page_title: No. 75 Squadron RNZAF
section_title: World War II
hierarchical_section_title: No. 75 Squadron RNZAF / History / World War II
caption_attribution_description: A-4 Skyhawk Kahu of No. 75 Squadron RNZAF at Whenuapai in the late 1980s.
context_page_description: No. 75 Squadron RNZAF was an air combat squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force. It was formed from the RAF's World War II bomber squadron, No. 75 Squadron, which had been initially equipped by the New Zealand government and was largely manned by New Zealanders. The squadron was created when, in a unique gesture, the squadron number, colours and battle honours were transferred to the RNZAF in 1946. It had flown more sorties and suffered more casualties than any other in the European theatre.
  The squadron ceased to exist on 13 December 2001, when the RNZAF Air Combat Force, comprising Nos 2, 14, and 75 Squadrons, was officially disbanded.
context_section_description: The squadron was progressively equipped with Wellingtons, Short Stirlings, Avro Lancasters and finally Avro Lincolns, which it was preparing to take to the Far East as part of Tiger Force when Japan surrendered. Some have claimed that No 75 Squadron it to be the only squadron engaged constantly against Germany from 1939 to VE day. However, as the 75 (NZ) Sqn only stood up in April 1940, this is not correct.  
  It flew more sorties than any other RAF heavy bomber unit, suffered more casualties than any other squadron, and dropped the second-largest weight of bombs. A pilot of the Squadron was awarded a VC in 1941, Sergeant James Allen Ward climbed along the wing of a Wellington in flight, in an attempt to extinguish a fire from an engine after a night fighter attack.
  No 75(NZ) Squadron RAF saw action early over France, Norway and most other European nations, but principally against Germany.  The squadron was part of the first major bombing raid on Germany, a night raid on oil infrastructure in the Ruhr on 15 May 1940. In September that year the squadron took part in the first large-scale  bombing of Berlin.
  In March 1944, No. 75(NZ) Sqn began to exchange its Stirlings for Lancaster III's and was ready in time to participate in preparation and support of the Allied invasion, the bombing of flying-bomb sites and close-support of the armies. A Lancaster, (ND917), a Mark III captained by Squadron Leader N A Williamson, RNZAF, on 30 June 1944 became the first British heavy bomber to land in Normandy after the invasion began. The Lancaster was returning from an attack on Villers Bocage in support of the Army when Williamson landed on one of the newly laid landing strips on the beach-head to seek medical aid for his flight engineer who had been wounded by flak.
  
  An unusual sortie for 75(NZ) Squadron was the high altitude run over The Hague in March 1945 by a lone Lancaster piloted by Flight Lieutenant H W Hooper. He dropped thousands of leaflets containing an apology from the British government for the earlier Allied bombing of the city which had been an error.
caption: TA-4K at Whenuapai in the late 1980s
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