No. 30 Squadron RNZAF was a

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

light

bomber A bomber is a military combat aircraft designed to attack ground and naval targets by dropping air-to-ground weaponry (such as bombs), launching torpedoes, or deploying air-launched cruise missiles. The first use of bombs dropped from an air ...

squadron which saw service against the Japanese in the Pacific Theatre during the last two years of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

History

No.30 Squadron formed on 28 May 1943, being stood up at RNZAF Station Gisborne as an amalgamation of airmen from No. 7 Squadron RNZAF and No. 8 Squadron RNZAF, which had been disbanded following the withdrawal of the

Vickers Vildebeest The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. First flown ...

aircraft from service. Flight lieutenant Fred Adams temporarily held command of the Squadron until the following month when

Squadron leader Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is als ...

Richard Hartshorn took command of the unit. For the first few months the squadron operated

North American T-6 Texan The North American Aviation T-6 Texan is an American single-engined advanced trainer aircraft used to train pilots of the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF), United States Navy, Royal Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force and other air force ...

s and

Vickers Vincent The Vickers Vildebeest and the similar Vickers Vincent were two very large two- to three-seat single-engined British biplanes designed and built by Vickers and used as light bombers, torpedo bombers and in army cooperation roles. First flown i ...

aircraft inherited from No.8 Squadron, although would later equip with

Grumman TBF Avenger The Grumman TBF Avenger (designated TBM for aircraft manufactured by General Motors) is an American World War II-era torpedo bomber developed initially for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, and eventually used by several air and naval a ...

Torpedo bomber A torpedo bomber is a military aircraft designed primarily to attack ships with aerial torpedoes. Torpedo bombers came into existence just before the First World War almost as soon as aircraft were built that were capable of carrying the weight ...

s. In 1944 the Squadron, equipped with Avengers, deployed to

Luganville Airfield Luganville Airfield or Bomber Field #3 is a former World War II airfield on the island of Espiritu Santo in the New Hebrides Islands at the Espiritu Santo Naval Base. History World War II The Seabees of the 40th Naval Construction Battalion a ...

Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region o ...

island in the

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for operational training with

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and

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units. At this point in the war the need for dedicated torpedo bombers had died down and the 30 Squadron aircrews mainly focused on other forms of Anti-ship warfare including

Dive bombing 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 simplifies the bomb's trajectory and allows the pilot to keep visual contact throughou ...

. By March 1944 the Squadron had deployed further up North to Bougainville,

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

in order to take part in operations against

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

forces in the Pacific Theater. 30 Squadron ground crews arrived at their base on Bougainville,

Empress Augusta Bay Empress Augusta Bay is a bay on the western side of the island of Bougainville Island, within the Autonomous Region of Bougainville in northeastern Papua New Guinea. It is a subsistence fishing area for the people of Bougainville. History Emp ...

by 15 March and spent the first week unloading their equipment and improving the base. The Avenger aircraft arrived at the base shortly after, at the base they were also joined by No. 25 Squadron RNZAF flying

SBD Dauntless The Douglas SBD Dauntless is a World War II American naval scout plane and dive bomber that was manufactured by Douglas Aircraft from 1940 through 1944. The SBD ("Scout Bomber Douglas") was the United States Navy's main carrier-based scout/dive ...

dive bombers. Shortly after the Squadron started flying operational sorties against Japanese forces from the Island. On 26 March 30 Squadron Avenger's took part in the attack on the Japanese owned

Kavieng Airport Kavieng Airport is located in Kavieng, New Ireland, Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong P ...

, New Ireland, alongside American forces. Until May 1944 the Squadron flew 573 combat sorties against the Japanese forces, losing three aircrews over the course of their deployment. The Squadron was relieved by Avengers and crew from No. 31 Squadron RNZAF and returned to

before disbanding in July 1944.

Surviving Aircraft

A 30 Squadron Grumman Avenger is preserved by the Gisborne Aviation Preservation Society.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:No. 30 Squadron Rnzaf 30 Squadrons of the RNZAF in World War II Military units and formations established in 1943 Military units and formations disestablished in 1944