No. 488 Squadron RNZAF

No. 488 (NZ) Squadron RAF
Active	1 September 1941 – 26 April 1945
Country	United Kingdom
Allegiance	New Zealand
Branch	Royal Air Force
Role	Fighter squadron
Motto(s)	Māori: Ka ngarue ratau (Translation: "We shake them")
Anniversaries	1 September 1941
Insignia
Squadron Badge	In front of a taiaha and tewhatewha in saltire, a morepork
Squadron Codes	NF (Oct 1941 – Jan 1942) ME (Jun 1942 – Apr 1945)
Aircraft flown
Fighter	Brewster Buffalo Hawker Hurricane Bristol Beaufighter de Havilland Mosquito

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.

488 (NZ) Squadron was formed on 1 September 1941 at Rongotai, New Zealand under Squadron Leader W.G.(Wilf) Clouston, a veteran of the Battle of France and Battle of Britain with nine victories to his credit. The squadron was one of several Commonwealth squadrons equipped with Brewster Buffaloes, and arrived at Kallang Airfield Singapore in November 1941, where it took over the Brewsters of No. 67 Squadron RAF. Kallang was shared with a Brewster detachment of the 2-VLG-V of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Air Force, and No. 243 Squadron RAF, in which most of the aircrew were Kiwis.

When the Japanese attacked, the squadron was still in training and sorting out difficulties with its machines, including dysfunctional oxygen which prevented high altitude flying, weight difficulties which resulted in armour and machine guns being deleted and high maintenance requirements resulting from Brewster's use of worn out ex-airline engines in manufacturing the aircraft (which had been supplied to No. 67 Squadron in March). There were also problems getting spares and with the peacetime red tape and restricted flying hours laid down by the British High Command in Singapore.

Frequent air battles over Singapore occurred from 12 January 1942, the Japanese pilots being better trained and outnumbering the defenders, but (despite widespread claims of Mitsubishi Zeros being present), with the exception of a few Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa "Oscars" most Japanese fighters and many bombers were in no better condition than those of the Royal Air Force's. As the Buffalo squadrons (many manned by New Zealanders and Australians) lost men and machines, several were amalgamated into 488 Squadron. Clouston had presented a plan "Get Mobile" to provide daylight air cover off the coast to Admiral Phillip's Force Z, but this was rejected by the Navy.

...
Wikipedia