Geoffrey Fisken Geoffrey Bryson Fisken DFC ( 17 February 1916 – 12 June 2011 ) was a New Zealand fighter pilot who was the British Commonwealth ’ s leading air ace in the Pacific theatre of World War II . He is credited with shooting down 11 Japan ese aircraft . Early life . Fisken was born in Gisborne on 17 February 1916 . He was the son of a farmer , and entered that profession himself , farming sheep at Masterton . Fisken learnt to fly privately during the 1930s , taking lessons in a DH60 Gypsy Moth . Military career . In September 1939 , at the outbreak of World War II Fisken volunteered for the Royal New Zealand Air Force , but was initially barred from enlisting . At the time in New Zealand farming was a reserved occupation as it was considered vital for the war effort , and therefore it was not until early 1940 that Fisken was able to enlist , after convincing his employer to release him for service . Following this Fisken was accepted as a pilot and undertook training at Bell Block in New Plymouth and also at Ohakea , before graduating as a Sergeant Pilot in 1941 . Singapore and Malaya . In February 1941 , Fisken was posted to Singapore to join No . 205 Squadron RAF which was flying Short Singapore flying boat s at the time . When he arrived , however , he discovered that these machines were being transferred to No . 5 Squadron RNZAF , so Fisken was instead sent to complete a fighter conversion course on Royal Australian Air Force CAC Wirraway s , and Brewster Buffalo es . Upon completion of this course , he was posted to No . 67 Squadron RAF , which was primarily made up of New Zealanders at the time and was in the process of forming at Kallang along with No . 243 Squadron RAF . The all - metal monoplane Buffaloes that equipped these squadrons were an advance on the biplanes that Fisken was used to , as well as the Wirraways he had flown during his fighter training . However , the stubby Buffalo has acquired a mixed reputation as a fighter . Successful in Finnish hands against the Soviets during 1941 – 44 , nevertheless it was placed on second - line duties by the Royal Air Force , who found the aircraft that arrived in Singapore had multiple faults , including secondhand poorly - conditioned engines , design flaws in the undercarriage , and unserviceable weapons and oxygen . As increasing numbers of aircraft arrived at the end of 1941 , local modifications were hurriedly contrived to make them more battle ready . In October 1941 , as fears of Japanese aggression increased , No . 67 Squadron moved to Mingaladon , Burma , but Fisken was posted back to Kallang to join No . 243 Squadron . The Japanese attacked Allied territories in Asia and the Pacific on 8 December 1941 . Initially , No . 243 Squadron concentrated on the unsuccessful defence of HMS " Prince of Wales " and HMS " Repulse " . Fisken was flying one of two Buffaloes to arrive at the sinkings first , describing the scene as " a grey metal bow sticking out of the sea , surrounded by an oil slick and many bodies . ” As the Japanese advanced down the Malay Peninsula , Singapore came under an increasing number of bombing raids , and 243 Squadron was tasked with defending the city . On 16 December , Fisken claimed a victory over a Zero . A fortnight later , on 29 December , he claimed two unidentified Japanese bombers . On 12 January 1942 , Fisken claimed a Ki - 27 . He claimed a Mitsubishi Zero two days later on 14 January , being lucky to land after being caught in the explosion of the Japanese plane . On 17 January , he shot down , or assisted in the destruction of , three Mitsubishi G3M bombers , and four days later brought down another fighter . By this time , 243 Squadron had lost the majority of its pilots and virtually all its aircraft . As a result it was merged with the Australian No . 453 Squadron RAAF , which continued to operate , along with No . 488 Squadron RNZAF . Fisken claimed another fighter on 1 February . Five days later , he was " bounced " by two Japanese fighters . He nevertheless shot one down , but only narrowly escaped the other , being injured in the arm and leg by a cannon shell before the dogfight ended . He was evacuated to New Zealand shortly before Singapore fell . No . 14 Squadron RNZAF . In late March the RNZAF formed the surviving pilots from No . 243 and 488 Squadrons into No . 14 Squadron RNZAF at Ohakea . Employed in the home defence role , they were initially equipped with Harvards , while awaiting delivery of Curtiss P - 40 Kittyhawks . As a result of his performance in Singapore , Fisken received a commission and was promoted to the rank of pilot officer . In April 1943 , he joined No . 14 Squadron at Wigram . Later the squadron was posted to the New Hebrides where they were based at Palikulo Bay Airfield on Espiritu Santo , before moving to the front line at Kukum Field on Guadalcanal on 11 June 1943 . The following day Fisken destroyed two more Zeroes . On 4 July , flying the colourful P - 40 " Wairarapa Wildcat " he had his last victories , destroying a further two Zekes and a Mitsubishi G4M . " Wairarapa Wildcat " also had success in the hands of other pilots . NZ3072 was scrapped after the war , but NZ3009 was restored and painted to represent NZ3072 " Wairarapa Wildcat " . In September 1943 Fisken was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross . However , he found himself increasingly troubled by the injuries he had received in Singapore , and was medically discharged from the RNZAF in December 1943 . Although his last victories in the Solomons were clearly documented , the number of his confirmed victories ( as against probables ) over Singapore has been contested , giving rise to totals of between 10 and 13 in different texts . Nevertheless , his final score is believed to be 11 confirmed kills and he is considered to be the highest scoring British Commonwealth ace in the Pacific theatre . Later life . Following his discharge from the RNZAF , Fisken returned to farming . He was later employed by the Egg Marketing Board after selling his farm before eventually retiring in 1976 . In 2005 , Geoff Fisken and " Wairarapa Wildcat " were reunited at a Masterton airshow . He died on 12 June 2011 at Lara Lodge in Rotorua where he had lived for 31 years . His wife , Rhoda , predeceased him by 14 years . Together they had six children , five boys and a girl .