Geoffrey Fisken
Geoffrey Bryson Fisken | |
---|---|
Flying Officer | |
Battles/wars | World War II |
Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
Geoffrey Bryson Fisken,
Early life
Geoffrey Fisken was born in
Military career
In September 1939, at the outbreak of
Singapore and Malaya
In February 1941, Fisken was posted to
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.[
In October 1941, as fears of
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".[7] As the Japanese advanced down the Malay Peninsula, Singapore came under an increasing number of bombing raids, and 243 Squadron was tasked with defending the city.[citation needed]
On 16 December, Fisken claimed a victory over a Mitsubishi A6M Zero. A fortnight later, on 29 December, he claimed two unidentified Japanese bombers.[3] On 12 January 1942, Fisken claimed a Nakajima Ki-27.[4] He claimed another A6M Zero two days later on 14 January,[3] being lucky to land after being caught in the explosion of the Japanese plane.[nb 1] On 17 January, he shot down, or assisted in the destruction of, three Mitsubishi G3M bombers, and four days later brought down another fighter.[3]
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
No. 14 Squadron RNZAF
In late March the RNZAF formed the surviving pilots from No. 243 and 488 Squadrons into
As a result of his performance in Singapore, Fisken received a
In September 1943 Fisken was awarded the
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.[8] 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.[1][3][4]
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.[8]
Notes
- Footnotes
- IJAAF.
- Citations
- ^ a b c d Ford, Daniel. "Geoff Fisken, Brewster Buffalo Ace". warbirdforum.com. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Shores & Williams 1994, p. 694.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s "Flying Officer Geoffrey Bryson Fisken". New Zealand Fighter Pilot's Museum. Archived from the original on 17 June 2009. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ a b c d e "Geoffrey Bryson Fisken". Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- ^ Stenman & Thomas 2010, p. 85.
- ^ Dennis et al 1995, p. 128.
- ^ "Obituary: Geoff Fisken". The Telegraph. Retrieved 5 July 2011.
- ^ a b Campbell, Phil (15 June 2011). "Geoff Fisken, NZ World War Two fighter ace". Stuff. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
References
- Dennis, Peter; Grey, Jeffrey; Morris, Ewan; Prior, Robin; Connor, John (1995). The Oxford Companion to Australian Military History (1st ed.). Melbourne, Victoria: ISBN 0-19-553227-9.
- Stenman, Kari; Davey, Chris (2010). Brewster F2a Buffalo Aces of World War II. Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84603-481-7.
- Shores, Christopher; Williams, Clive (1994). Aces High: A Tribute to the Most Notable Fighter Pilots of the British and Commonwealth Forces in WWII (Kindle ed.). London, United Kingdom: Grub Street. ISBN 1-8-9869-7000.