No 16 Squadron RNZAF

HISTORY

Formed, June 1942
Disbanded, October 1945

COs

S/L, A. N. Jones. RAF, June 1942 to May 1943

S/L, J. S. Nelson. RNZAF, May 1943 to September 1943
MID

S/L, J. H. Arkwright. RNZAF, October 1943 to January 1944
DFC,

S/L, A. G. Sievers. RAF, January 1944 to June 1944

S/L, M. C. P. Jones. RAF, June 1944 to September 1944

S/L, P. S. Green. RNZAF, October 1944 to June 1945
DFC, MID,

S/L, J. H. Mills. RAF, June 1945 to October 1945

BASES
Ohakea, Palmerston North, NZ, June 1942
Fairhall, Blenheim, NZ June 1942 to June 1943
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 19 June 1943 to July 1943
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, 25 July 1943 to 15 September 1943
NZ October 1943 to November 1943
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, November 1943
Ondonga Field, New Georgia, Solomon Islands, November 1943to January 1944
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, January 1944 to March 1944
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal Solomon Islands, March 1944
Piva Y Field, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, 28 March 1944 to 12 May 1944
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, 12 May 1944 to July 1944
NZ July 1944
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, July 1944 to August 1944
Piva Y Field, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, August 1944 to September 1944
NZ September 1944 to November 1944
Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands, November 1944 to 21 December 1944
Nissan Island, Green Islands, Solomon Islands, 21 December 1944 to February 1945
NZ February 1945 to April 1945
Palikulo Bay, Espiritu Santo, New Hebrides, April 1945
Piva Y Field, Bougainville, Solomon Islands, April 1945 to June 1945
NZ June 1945 to August 1945
Jacquinot Bay, New Britain, Bismark Archipelago August 1945 to October 1945

AIRCRAFT TYPES

Image Source

Harvards June 1942

Image Source

Kittyhawk June 1942 to 1944

[Ex Ohakea Museum]

Corsairs 1944 to October 1945

ROLES

Fighter / Ground Attack October 1942 to September 1945

CODE

Fairhall, Harvard EM June 1942 to October 1943

P40 Kittyhawk XO June 1942 to October 1943

EFFORTS
Sorties
Hours
Destroyed
Probable
Damaged
Boats / Barges 5
Tanks

ROLL OF HONOUR

F/O, G. Randell. 15 January 1945

DECORATIONS

DFC [US] 2

The Squadron was formed at Ohakea, Palmerston North in June 1942, and was moved to Fairhall, Blenheim in the same month.

Fairhall was a satellite airfield for Woodbourne, tasked with providing fighter cover for the Wellington Harbour.

In June 1943, the Squadron moved to Palikulo Bay. Espiritu Santo, flying a mix of anti-submarine patrols and interception missions investigating unidentified aircraft in the area.

On 17th July 1943, the first 10 pilots were flown to Henderson Field, Guadalcanal, and on 18th July they replaced No 14 [F] Squadron and assisted with Operation Toenails, the fight for New Georgia.

They continued to fly the fighter cover and escort sorties that 14 [F] Squadron had been flying, but with fewer Japanese planes becoming involved.

In August the main role was escorting bombers and searching for enemy shipping, destroying a Japanese landing barge on Choiseul Island and on the 26th August, the set a small steamship on fire.

On the 3rd September 1943, the Squadron was escorting a force of B 24 bombers returning from a raid on Kahili on Bougainville Island.

F/L Vanderpump and F/S Miller spotted a damaged B 24 that was under attack and drove off 8 to 10 Japanese Zeroes.
The B 24 returned safely and both pilots were awarded the DFC [US], the first of this award to any members of the RNZAF.

B 24 Liberator Image Source

The Squadron was relieved 11-15 September 1943 by No 17 [F] Squadron, after a tour of duty that they had flown over 2,100 operational hours.

In late November 1943, the Squadron returned from its break in NZ, and relieved No 18 [F] Squadron on Ondonga Field, New Georgia.

On 11th December 1943 the RNZAF carried out its first fighter-bomber attack, this involved only 3 aircraft, each with 2 x 100 lb bombs and was an attack on a Japanese position at Kieta, on Bougainville.

The second mission on 14th December resulted in the destruction of a bridge in the South-West of Bougainville.

Over the next two years, the RNZAF would carry out an increasing number of fighter/bomber missions.

On 17th December 1943, the Allies carried out the first large raid on Rabaul from Bougainville. Most of the aircraft were based on New Georgia and staged through the new airfield at Torokina, Bougainville. The NZ Fighter Wing provided 24 aircraft of the 80 that took part in the raid, the NZ wing claimed 5 Japanese fighters, but lost the Wing Leader, W/C T.O. Freeman.

The wing returned to Rabaul on the 24th December when they claimed 12 Japanese for the loss of 5 of their own.

During March to May 1944 the Squadron was based at Bougainville, providing part of the air defence of Empress Augusta Bay, and flying fighter-bomber sweeps over the Japanese held parts of the Island as well as towards Rabaul.

On 21st December 1944, No 16 and 14 [F] Squadrons were moved to Nissan Island, part of Green Islands, part way between Bougainville and New Britain, among their duties were to provide a standing patrol over Rabaul, escorting Catalina Search and Rescue missions, as well as dusk and dawn patrols.

Although Japanese air resistance was limited, these operations could be costly, on 15th January 1945, No 14 and 16 Squadrons made an attack on Toboi, just South West of Rabaul.

After the attack, F/L Keefe of No 14 [F] Squadron had to bail out due to the damage his aircraft had suffered.

He landed safely in Simpson Harbour and was seen to swim out of the harbour.

The two Squadrons provided air cover all day, but an attempt to land a Catalina was foiled by Japanese anti-aircraft fire.

As their fuel was running short they were forced to return to their home base. On the way, they ran into a tropical storm. Five aircraft crashed into the sea, a sixth crashed on Nissan Island, and the seventh disappeared.

None of the missing aircraft or their crews could be found, F/L Keefe was captured by the Japanese and died as a POW.

The Squadron remained there until February when they were relieved by No 15 [F] Squadron and they returned to NZ for a period of rest and recuperation.

When they returned in April 1945, they joined 3 other NZ Squadrons at Bougainville where the chain of command had been altered to allow the Australian Army to request air support directly. The Squadrons were used for ground attack missions supporting the Australian Army.

The Squadron returned to NZ in June 1945, for another period of rest and recuperation, returning to Jacquinot Bay, New Britain, in August 1945 to relieve No 20 [F] Squadron.

They arrived just in time to hear that the war had ended. They continued to fly security patrols over the Gazelle Peninsula, including Rabaul until they returned to NZ in October and were disbanded.

with thanks to son-of-satire for the banner