AIR FORCE OPERATIONS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 6, Issue 40, 19 January 1943, Page 2

AIR FORCE OPERATIONS

Official War Correspondent Advanced Pacific Base, Dec. 19. Squadrons of the Roy;;'] New Zealand Air Force, operating along the South Pacific war supply routes and into the Solomons zone itself are the first complete units of the Dominion's armed forces to serve in any theatre of operations under United States command. The. high-ranking United States Navy Officer under whom they serve is well pleased with them. He is Rear-Admiral William Fitch, commander of aircraft in the South Pacific Force, who said of his New Zealand units: "They are a credit to themselves and to their country'* Long reconnaissance and antisubmarine patrol flights cabling for a high degree of navigational skill and airmanship are among the duties assigned to the New Zealand squadrons. Exactly how and where they are operating may never, in view r of the very nature of their work, be made known to the public. But Rear-Admiral Fitch, when I interviewed him, agreed that the Dominion might find satisfaction in knowing that its air forces in the South Pacific were carrying out important tasks in a highly creditable way. At the head of a force which is winning renown with a conspicuous absence of verbal fanfare, Rear-ad-miral Fitch chooses his quiet words carefully. There was 110 trace of flattery in the compliment, he paid to ; the New Zealanders. " "1 hey are doing a very nice job" he declared. "They have a sound conception of what is required of them, and they are carrying it out in a most satisfactory way. I am sure that whatever demands may be made of them in the future, they wil'l meet, those demands with the same efficiency and spirit of co-

operation." The commander said he realised the monotony of some of the operations 'which New Zealanders were carrying out in areas comparatively distant from the actual combat zone, and he understood their eagerness to take a place in the front line. Thev might feel that they were out of the picture, he added, but the work they were, doing was nevertheless highly important. All of the New Zealand, units were performing their tasks in a manner that brought credit to themselves and to their country. Rear-admiral Fitch said he treated the New Zealand squadrons exactly as he did the Unity States forces under his command. He made no differentiation between them, and he. w:s pleased with the spirit, of mutual co operation that existed. When the time came to reward individual men with decorations or citations for outstanding performances, he wou'ld place the New Zealander on exactly the: same basis as the American airman, the commander concluded.