Stories

Māori participation in WWII is perhaps most readily identified with the 28th Battalion, one of the most celebrated and decorated units in the New Zealand forces. Less well known are those who flew in the RNZAF or RAF. Porokoru (John) Pohe was the first Māori Pilot to serve in the Royal Air Force.

What were you capable of as a nineteen-year-old? On the night of 26 April 1943, a young Whanganui pilot Peter Buck of 75 (NZ) Sq. was fighting to bring his stricken Short Stirling back from Duisburg, Germany on three engines and lacking rudder control.

The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest Commonwealth military decoration awarded for ‘valour in the face of the enemy.’ Three VCs were awarded to New Zealand airmen, including Leonard Trent of 487 (NZ) Sq. who was shot down over Amsterdam on Ramrod 16, in May 1943. This is his story.

Some 10,000 airmen survived parachuting from their stricken aircraft, or even a crash only to become prisoners of war (POWs). While many tried to escape, just 33 were able to escape and avoid recapture. Sergeant-Pilot Woodroofe was the only New Zealand airman to successfully make a ‘home run’.

As war loomed, RAF planners estimated that for each year of the war they would need around 20,000 pilots and 30,000 other crew. These numbers could not be resourced from Britain alone. So began the Empire Air Training Scheme, training aircrew from Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.

A visitor to the UK will quickly become aware of the large number of war memorials on prominent display, from both famous and less well-known campaigns. So why did it take until 2012 for the 55,573 bomber crew members killed to be remembered by permanent memorial?