Geoffrey Fisken
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Geoffrey Bryson Fisken, (17 February 1916 – 12 June 2011) was a New Zealand fighter pilot who was the
British Commonwealth The Commonwealth of Nations, often referred to as the British Commonwealth or simply the Commonwealth, is an international association of 56 member states, the vast majority of which are former territories of the British Empire The B ...
's leading air ace in the Pacific theatre of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. He is credited with shooting down 11
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
ese aircraft.


Early life

Geoffrey Fisken was born in Gisborne, in New Zealand, on 17 February 1916. He was the son of a farmer, and entered that profession himself, farming sheep at
Masterton Masterton () is a large town in the Wellington Region, Greater Wellington Region of New Zealand that operates as the seat of the Masterton District (a territorial authority or local-government district). It is the largest town in the Wairarapa ...
. Fisken learnt to fly privately during the 1930s, taking lessons in a DH60 Gypsy Moth.


Military career

In September 1939, at the outbreak of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
Fisken volunteered for the
Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...
, but was initially barred from enlisting. At the time in New Zealand, farming was a
reserved occupation A reserved occupation (also known as essential services) is an occupation considered important enough to a country that those serving in such occupations are exempt or forbidden from military service. In a total war, such as the Second World War, ...
as it was considered vital for the war effort, and therefore it was not until early 1940 that Fisken was able to enlist, after convincing his employer to release him for service. Following this Fisken was accepted as a pilot and undertook training at Bell Block in
New 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 the English city of Plymouth, in Devon, from where the first English settlers to New Plymouth migrated. The New Pl ...
and also at Ohakea, before graduating as a Sergeant Pilot in 1941.


Singapore and Malaya

In February 1941, Fisken was posted to
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
to join No. 205 Squadron RAF which was flying Short Singapore
flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...
s at the time. When he arrived, however, he discovered that these machines were being transferred to No. 5 Squadron RNZAF, so Fisken was instead sent to complete a fighter conversion course on
Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
CAC Wirraway The CAC Wirraway is a Trainer aircraft, training and general purpose military aircraft manufactured in Australia by the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) between 1939 and 1946. It was an Australian development of the North American NA-16 ...
s, and
Brewster Buffalo The Brewster F2A Buffalo is an American fighter aircraft which saw service early in World War II. Designed and built by the Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, it was one of the first U.S. monoplanes with an arrestor hook and other modification ...
es. Upon completion of this course, he was posted to
No. 67 Squadron RAF The name No. 67 Squadron has been used by the Royal Flying Corps and the Royal Air Force for two quite different units. History World War I During the First World War, No. 1 Squadron, Australian Flying Corps – formed at Point Cook in Janua ...
, which was primarily made up of New Zealanders at the time and was in the process of forming at
Kallang Kallang ( ) is a Planning Areas of Singapore, planning area and New towns of Singapore, residential zone located in the Central Region, Singapore, Central Region of Singapore. Development of the town is centered around the Kallang River, the l ...
along with No. 243 Squadron RAF. The all-metal monoplane Buffaloes that equipped these squadrons were an advance on the biplanes that Fisken was used to, as well as the Wirraways he had flown during his fighter training. However, the stubby Buffalo has acquired a mixed reputation as a fighter. Successful in Finnish hands against the
Soviets The Soviet people () were the citizens and nationals of the Soviet Union. This demonym was presented in the ideology of the country as the "new historical unity of peoples of different nationalities" (). Nationality policy in the Soviet Union ...
during 1941–44, nevertheless it was placed on second-line duties by the
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
,Dennis et al 1995, p. 128. who found the aircraft that arrived in Singapore had multiple faults, including secondhand poorly-conditioned engines, design flaws in the undercarriage, and unserviceable weapons and oxygen. As increasing numbers of aircraft arrived at the end of 1941, local modifications were hurriedly contrived to make them more battle ready. In October 1941, as fears of Japanese aggression increased, No. 67 Squadron moved to Mingaladon,
Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
, but Fisken was posted back to Kallang to join No. 243 Squadron. The Japanese attacked Allied territories in Asia and the Pacific on 8 December 1941. Initially, No. 243 Squadron concentrated on the unsuccessful defence of HMS ''Prince of Wales'' and HMS ''Repulse''. Fisken was flying one of two Buffaloes to arrive at the sinkings first, describing the scene as "a grey metal bow sticking out of the sea, surrounded by an oil slick and many bodies". As the Japanese advanced down the
Malay Peninsula The Malay Peninsula is located in Mainland Southeast Asia. The landmass runs approximately north–south, and at its terminus, it is the southernmost point of the Asian continental mainland. The area contains Peninsular Malaysia, Southern Tha ...
, Singapore came under an increasing number of bombing raids, and 243 Squadron was tasked with defending the city. On 16 December, Fisken claimed a victory over a
Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-capable fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. It was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) from 1940 to 1945. The ...
. A fortnight later, on 29 December, he claimed two unidentified Japanese bombers. On 12 January 1942, Fisken claimed a
Nakajima Ki-27 The was the main fighter aircraft used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service up until 1940. Its Allies of World War II, Allied World War II Allied names for Japanese aircraft, nickname was "Nate", although it was called "Abdul" in the China ...
. He claimed another A6M Zero two days later on 14 January, being lucky to land after being caught in the explosion of the Japanese plane.Allied pilots during this period tended to refer to all Japanese fighters as Zeroes; this aircraft was probably a
Nakajima Ki-43 The Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' (, "Peregrine falcon"), formal Japanese designation is a single-engine land-based tactical Fighter aircraft, fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied World War II Allie ...
"Oscar", as used by the IJAAF.
On 17 January, he shot down, or assisted in the destruction of, three Mitsubishi G3M bombers, and four days later brought down another fighter. By this time, 243 Squadron had lost the majority of its pilots and virtually all its aircraft. As a result, it was merged with the
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
n No. 453 Squadron RAAF, which continued to operate, along with No. 488 Squadron RNZAF. Fisken claimed another fighter on 1 February. Five days later, he was "bounced" by two Japanese fighters. He nevertheless shot one down, but only narrowly escaped the other, being injured in the arm and leg by a cannon shell before the dogfight ended. He was evacuated to New Zealand shortly before Singapore fell.


