ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
ANNIVeRSARY AIR SHow! - Royal New Zealand Air Force
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celebrating 75 Years of service to new <strong>Zealand</strong><br />
Two Spitfires were on show at Anniversary air show. The<br />
Spitfire has become an icon of wwII and a symbol of britain’s<br />
war effort*. Its distinctive wing shape and the smooth sound<br />
of the mighty Merlin engine re-create for air show crowds the<br />
atmosphere from over 70 years ago when Spitfires, together<br />
with Hawker Hurricanes, fought for freedom against the Nazi<br />
menace.<br />
TWo SPiTFiRES<br />
After wwII, Supermarine developed a two-seat trainer version<br />
of the Spitfire Mark IX known as a Spitfire Tr IX and the type<br />
was used by the Israeli and Irish <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>s. This Spitfire’s<br />
owner, doug brooker of Auckland, imported the fighter from<br />
the USA in 2007. His two seater, Fl-A, is painted in desert<br />
colours and commemorates colin Gray, who became <strong>New</strong><br />
<strong>Zealand</strong>’s highest scoring fighter pilot of wwII.<br />
CoLin GRAy.<br />
colin Gray left NZ to join the RAF in 1938. He fought in the<br />
battle of britain and was soon recognised for his leadership.<br />
while in the Uk he shot down 17 enemy aircraft and in late<br />
1942 he was posted to North Africa to take command of No.81<br />
Sqn, the first unit to fly the Spitfire Mk IX in the Mediterranean<br />
Theatre.<br />
by the time the North African campaign ended in May 1943<br />
colin Gray had destroyed a further five enemy aircraft and<br />
was awarded the dSo. Promoted to wing commander, he was<br />
appointed to lead 322 wing for the invasion of Sicily. In that<br />
campaign he shot down 5 more aircraft, bringing his total to<br />
27, with one more shared and a further 22 probably destroyed<br />
or damaged. once back in england he held two successive<br />
commands in training units before being appointed wing<br />
commander Flying of the detling wing in late July 1944. The<br />
wing flew in support of the Army in europe and sorties against<br />
the V-1 flying bombs.<br />
colin Gray retired from the RAF in March 1961 as a Group<br />
captain; he returned to NZ and retired at waikanae, where he<br />
died in 1995.<br />
ALAn DEERE.<br />
The other Spitfire is a Mk IX in the grey/green camouflage<br />
of the european theatre and coded Al, the markings of the<br />
Spitfire flown by wing commander Alan deere.<br />
A <strong>New</strong> <strong>Zealand</strong>er, Alan deere passed selection for the RAF<br />
in 1937 and sailed for england. He began flying training in<br />
october 1937 and early in 1938 he was granted a short service<br />
26 <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> news<br />
commission in the RAF. Alan was posted to No. 54 Sqn and at<br />
the beginning of 1940 they converted from Gladiators to the<br />
Spitfire Mk 1. like many other pilots, deere was delighted<br />
with the Spitfire, describing it as “the most beautiful and easy<br />
aircraft to fly.”<br />
before the battle of britain opened he had already claimed<br />
6 enemy aircraft, had been shot down once and been awarded<br />
the dFc. during the battle he claimed another 5, with several<br />
probables. However, he was forced down three times, including<br />
being bombed on take off from Hornchurch airfield. In early<br />
September 1940 No.54 Sqn was rotated to Northern england<br />
to rest and regroup; deere was awarded a bar to his dFc.<br />
Subsequently Alan deere rose to command the biggin Hill<br />
wing, was awarded the dSo and by d-day was commanding<br />
a Free French fighter wing. by the end of the war he had<br />
shot down 22 enemy aircraft. He was given a permanent<br />
commission in the RAF and served until 1977 reaching the rank<br />
of Group captain. He died in the Uk in 1995.<br />
Spitfire ‘Al’ has been fully restored by brendon deere of<br />
Feilding, a nephew of Alan. bought from the burmese <strong>Air</strong><br />
<strong>Force</strong>, this airframe was painstakingly stripped down and fully<br />
restored, and is painted as Alan deere’s personal aircraft when<br />
he was leading the biggin Hill wing. This Spitfire is usually<br />
based at ohakea, by arrangement with the RNZAF.<br />
no. 485(nZ) SquADRon<br />
during February, both Spitfires had also been on show for<br />
a reunion at whenuapai of No.485 (NZ) Squadron, the wwII<br />
unit that flew Spitfires in Fighter command and with the<br />
2nd Tactical <strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong> for the invasion of Normandy and the<br />
advance through France to Germany in 1944-45. The veterans<br />
were pleased to see ‘their’ aircraft and to sit in the cockpit<br />
one more time. Today, No.485 wing at RNZAF base Auckland<br />
maintains the link to the original squadron in recognition of our<br />
<strong>Air</strong> <strong>Force</strong>’s rich heritage.<br />
*See also AFN 105, July 2009.