{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance=
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance= {{NZL}}
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance= {{NZL}}
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
{{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance= {{NZL}}
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
{{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance= {{NZL}}
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
{{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance= {{NZL}}
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
{{Infobox military unit|
|unit_name= No. 489 (NZ) Squadron RAF
|image=
|caption=
|dates= 12 August 1941 - 1 August 1945
|country= United Kingdom
|allegiance= {{NZL}}
|branch=
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
|type=
|role= Anti-Shipping
|size=
|command_structure=
|current_commander=
|garrison=
|garrison_label=
|ceremonial_chief=
|colonel_of_the_regiment=
|nickname=
|patron=
|motto=
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
:
Whakatanagata kia kaha (Translation: "Acquit yourselves like men, be strong")
|identification_symbol= Standing on a Torpedo, a Kiwi
|identification_symbol_label= Squadron Badge
|identification_symbol_2=
XA (Jan 1942 - Nov 1943)
P6 (Nov 1943 - Aug 1945)
|identification_symbol_2_label= Squadron Codes
}}
489 (NZ) Squadron was formed from pilots of the
Royal New Zealand Air ForceThe Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
on 12 August 1941 under
RAF Coastal CommandRAF Coastal Command was a formation within the Royal Air Force . Founded in 1936, it was the RAF's premier maritime arm, after the Royal Navy's secondment of the Fleet Air Arm in 1937. Naval aviation was neglected in the inter-war period, 1919–1939, and as a consequence the service did not receive...
as an anti-
submarineA submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
and
reconnaissanceReconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
unit.
History
On 19 December 1939 Article XV was promulgated, creating the
Empire Air Training Scheme.The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
Under this article provision was made for the formation of Commonwealth squadrons within the
RAFThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
. On 17 April 1941 a further agreement was negotiated allowing for six New Zealand Squadrons to be formed:
485 Sqn.No. 485 Squadron was a Spitfire squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. It was the first RNZAF squadron formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme and served in Europe under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.-History:Manned by New Zealand...
,
486 Sqn.486 Squadron was a fighter squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. It was formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme and served in Europe under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.Second World War....
,
487 Sqn.No. 487 Squadron was a Royal New Zealand Air Force bomber squadron, formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme. It served in the European theatre during World War II, under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.-History:No...
,
488 Sqn.488 Squadron was the name given to two distinct Royal New Zealand Air Force squadrons during the Second World War. Both were formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme and served under the operational command of the Royal Air Force....
, 489 Sqn. and
490 Sqn.490 Squadron was formed from pilots of the Royal New Zealand Air Force under RAF Coastal Command as an anti-submarine and reconnaissance unit.-History:...
These units were manned and (mostly) commanded by New Zealanders trained under the
EATS.The British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , known in some countries as the Empire Air Training Scheme , was a massive, joint military aircrew training program created by the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, during the Second World War...
provisions, although this didn't preclude other nationalities from being members. Administratively the "
Article XV squadronsArticle XV squadrons were Australian, Canadian, and New Zealand air force squadrons formed from graduates of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan , during World War II....
" were an integral part of the RAF, with all command appointments being made by the RAF. Other
DominionA dominion, often Dominion, refers to one of a group of autonomous polities that were nominally under British sovereignty, constituting the British Empire and British Commonwealth, beginning in the latter part of the 19th century. They have included Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Newfoundland,...
or
CommonwealthCommonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has sometimes been synonymous with "republic."More recently it has been used for fraternal associations of some sovereign nations...
countries involved were Australia and Canada, along with Rhodesia and South Africa.
No. 489 was formed at
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
with
Bristol BeaufortThe Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
, the squadron had some time becoming operational. As Beauforts were in short supply, they were supplemented and eventually replaced by the
Bristol Blenheim Mk.IVfThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
aircraft, handed over from
No. 143 Squadron RAFNo. 143 Squadron RAF was a Royal Air Force Squadron formed as a fighter unit in World War I and reformed as an RAF Coastal Command fighter and anti-submarine unit in World War II.-Formation and World War I:No...