No. 14 Squadron RNZAF

In late March the RNZAF formed the surviving pilots from No. 243 and 488 Squadrons into No. 14 Squadron RNZAF at Ohakea. Employed in the home defence role, they were initially equipped with
Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...
s, while awaiting delivery of
Curtiss P-40 The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter-bomber that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time and enabled a rapid entry ...
Kittyhawks. As a result of his performance in Singapore, Fisken received a
commission In-Commission or commissioning may refer to: Business and contracting * Commission (remuneration), a form of payment to an agent for services rendered ** Commission (art), the purchase or the creation of a piece of art most often on behalf of anot ...
and was promoted to the rank of
pilot officer Pilot officer (Plt Off or P/O) is a junior officer rank used by some air forces, with origins from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. Pilot officer is the lowest ran ...
. In April 1943, he joined No. 14 Squadron at Wigram. Later the squadron was posted to the
New Hebrides New Hebrides, officially the New Hebrides Condominium () and named after the Hebrides in Scotland, was the colonial name for the island group in the South Pacific Ocean that is now Vanuatu. Native people had inhabited the islands for three th ...
where they were based at Palikulo Bay Airfield on
Espiritu Santo Espiritu Santo (, ; ) is the largest island in the nation of Vanuatu, with an area of and a population of around 40,000 according to the 2009 census. Geography The island belongs to the archipelago of the New Hebrides in the Pacific region ...
, before moving to the front line at
Kukum Field Kukum Field also known as Fighter 2 Airfield is a former World War II airfield on Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands. World War II From the beginning of the Guadalcanal Campaign it was planned that the area would be developed into a major air bas ...
on
Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomons by area and the second- ...
on 11 June 1943. The following day Fisken destroyed two more Zeroes. On 4 July, flying the colourful P-40 "Wairarapa Wildcat" he had his last victories, destroying a further two Zekes and a
Mitsubishi G4M The Mitsubishi G4M is a twin-engine, land-based medium bomber formerly manufactured by the Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and operated by the Air Service (IJNAS) of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1940 to ...
. "Wairarapa Wildcat" also had success in the hands of other pilots. NZ3072 was scrapped after the war, but NZ3009 was restored and painted to represent NZ3072 "Wairarapa Wildcat". In September 1943 Fisken was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. However, he found himself increasingly troubled by the injuries he had received in Singapore, and was medically discharged from the RNZAF in December 1943. Although his last victories in the Solomons were clearly documented, the number of his confirmed victories (as against probables) over Singapore has been contested, giving rise to totals of between 10 and 13 in different texts. Nevertheless, his final score is believed to be 11 confirmed kills and he is considered to be the highest scoring British Commonwealth ace in the Pacific theatre.


Later life

Following his discharge from the RNZAF, Fisken returned to farming in Masteron. He was later employed by the Egg Marketing Board after selling his farm before eventually retiring in 1976 after another period farming, this time at Te Puke. He died on 12 June 2011 at Lara Lodge in Rotorua where he had lived for 31 years. His wife, Rhoda, predeceased him by 14 years. Together they had six children, five boys and a girl.


Notes

; Footnotes ; Citations


References

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External links


Geoffrey Fisken oral history interview, conducted 21 February 2007 for the National Museum of the Pacific War
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fisken, Geoffrey 1916 births 2011 deaths 20th-century New Zealand farmers New Zealand World War II pilots New Zealand World War II flying aces New Zealand recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom) Royal New Zealand Air Force personnel People from Gisborne, New Zealand