|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Peter Booth-Jones | Squadron Leader Peter Booth-Jones DFC Joined the RAAF in January 1941. After initial training in Australia, gained his wings and graduated as a Pilot Officer in Canada. Peter was posted to 58 OTU in the UK and converted to Spitfires, then posted to 118 Sqn at Ibsley until March 1942. He then returned to Australia and joined 75 Sqn in Juner 1942. Flying Kittyhawks Peter took part in the Battle of Milne Bay and on 27th August, he and Flt Lt Bruce Watson attacked 3 Val Dive Bombers over the Bay. They were credited with sharing 1 destroyed, 1 probable and 1 damaged. On 27th November he flew S A29-133 on a scramble from Cairns and again on 1st December. He was posted as an instructor to 2 OTU Mildura until September 1944. Sqn Ldr Jones was posted as CO to 76 Sqn based at Noemfoor, then Morotai, Sanga Sanga and Labuan until the end of the war. |
|
| Text for the above items : |
Milne Bay - The Turning Point by Robert Taylor. The Battle for Milne Bay in New Guinea was a story of true grit, determination, and valour; it was the moment when the Imperial Japanese Army tasted defeat on land for the first time in nearly three centuries. In the space of two weeks, the Japanese attempt to capture Milne Bay was halted, and any ambitions they might have held to invade Australia thwarted. And that victory was due in no small part to the Kittyhawks of 75 and 76 Squadrons RAAF. After the Japanese had invaded the north of New Guinea, their main objective was to take Port Moresby in the south. But defeat at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May 1942 put an end to any invasion of Port Moresby by sea: instead they must strike across the Owen Stanley Ranges via the Kokoda Trail. Protecting Port Moresbys eastern flank was the key strategic natural harbour at Milne Bay, and in June 1942 American engineers, protected by Australian troops, began construction of the first of three proposed airstrips to be hacked out of the steaming jungle. Within a few weeks they had laid the first runway, formed by laying steel matting in almost impossible conditions. With heavy rain falling almost continuously, it was an extraordinary feat. Four days later the Kittyhawks of 75 and 76 Squadrons, RAAF, took up residence, together with a few Hudsons of 6 and 32 Squadrons to provide long-range reconnaissance. On the night of 25th August 1942, in torrential rain, a Japanese invasion force began their landin in the bay. With the Australian troops bitterly contesting every yard, the fighting was savage and bloody; conditions in the jungle battleground were wet, nuddy, and atrocious. At first light the next morning the Kittyhawks and Hudsons immediately joined the battle, flying continuous raids against the Japanese forces. Sortie after sortie, strafing and bombing the enemy troops, their landing barges and stores. For the next eleven days the bitter battle raged, the Australian troops fighting in savage hand to hand combat as the Japanese were halted at No.3 airstrips permieter. But eventually the Japanese were spent as a fighting force. With no hope of reinforcement, they were forced to withdraw. A quarter of their invasion force had been lost. Robert Taylors powerful painting depicts Kittyhawks from 75 and & 76 Squadrons RAAF, returning to No 1 Strip after attacking Japanese positions during the Battle for Milne Bay. Under the starboard wing of the lead aircraft, Polly, the smoke of action is clearly visible as the Japanese press from their landing site, along the coast towards the airstrip. Polly, now beautifully restored, resides in the Australian War Memorial Museum in Canberra, a tribute to the men and machines who stopped the Japanese in New Guinea. |
|
Contact Details |
|
Sign Up To Our Newsletter!
This website is owned by Cranston Fine Arts. Torwood House, Torwoodhill Road, Rhu, Helensburgh, Scotland, G848LE Contact: Tel: (+44) (0) 1436 820269. Email: cranstonorders -at- outlook.com
|
|
|
