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New Zealand Military Aircraft Serial Numbers
Brewster 339 Buffalo


Serialc/nFate
W8135151No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Force landed in a swamp near Seletar on 12 January 1942 after a fractured oil pipe caused the engine to fail. Sergeant V. Meaclem uninjured but aircraft written off.
W8138154No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Coded NF-O. Crash landed with most of rudder shot away on 18 January 1942. Pilot Officer N. Sharp uninjured but aircraft written off.
W8141157No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Last seen diving into cloud above the Strait of Singapore at 1230 on 18 January 1942 after being engaged in dogfight with enemy aircraft at 16000 feet. Pilot Officer Ernest Cox missing presumed killed.
W8148164No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF).
W8150166No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Test flown by Flight Lieutenant J. MacKenzie No.488 Squadron on 28 October 1941. Still flying with the Squadron on 27 December 1941.
W8153169No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Crashed at Kallang on 14 November 1941 after landing with undercarriage retracted. Flight Lieutenant J. Hutcheson unhurt. Transferred to No.21 Squadron RAF and coded GA-P on 24 December 1941. Transferred to No.453 Squadron RAAF in January 1942 and later used by Dutch Air Force. Captured by Japanese at Andir in February 1942.
W8168184No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF).
W8171187No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron, (RAF). Shot down near Batu Pahat while on strafing mission on 23 January 1943. Pilot Officer Kenneth McAneny missing presumed killed.
W8173189No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). With No.488 Squadron by 03 November 1941. The only one of 488 Squadron's Buffalo to leave Singapore during the evacuation and believed to be the last aircraft of any type to leave.
W8174190No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Originally with No.453 Squadron RAAF and later transferred to No.488 Squadron. Destroyed by enemy action on 22 January 1942. The aircraft was hit by red hot bomb splinters while on the ground and completely burnt out.
W8175191No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Test flown by Flight Lieutenant J. MacKenzie No.488 Squadron on 23 October 1941. The starboard wing of the aircraft struck a tree during a formation landing at Kallang on 18 December 1941. The aircraft crashed to the ground and was burnt out. Sergeant Alexander Craig killed.
W8177193No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Code NF-B. With No.488 Squadron by 27 October 1941. Crash landed on small island 10 miles south of Kallang on 18 January 1942 after suffering damage from enemy aircraft. Flight Lieutenant J. Hutcheson uninjured and later returned to Singapore by ASR service launch.
W8178194No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Took off on an interception flight on the morning of 15 January 1942 and was lost without trace. Sergeant John Oliver missing presumed killed.
W8181197No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF).
W8183199No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Crash landed on strip of land alongside Alexandra Hospital after being shot down on 15 January 1942. Pilot Officer Greville Hesketh mortally wounded and died before ground personnel reached the aircraft.
W8185201No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Originally with No.453 Squadron RAAF and later transferred to No.488 Sqaudron. Shot down by enemy aircraft over Singapore on 13 January 1942. Pilot Officer F. Oakden managed to ditch the aircraft about half a mile from shore where he was picked up by Chinese in a sampan.
W8186202No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Shot down by enemy aircraft over Johore on 12 January 1942. Sergeant R. McMillan bailed out.
W8191207No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Test flown by Flight Lieutenant J. MacKenzie No.488 Squadron on 28 October 1941. Crashed into petrol dump on takeoff during bombing raid on 22 January 1943. Pilot Officer L. Farr seriously injured and died in hospital 3 days later.
W8195211No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Crashed after engine failure on climb out on 17 January 1942. Pilot Officer S. Johnstone bailed out and was picked up by Air Sea Rescue patrol.
W8198214No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Collected from Seletar by No.488 Squadron on 25 October 1941. Coded NF-U. Destroyed by enemy action on 22 January 1942. The aircraft was hit by red hot bomb splinters while on the ground and completely burnt out.
W8200216No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Test flown by Flight Lieutenant J. MacKenzie No.488 Squadron on 28 October 1941. Collided with a Gipsy Moth operated by the MVAF on 29 December 1941. The Moth crashed into Lavender Street but the Buffalo suffered only minor damage and was landed safely at Kallang by Sergeant W. DeMaus. Shot down by enemy aircraft over Johore on 12 January 1942. Sergeant T. Honan bailed out and was admitted to Johore Military Hospital with a bullet wound to his left arm.
W8223239No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). With No.488 Squadron by 21 October 1941. Crashed into a house after engine failure in the circuit at Kallang on 04 January 1942. Pilot Officer J. Godsiff suffered minor injuries.
W8235251No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Shot down by enemy aircraft over Singapore on 13 January 1942. Sergeant D. Clow bailed out and landed in the sea 400 yards from a small uninhabited island. He then swam across a channel to a larger island and was transported back to Singapore by rescue launch.
AN187286No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Crashed after engine failure on 13 January 1942. Sergeant E. Kuhn bailed out and was rescued from the sea by some Chinese in a sampan.
AN189288No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Delivered to No.453 Squadron RAAF on 15 December 1941 and later transferred to No. 488 Squadron. Shot down near Bahu Pahat while on strafing mission on 23 January 1943. Sergeant C. Charters bailed out and was captured by Japanese.
AN198297No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Test flown by Flight Lieutenant J. MacKenzie No.488 Squadron on 24 October 1941. Crashed on landing at Kallang on 24 November 1941. The aircraft hit the wind tee on landing and stalled into the ground. Sergeant E. Kuhn unhurt.
AN199298No 488 Squadron, Kallang, Singapore. Twenty one aircraft in poor condition were taken over from No.67 Squadron (RAF). Struck the water during low flying in the vicinity of Johore Baru on 11 November 1941. Written off after stalling on landing at Kallang with a damaged propeller. Pilot Officer E. Cox unhurt.

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    Source: "Air-to-Air" by Chris Rudge. "For Your Tomorrow" by Errol Martyn. Gordon Clarke. AHSNZ publications 1969 and 1973.

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    Updated 27th April 2005