. These were used over the
North SeaIn the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
and Norway. The Squadron converted to
HampdensThe Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
in April and became a dedicated anti-submarine torpedo bomber unit in March 1942, carrying out its first torpedo attacks in July 1942 during sorties in the Trondheim fjord. The squadron converted to
BeaufightersThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
in November 1943. Beaufighters were used to attack shipping in the North Sea and along the coast of Occupied Europe, Northern Germany and Scandinavia. From April 1944 it formed part of the Anzac Strike wing. It also flew air sea rescue missions, escorted convoys and continued anti-submarine work. The squadrons last operational mission in Europe was flown off the Norwegian coast on 21 May 1945. It began to re-equip with
MosquitosThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
in June 1945 with a view to moving to the Pacific, but following the collapse of Japan, it was disbanded on 1 August 1945, before completion.
The squadron operated out of several stations:
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
,
RAF Thorney IslandThorney Island is an island that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base...
, RAF Wick,
RAF St EvalRAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
, RAF Skitten,
RAF LanghamThe former Royal Air Force Station Langham, more commonly known as RAF Langham was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, 15 miles North-West of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1940 to 1961.-History:...
,
RAF DallachyThe former Royal Air Force Station Dallachy, commonly known as RAF Dallachy, was a British Royal Air Force airbase situated east of Elgin, in Moray, Scotland. During World War II it was a fighter station, used by 18 Group Coastal Ops....
and RAF Banff. It flew 2,380 sorties and 9,773 hours on operations. Awards were two
Distinguished Service OrderThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
s, three
Distinguished Flying MedalThe Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
s a
Conspicuous Gallantry MedalThe Conspicuous Gallantry Medal was, until 1993, a military decoration awarded to personnel of the British Armed Forces and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for conspicuous gallantry in action against the enemy at sea...
and 19
Distinguished Flying CrossThe Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
es.
The Squadron's
MāoriMāori or te reo Māori , commonly te reo , is the language of the indigenous population of New Zealand, the Māori. It has the status of an official language in New Zealand...
motto is
Whakatanagata kia kaha, which can be translated as "Quit ye like men, Be Strong".
No 489 Squadron aircraft are known to survive, but relics are preserved at the
Royal New Zealand Air Force MuseumThe 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...
in
ChristchurchChristchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
, New Zealand.
Aircraft operated
Aircraft operated by no. 489 Squadron RNZAF, data from
| From | To | Aircraft | Version |
| August 1941 |
January 1942 |
Bristol Beaufort The Bristol Beaufort was a British twin-engined torpedo bomber designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and developed from experience gained designing and building the earlier Blenheim light bomber....
|
Mk.I |
| January 1942 |
March 1942 |
Bristol BlenheimThe Bristol Blenheim was a British light bomber aircraft designed and built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company that was used extensively in the early days of the Second World War. It was adapted as an interim long-range and night fighter, pending the availability of the Beaufighter...
|
Mk.IVf |
| March 1942 |
November 1943 |
Handley Page HampdenThe Handley Page HP.52 Hampden was a British twin-engine medium bomber of the Royal Air Force serving in the Second World War. With the Whitley and Wellington, the Hampden bore the brunt of the early bombing war over Europe, taking part in the first night raid on Berlin and the first 1,000-plane...
|
Mk.I |
| November 1943 |
August 1945 |
Bristol BeaufighterThe Bristol Type 156 Beaufighter, often referred to as simply the Beau, was a British long-range heavy fighter modification of the Bristol Aeroplane Company's earlier Beaufort torpedo bomber design...
