No. 17 Squadron RNZAF
Encyclopedia
No. 17 squadron RNZAF was a New Zealand
fighter
squadron in the Pacific Theatre
of World War II
.
Kittyhawks; after a period of training it moved to New Georgia
in January 1943, Santo
in July and then Guadalcanal
in September and Bougainville
in January 1944, rotating between these bases and serving largely in an air to air role, in which it enjoyed considerable success. By mid 1944 when the squadron converted to more potent Vought Corsair
s, Japan
ese aerial activity had all but ceased in the South West Pacific, and the unit was largely deployed in a ground attack role, despite moving to Green Island in January 1945, and Los Negros
in May.
The squadron was still in Los Negros when disbanded in September 1945.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
squadron in the Pacific Theatre
Pacific War
The Pacific War, also sometimes called the Asia-Pacific War refers broadly to the parts of World War II that took place in the Pacific Ocean, its islands, and in East Asia, then called the Far East...
of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
History
The Squadron formed at Ohakea, New Zealand in October 1942 on North American Harvards and Curtiss P-40Curtiss P-40
The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk was an American single-engine, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry into production and operational...
Kittyhawks; after a period of training it moved to New Georgia
New Georgia
New Georgia is the largest island of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands.-Geography:This island is located in the New Georgia Group, an archipelago including most of the other larger islands in the province...
in January 1943, Santo
Santo
Rodolfo Guzmán Huerta , more widely known as El Santo , was a Mexican Luchador enmascarado , film actor, and folk icon....
in July and then Guadalcanal
Guadalcanal
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...
in September and 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...
in January 1944, rotating between these bases and serving largely in an air to air role, in which it enjoyed considerable success. By mid 1944 when the squadron converted to more potent Vought Corsair
Vought Corsair
Vought Corsair is the name of several former aircraft of the US Navy*Vought O2U Corsair, a biplane scout and observation aircraft.*Vought F4U Corsair, a single-engined, single-seat shipborne fighter*LTV A-7 Corsair II, a single-seat light jet attack aircraft...
s, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese aerial activity had all but ceased in the South West Pacific, and the unit was largely deployed in a ground attack role, despite moving to Green Island in January 1945, and Los Negros
Los Negros
Los Negros was a criminal organization that was once the armed wing of the Sinaloa Cartel and after a switch of alliances, became the armed wing of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. On 2010 it went independent and had been contesting the control of the Beltrán Leyva Cartel. It was then the criminal...
in May.
The squadron was still in Los Negros when disbanded in September 1945.
Commanding officers
- Squadron Leader J. V. A. Reid October 1942–July 1943
- Squadron Leader P. G. Newton July 1943–January 1944
- Squadron Leader D. F. St. George April–November 1944
- Squadron Leader B. V. Le Pine November 1944–September 1945