Air Force

A bridge too far? Remembering New Zealand airmen and the battle for Arnhem 80 years on

Discover more about one of the most daring and ambitious military operations in history, Codenamed Operation Market-Garden which took place in Holland.

The Battle of Britain and New Zealand

During the Second World War, in the long hot summer of 1940, a desperate aerial battle was fought over the skies of southern England which would help decide the course of that conflict.

D-Day Stories – Leslie Brown MM

Pilot-turned French Resistance fighter Leslie Brown won the Military Medal for his exploits behind enemy lines.

D-Day Stories – Bruce de Vere DFC

D-Day Stories – Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham

As the overall commanding officer of 2nd Tactical Air Force, Sir Arthur Coningham was responsible for planning and supporting the D-Day operation by air.

D-Day Stories – 80 years on

D-Day special: To commemorate the 80th anniversary of D-Day, we will be publishing the stories of five Kiwi airmen who took part in the invasion of Europe. In this introduction, Research Curator Simon Moody outlines the significance of D-Day and the story of Air Marshal Sir Arthur ‘Mary’ Coningham, who played an extraordinary role in the events of that momentus day.

‘Ripping Yarns’

Among the thousands of objects in our collection are some which have amazing stories behind them – ripping yarns’ even! We share some of these objects and stories in a rotating display within our ‘Horizon to Horizon’ gallery at the Museum, but we’ll also share the latest ones here on our blog.

Piecing together the history of Vildebeest NZ102: Part three

Christmas has come early at the Air Force Museum thanks to a generous loan from an Auckland family. This is an update on the restoration project of our Vickers Vildebeest.

Into Wind… The birth of the RNZAF by Brian Lockstone

This book by the late Brian Lockstone covers the immediate period leading up to the formation of the RNZAF, and as such, makes great background reading for our latest exhibition, NZPAF100: The Origins of New Zealand Air Power.

For Your Tomorrow by Errol W. Martyn

With Anzac Day approaching, what better book to restart our Reading Room blog series than For Your Tomorrow by Errol W. Martyn.