|
Mk.X |
| June 1945 |
August 1945 |
de Havilland MosquitoThe de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
|
Mk.VI |
Commanding officers
Officers commanding no. 489 Squadron RNZAF, data from
| From | To | Name |
| August 1941 |
October 1942 |
W/Cdr. J.A.S. Brown |
| October 1942 |
August 1943 |
W/Cdr. V.C. Darling |
| August 1943 |
August 1944 |
W/Cdr. J.S. Dinsdale, DSOThe Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFCThe Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
|
| August 1944 |
February 1945 |
W/Cdr. L.A. Robertson |
| February 1945 |
August 1945 |
W/Cdr. D.H. Hammond, DSO, DFC and BarThe Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
|
Squadron bases
Bases and airfields used by no. 489 Squadron RNZAF, data from
| From | To | Base |
| 12 August 1941 |
27 February 1942 |
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
|
| 27 February 1942 |
5 August 1942 |
RAF Thorney IslandThorney Island is an island that juts into Chichester Harbour in West Sussex. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow channel called the Great Deep. The village of West Thorney lies on the east coast of the island and has been incorporated into the military base...
|
| 9 May 1942 |
19 June 1942 |
RAF St EvalRAF St Eval was a strategic airbase for the RAF Coastal Command in the Second World War . St Eval's primary role was to provided anti-submarine and anti-shipping patrols off the south west coast of England...
(D) |
| 13 June 1942 |
19 July 1942 |
RAF AbbotsinchGlasgow International Airport is an international airport in Scotland, located west of Glasgow city centre, near the towns of Paisley and Renfrew in Renfrewshire...
(D) |
| 12 July 1942 |
5 August 1942 |
RAF Tain RAF Tain is a Ministry of Defence air weapons range on the Moray Firth near Tain in Scotland. Royal Air Force aircrews from RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Leuchars are trained in air weaponry on the range, along with NATO aircrew.-Facilities:...
(D) |
| March 1942 |
5 August 1942 |
RAF Wick D |
| 5 August 1942 |
6 October 1943 |
RAF Skitten |
| 6 October 1943 |
8 April 1944 |
RAF LeucharsRAF Leuchars is the most northerly air defence station in the United Kingdom. It is located in Leuchars, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland, near to the university town of St Andrews.-Operations:...
|
| 8 April 1944 |
24 October 1944 |
RAF LanghamThe former Royal Air Force Station Langham, more commonly known as RAF Langham was a Royal Air Force station, a military airbase, 15 miles North-West of Norwich, in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia, from 1940 to 1961.-History:...
|
| 24 October 1944 |
16 June 1945 |
RAF Dallachy The former Royal Air Force Station Dallachy, commonly known as RAF Dallachy, was a British Royal Air Force airbase situated east of Elgin, in Moray, Scotland. During World War II it was a fighter station, used by 18 Group Coastal Ops....
|
| 16 June 1945 |
1 August 1945 |
RAF Banff |
Roll of Honour August 1941 to August 1945
BACON Frederick William 4 April 1943
BAILLIE William Russell 31 March/ 1 April 1944
BARNARD Anthony Edgar Buchanan 14 April 1943
BILLINGTON Harold Joseph 31 March / 1 April 1944
BOLDING Theodore 25 September 1944
BRANDON Charles Henry 14 / 15 September 1942
BRIGHTWELL John Mostyn 14 April 1945
BROWN Alexander George 14 / 15 September 1942
BROWN Alfred George Greenwood 23 January 1943
BURT Robert Erskine 13 February 1943
CAMERON William Hugh Iain 19 May 1944
CARLSON Stanley Carl Walter 28/ 29 October 1942
CHAPMAN Douglas Launcelot Blackmore 5 June 1944
CLEGG Tom Ransley 14 June 1944
DOUGLAS Wallace John 4 April 1943
EASTON Reginald William 19 May 1943
FISHER Henry Guy 28/ 29 October 1942
FOY Edgar Joseph 14 April 1945
