No. 490 Squadron RNZAF
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No. 490 Squadron RNZAF, also known as 490 (NZ) Squadron Royal Air Force, was formed 28 March 1943 with Royal New Zealand Air Force aircrew at Jui near Freetown in West Africa under Wing Commander D W Baird. Equipped with Consolidated PBY Catalinas, the squadron was tasked with maritime patrol and search and rescue. Its first operation was convoy escort on 2 July 1943. In August the squadron rescued its first seamen, and damaged its first U-boat.
Wing Commander W.S. Nicholl took over in November 1943 and oversaw re-equipment with Short Sunderlands in May of the following year. Wing Commander T. S. Gill took over in October 1944. The squadron flew its last operation on 6 May 1944, and when it became obvious that 490 would not be needed in Japan, the squadron was disbanded on 1 August 1945.
Of all New Zealand squadrons of the RAF, 490 saw least action, but nonetheless flew 463 operational sorties, totalling 4853 hours. One Distinguished Flying Cross was awarded.
The squadron's Māori motto was "Taniwha kei runga" which translates as "Taniwha in the air". Taniwha are mythical intelligent monsters in Māori legend, occasionally but not particularly accurately translated as "dragons". They are often associated with water, but a flying taniwha is relatively unusual.
[edit] New Zealand squadrons of the RAF
The usual convention for referring to RNZAF squadrons of the Royal Air Force was by the formulation such as 75(NZ) squadron RAF, although some authors such as Bill Gunston have used the formulation 488 squadron RNZAF. Contemporaneous documents refer to the squadron as an RAF squadron and as a RNZAF squadron, sometimes within the same document, not only because no contradiction was perceived, but because there was no contradiction.
Between 1939 and 1941 the RNZAF role was training pilots for the New Zealand squadrons of the RNZAF, just as New Zealanders prior to the onset of war served not with the Royal New Zealand Navy but the New Zealand Division of the Royal Navy. This changed from 1942 when the RNZAF developed a large combat arm, controlled by the New Zealand Government actively fighting in the southern Pacific, and when Britain stopped segregating airmen by nationality in 'bracket' squadrons and instead formed squadrons which mixed airmen from all Commonwealth and allied nations.
Most New Zealand aircrew did not serve in (NZ) squadrons, and (NZ) Squadrons were most definitely not manned only by New Zealanders. Several RAF squadrons which were not designated (NZ) squadrons never the less were largely manned by New Zealanders.
