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On this day in Air Force history: 19421226 26/12/1942 Wirraway's only combat success
While on a tactical reconnaissance mission off Gona, Papua, on this day, the two-man crew of Wirraway A20-103 from No 4 Squadron spotted a Japanese fighter approaching them about 1000 feet below. The pilot, Flying Officer John Archer, immediately engaged the enemy machine and caused it to crash in flames into the sea. Archer’s victory was unique, as the Wirraway was developed from a design intended for nothing more than advanced training. Although the RAAF had armed and employed some as ‘fighters’, the Wirraway proved totally outclassed in earlier combat with high performance Japanese types such as the Mitsubishi Zero. In this case, however, the enemy machine encountered was probably not a Zero but a Nakajima Ki-43 Oscar of the Japanese Army's recently- arrived 11th Sentai. Very likely, the Japanese pilot had himself mistaken the RAAF machine for a Zero. For his singular success, Archer was awarded the Silver Star by the Americans.
Wakefield Park celebrated 40 years of historic racing in Australia when it hosted the Vintage Sports Car Association of Australia (VSCCA) Car and Bike Festival on 17-18 September.
The cars and bikes were divided into groups based on age; cars attended include Group J, K and L Sports and Racing Cars from manufacturers such as Lola and Elfin, while motorcycle brands included Triumph, Indian and Harley Davidson.
"Connie" as it is affectionately known, was originally built as a C-121C for the United States Air Force, serial number 54-0157, c/n 4176, and was delivered on the 6th of October 1955 when it was allocated to the 1608th Military Air Transport Wing based at Charleston, South Carolina. On the 25th July 1962 it was transferred to the Mississippi Air National Guard and on the 14th of February 1967 it moved on to West Virginia Air National Guard, where it served for the next five years. Connie's last active duty was with the Pennsylvania AIr National Guard from mid 1972 until its relegation to storage at Davis Monthan Air Base at Tucson, Arizona in June 1977.
In 1990 some Society members were in Tucson colecting Neptune spares and saw this derelict Super Constellation. In a moment of madness the thought occurred that it should be recovered to complete Australia's aviation history and negotiations commenced for its acquisition.