No. 41 Squadron RNZAF

No. 41 Squadron
No. 41 Squadron personnel and a Bristol Freighter in Thailand during 1962
Active	1944–77
Country	New Zealand
Branch	Royal New Zealand Air Force
Role	Transport
Engagements	World War II Malayan Emergency Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation Vietnam War
Aircraft flown
Attack	Grumman Avenger
Utility helicopter	Bell UH-1 Iroquois
Transport	Lockheed Hudson Lockheed Lodestar Douglas Dakota Handley Page Hastings Bristol Freighter

No. 41 Squadron was a transport unit of the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). The squadron was formed in 1944, and conducted transport flights in the south Pacific during World War II. It remained active after the war, and flew supplies to the New Zealand occupation force in Japan. Three crews from the squadron participated in the Berlin Airlift during 1948 and 1949, and one of its flights was temporarily based in Singapore from 1949 to 1951. From 1955 the entire squadron was stationed at Singapore, from where it participated in the Malayan Emergency, Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation and Vietnam War. Detachments of No. 41 Squadron were also based in Thailand from 1962 to 1965. The squadron was disbanded in 1977.

No. 41 Squadron was formed at RNZAF Base Whenuapai near Auckland in August 1944. It was initially equipped with twelve Lockheed Hudson and nine Lockheed Lodestar transport aircraft. These transports had been operated by No. 40 Squadron until that unit was re-equipped with Douglas Dakotas. As of November 1944 the squadron was conducting ten flights each week to Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to supply the Allied forces there. During the first six months of 1945 No. 41 Squadron was re-equipped with 20 new Dakotas. Following the end of the war several of No. 41 Squadron's Dakotas were deployed to Singapore to transport released prisoners of war and civilian internees back to New Zealand.

While most of the RNZAF was disbanded after World War II, both Nos. 40 and 41 Squadrons remained active and continued to operate from Whenuapai. As well as supporting other elements of the New Zealand military, these units undertook "quasi-civil" tasks due to a shortage of civilian aircraft. From February 1946 No. 41 Squadron aircraft regularly flew from New Zealand to Japan transporting supplies and personnel for J Force, the country's contribution to the British Commonwealth Occupation Force. Weekly return flights were made until April 1948 when chartered Qantas aircraft took on the task. At the time this was one of the longest air transport routes in the world, with the flights being made via Norfolk Island, Australia, Borneo, the Philippines and Okinawa. After Qantas took over the flights to Japan, No. 41 Squadron conducted weekly return flights between Singapore and New Zealand transporting British recruits for the RNZAF.