1987.
"176"
On 4 April a flight of three SBDs flying to Piva from Henderson Field became lost and one aircraft, a replacement coded "176" piloted by F/O Leslie McLellan-Symonds separated from the flight and disappeared. Radio transmissions received later that evening suggested that he was planning to ditch near the Tanga IslandsTanga Islands
The Tanga Islands are an island group in Papua New Guinea, located northeast of New Ireland and part of the Bismarck Archipelago. The islands are the remnants of a stratovolcano which collapsed to form a caldera...
. It has never been established how or where his flight ended, although the most likely scenario is that he ditched or bailed out near the Tanga Islands. McLellan-Symonds was later captured and shot in the left thigh by the Japanese and transported to Rabaul, where he was interned at Tunnel Hill Road. McLellan-Symonds' last days were described by one of his fellow prisoners, Jose Holguin, in his testimonial written in 1948, reproduced in part below.
"A prisoner of war known to me only as Simmons arrived at Tunnel Hill Prisoner of War Camp in April 1944. He was suffering from a leg wound on his left thigh. I and other prisoners of war provided Simmons with first aid treatment by tearing our shirts into bandages. However, because of the lack of medical attention shown Simmons by the camp authorities, who did nothing to improve his condition, he became delirious and did not know his whereabouts or condition. This was after our removal from the Tunnel Hill prisoner of war camp cave on or about 15 March 1944, to a prison shack which we occupied after our removal from and near to the Tunnel Hill prisoner of war camp cave. Simmons would crawl towards the locked door and say, "Hurry, we will be late, the car is waiting and everything is all set". We would carry him back to his spot on the floor whenever he would escape our attention. After repeated requests were made by myself and the other prisoners of war, Chief Medical Orderly Oyamada came to the prison shack and after looking at Simmons, said that Simmons needed a blood transfusion and an operation to remove a bullet which was embedded in his thigh, but that it would be impossible to give such aid to Simmons without orders from Doctor Fusitita or Colonel Kikuchi. Simmons died on 28 May 1944 and to the best of my knowledge, the cause of his death was attributed to a lack of proper medical attention or treatment which he should have received and which developed into blood poisoning, thereby resulting in his death. I believe that Simmons was a member of the New Zealand Air Force, and had been shot down by the Japanese on or about 20 April 1944. in the vicinity of Bougainville, Solomon Islands."
NZ5050
On 17 April the squadron supplied twelve SBDs to take part in a strike of 86 aircraft against the Japanese airfield at Lakunai, near Rabaul. NZ5050 was last seen over the target and is presumed to have been hit by AAA and crashed into a ravine with the loss of P/O Geoffrey Cray and F/Sgt Frank Bell.Franklin Mint has produced a cast-metal model of NZ5050 but it is painted in "jungle camouflage". In fact, all SBD-5s operated by 25 Squadron were painted in the USN "three-colour scheme" of sea-blue upper surfaces, intermediate blue sides and white undersurfaces.
Detailed and well-researched colour-schemes can be seen on Peter Mossong's website http://rnzaf.hobbyvista.com/.
NZ5051
On 10 May a force of 34 aircraft including twelve 25 Squadron SBDs attacked Lakunai and nearby gun positions. NZ5051, crewed by F/Lt Jack Edwards and W/O Lou Hoppe, released its bombs but was hit by AAA as it pulled up over the runway. The SBD crashed into Greet (Matupi) Harbour with the loss of both crew.End of Tour
25 Squadron's tour ended on 20 May. At 0700 the seventeen SBDs took off from Piva and landed at Renard Field in the Russell IslandsRussell Islands
The Russell Islands are two small islands, as well as several islets, of volcanic origin, in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. They are located approximately 48 km northwest from Guadalcanal. The islands are partially covered in coconut plantations, and have a copra and oil factory at...
where the aircraft were returned to American ownership, reportedly in "as new" condition. The squadron personnel were flown to Whenuapai the following day.
25 Squadron was disbanded and reformed, with a new commanding officer, as a fighter-bomber squadron equipped with F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
s (F4U-1s and F4U-1Ds). Several pilots transferred to the new squadron, including Graham Howie who was killed on take-off when his engine failed and he crashed into the jungle on 13 June 1945.
Fate of Aircraft
SBD-4s operated at Espiritu Santo returned to USMC in February 1944.SBD-5s operated from Piva were handed back to USMC in May 1944. One of these is now flown by "Planes of Fame" museum; the only surviving RNZAF SBD apart from the wrecks of NZ5037, and NZ5021, whose whereabouts is unknown.
SBD-3 and SBD-4s operated in New Zealand were initially stored at Hobsonville, then sold in the late 1940's as scrap.