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23other, by Flight Sergeant R H Middleton, who was flying with Bomber Command.2 The overall tally of gallantry awards exceeded 3,000, to which must be added those recognised for distinguished service. Like the Australians, the New Zealand Government responded very promptly when war was declared. Having ordered a small initial batch of Wellingtons, a number of RNZAF aircrew were in the UK training on the first of these aircraft and the resources of the New Zealand Bomber Flight were immediately offered to the British Government. On 8 April 1940, the unit was redesignated as No 75 (New Zealand) Sqn of the RAF. It spent the whole of the war with 3 Group, progressing via Stirlings to Lancasters. The personnel of the squadron earned some 120 gallantry awards, including a Victoria Cross to Sergeant J R Ward. On 1 April 1946, in recognition of the unit%u2019s wartime achievements, the No 75 number plate was transferred to the RNZAF in perpetuity and it remained in use until that air force was effectively emasculated in 2001. New Zealand contributed six squadrons to the RAF under Article XV. No 485 Sqn was employed as a fighter squadron throughout and flew various marks of Spitfire before moving to the Tempest in the spring of 1945. The Tempests were withdrawn before the conversion process had been completed and Typhoons were issued instead. In their turn, the Typhoons were also withdrawn and the squadron was still flying Spitfires when the war ended. A second single8seat fighter squadron, No 486, flew the Typhoon for two years before converting to the Tempest which it operated with considerable success against the V81, claiming over 220 destroyed.3 As that threat passed the squadron moved to Europe for the rest of the war during which it was credited with 81 confirmed victories. In the summer of 1942, the New Zealanders formed the Ventura8equipped No 487 Sqn at Feltwell. Its first operational sortie, flown on 6 December 1942, was a raid on the Philips plant in Eindhoven but of the sixteen crews involved; three, including that of the Squadron Commander, failed to return. The squadron operated relatively infrequently until 3 May 1943 when it sent eleven aircraft to Amsterdam. Only one aircraft returned, so badly damaged that it was written off, all of the others had been shot down, the leader; Squadron Leader Leonard Trent, being awarded a Victoria Cross when the full