FREEMAN Sydney 5 June 1944
FRESHNEY Charles John 4 April 1943
FRICKER Douglas John 10 August 1944
GAITENS James Joseph 22 July 1942
GARRISON Wilfred Reed 1 November 1944
GRIFFITHS Ivor 13 April 1943
HEY Ronald John William 8 August 1944
HOLOBROW Frederick Michael 13 April 1943
HORWOOD Cyril Ernest 2 October 1941
HUGHES Thomas Edward 1 November 1944
HURLEY John Joseph 11 August 1942
JONES George Arroll 11 August 1942
KEEPING John Ross 19 May 1943
KELLOW Stanley William 10 August 1944
LANIGAN William Percival 4 April 1943
LATTA Selwyn 9 April 1943
LAWRENCE Jack Bailey 28/ 29 October 1942
LONDON Jack Adrian Colin 8 April 1942
LOWCOCK Charles Henry 14 May 1944
McALLISTER John 9 April 1943
McEACHERN Gerald Joseph 19 May 1943
MacERLICH W I 13 April 1943
McKECHNIE William 1 July 1943
MacQUACKER Robert 19 May 1944
MAGUIRE James 23 January 1943
MORRISON John Kendall 26 April 1945
MOYNIHAN Frederick Kingsmill 17 June 1944
MURRAY Thomas Donald Gordon 14/ 15 September 1942
NEWMAN Douglas 14/ 15 September 1942
NUGENT Royden Leslie 14 April 1945
OLIVER Jack Moss 1/ 2 April 1944
PARKIN Graham George 19 April 1945
PETTITT Ivan Alfred 14 May 1944
POLLARD Cyrus Ralph 17 June 1944
PRIEST Cedric Hubert Owen 8 March 1942
RICHARDSON Alan 13 February 1943
RICHES Leslie 22 July 1942
SALMOND William Clive 23 January 1943
SELTHUN Leo Norman 9 April 1943
SHEPPERD John Henry 23 January 1943
SMITH Geoffrey Harcourt 9 April 1943
SPINK Frederick Ellis 8 August 1944
STOURTON Brinley Edward 20 April 1944
STUCHBERY Lloyd Robert 28 January 1945
TOOMBS William Henry Clemens 29 December 1943
TRIPTREE Alan Charles 11 August 1942
TUCK William Robert 30 July 1944
WAIT Stanley William 1 February 1944
WALPOLE Sydney Herbert 9 April 1943
WARD Ronald Leslie 4 April 1943
WARDE Brian James Douglas 22 July 1942
WHEELER Denis Walton 9 April 1943
WHITE Robert Lawrence 20 April 1944
WHITSED Edward Miles 19 May 1943
WILKINSON Francis Henry 8 March 1943
WILKINSON Frederick Raymond 26 April 1945
WOODCOCK William Robertson 12 August 1944
WRENCH Horace 13 February 1943
WRIGHT James Alan Skirrow 19 May 1944
WRIGHT Laurie Aubrey 19 May 1944
Sourced: www.cwgc.org, ORB - 489 Squadron, RNZAF Museum, Christchurch NZ and David Burrowes
A note on New Zealand Squadrons in the RAF
It is now largely accepted that the seven
World War IIWorld 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...
squadrons of the
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
manned by New Zealanders are recorded by a formulation such as 486 (NZ) Squadron RAF. However some authors (e.g. Bill Gunston) have used a formulation like 486 squadron RNZAF. Some claim the latter is misleading. RNZAF units were a separate entity, formed and controlled entirely by the
RNZAFThe Royal New Zealand Air Force is the air arm of the New Zealand Defence Force...
; all RNZAF units operated in the Pacific Theatre. An anomaly exists in that the official badges of the six New Zealand units units reads (e.g.:) "486 Squadron Royal New Zealand Air Force". However, as Gerard S Morris explains:
Interestingly, this carried over into the naming of the six New Zealand squadrons...It was impractical, for operational and administrative reasons to establish and maintain RNZAF squadrons in Britain. So, although the squadron badges carried the name Royal New Zealand Air Force, the squadrons were in fact receiving their pay cheques from the British government and official records such as the Operations Record Book acknowledged this. For example, 485 Squadron was referred to informally as 485 (New Zealand) or 485 (NZ) and never as 485 Squadron, RNZAF.(italics added)
External links
{{Refbegin}}
{{Refend}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2010}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 489 Squadron Rnzaf}}