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Noel C Todd | Flight Lieutenant Noel C Todd Joined the RAAF in November 1940. Noel trained in Australia and gained his wings in Canada. Commissioned as Pilot Officer, he sailed to the UK in 1941 and attended a Spitfire OTU then posted to 501 Sqn equipped with Spitfire Vs. Noel was seconded to Australia and joined 75 Sqn in June 1942. Flying Kittyhawks he took part in the Battle of Milne Bay during August / September 1942. After returning to Australia to rest and re-equip, Todd returned to Milne Bay with the squadronin February 1943. In April, Flg Off Todd flew A29-133 during a patrol from Milne Bay and on 14th April claimed a Zero destroyed during 75 Sqns last major air to air battle of the war when one hundred Japanese planes attacked Milne Bay. He remained with the squadron for much of 1943 and was then posted as a Test Pilot to the Aircraft Performance Unit at Laverton. Noel Todd ended his service career testing aircraft at 2 OTU. |
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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. |
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