Bert Wipiti
Encyclopedia
Bert Sam Wipiti DFM
(16 January 1922 – 3 October 1943) was a New Zealand fighter ace of World War II, initially with RAF squadrons.
, he joined the RNZAF in January 1941.
Initially he was with No. 243 Squadron RAF
at Kallang Airport
, Singapore
, flying the outclassed Brewster Buffalo
fighter. He claimed 3½ kills for the period to March 1942. He was killed over France while flying a Spitfire with No. 485 Squadron RNZAF
, escorting a bombing raid on a French power station.
'Life's Too Short To Cry' Tim Vigors DFC Page 231-234
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
(16 January 1922 – 3 October 1943) was a New Zealand fighter ace of World War II, initially with RAF squadrons.
Biography
A Māori and born in New PlymouthNew Plymouth
New Plymouth is the major city of the Taranaki Region on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is named after Plymouth, Devon, England, from where the first English settlers migrated....
, he joined the RNZAF in January 1941.
Initially he was with No. 243 Squadron RAF
No. 243 Squadron RAF
RAF 243 Squadron was a RAF squadron in World War II which was based at Kallang Airport in Singapore, and fought during the Battle of Singapore in 1941-42 with the inadequate Brewster Buffalo fighter....
at Kallang Airport
Kallang Airport
The Kallang Airport , also known as the Kallang Aerodrome, Kallang Airfield and RAF Kallang, opened in 1937 as Singapore's first purpose-built civil airport, together with an anchorage for seaplanes. Land was reclaimed in the Kallang Basin to turn the swampy area into a circular-shaped airfield and...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, flying the outclassed Brewster Buffalo
Brewster Buffalo
The Brewster F2A Buffalo was an American fighter aircraft which saw limited service early in World War II. Though the Buffalo won a competition against the Grumman F4F Wildcat in 1939 to become the US Navy's first monoplane fighter aircraft, it turned out to be a big disappointment...
fighter. He claimed 3½ kills for the period to March 1942. He was killed over France while flying a Spitfire with No. 485 Squadron RNZAF
No. 485 Squadron RNZAF
No. 485 Squadron was a Spitfire squadron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War. It was the first RNZAF squadron formed under Article XV of the Empire Air Training Scheme and served in Europe under the operational command of the Royal Air Force.-History:Manned by New Zealand...
, escorting a bombing raid on a French power station.
External links
'Life's Too Short To Cry' Tim Vigors DFC Page 231-234