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Michael James Herrick |
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Name : Michael James Herrick Born : 5th May 1921 Died : 6th June 1944 Service Number : 33566 Air Victories : 7.00 Awards : Air Medal |
Herrick was born in Hastings on 5 May 1921. Educated at Wanganui Collegiate School, he gained his pilot’s licence with the Hawkes Bay Aero Club while still at school. In March 1939 he left New Zealand to take up a two-year cadetship at the Royal Air Force (RAF) College in Cranwell. The course was shortened due to the outbreak of the war and Herrick graduated on 7 March 1940. Posted to No. 25 Squadron at the age of 18, Herrick flew Bristol Blenheim light bombers on night patrols during the Battle of Britain. In September 1940 he scored the squadron’s first victories of the war – shooting down two Heinkel He 111 bombers within minutes of each other. Herrick destroyed another bomber nine days later, meaning he personally accounted for three of the four victories achieved by Fighter Command during night operations that month. Herrick’s achievements were recognised with the award of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). By the end of 1941 Herrick was back in New Zealand on attachment with the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). After spells as an instructor at Woodbourne and Ohakea he was posted to the newly formed No. 15 Squadron RNZAF at Whenuapai in June 1942. Four months later No. 15 Squadron sailed from Wellington to Tonga, where they took over the Curtis P-40 Warhawk fighters of the United States Army Air Force's No. 68 Pursuit Squadron. By the time the squadron moved to Guadalcanal in April 1943, Herrick had assumed command, the previous CO having been killed in a flying accident. On 6 May he and another pilot shot down a Japanese floatplane – credited as the first enemy aircraft destroyed by New Zealand fighters in the Pacific. After leading No. 15 Squadron through two operational tours and earning a Bar to his DFC, Herrick returned to the United Kingdom. He joined No. 305 Squadron – a Polish fighter-bomber unit flying night operations against airfields and V-1 Flying Bomb launch sites in occupied Europe. On 16 June 1944, Herrick embarked on his first daylight raid and headed toward Denmark with another de Havilland Mosquito fighter-bomber piloted by Wing Commander J.D.R. ‘Bob’ Braham. Herrick was en route to attack the German airfield at Aalborg when his plane was intercepted and shot down by a Focke-Wulf Fw 190 flown by Lieutenant Robert Spreckels. Although Herrick and his Polish navigator managed to bail out they were too low to survive the landing. In a twist of fate, Braham was shot down by Spreckels 11 days later. When the two airmen met during Braham’s interrogation Spreckels informed him that Herrick had put up a brave fight |
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| Aircraft for : Michael James Herrick | ||
| A list of all aircraft associated with Michael James Herrick. A profile page including a list of all art prints for the aircraft is available by clicking the aircraft name. | ||
| Aircraft | Info | |
Mosquito 
Manufacturer : De Havilland Production Began : 1940 Retired : 1955 Number Built : 7781 | Mosquito Used as a night fighter, fighter bomber, bomber and Photo-reconnaissance, with a crew of two, Maximum speed was 425 mph, at 30,300 feet, 380mph at 17,000ft. and a ceiling of 36,000feet, maximum range 3,500 miles. the Mosquito was armed with four 20mm Hospano cannon in belly and four .303 inch browning machine guns in nose. Coastal strike aircraft had eight 3-inch Rockets under the wings, and one 57mm shell gun in belly. The Mossie at it was known made its first flight on 25th November 1940, and the mosquito made its first operational flight for the Royal Air Force as a reconnaissance unit based at Benson. In early 1942, a modified version (mark II) operated as a night fighter with 157 and 23 squadron's. In April 1943 the first De Haviland Mosquito saw service in the Far east and in 1944 The Mosquito was used at Coastal Command in its strike wings. Bomber Commands offensive against Germany saw many Mosquitos, used as photo Reconnaissance aircraft, Fighter Escorts, and Path Finders. The Mosquito stayed in service with the Royal Air Force until 1955. and a total of 7781 mosquito's were built. | |
| Squadrons for : Michael James Herrick | ||
| A list of all squadrons known to have been served with by Michael James Herrick. A profile page is available by clicking the squadron name. | ||
| Squadron | Info | |
No.25 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 25th September 1915 Feriens Tego - Striking I defend | No.25 Sqn RAF No. 25 Squadron was formed at Montrose in Scotland on 25 September 1915 from the personnel of No. 6 Reserve Squadron. Moving to France in February 1916, the Squadron took up fighter/reconnaissance patrols over the Western Front with two-seat FE2Bs. During 1917, the Squadron transferred to long-range reconnaissance and high-altitude bombing with newly received DH4s. After moving to Germany as part of the occupation forces, No. 25 Squadron returned to the UK and disbanded in January 1920. The squadron reformed the next day at RAF Hawkinge, flying Snipes, and went to Turkey in 1922/23 during the Chanak Crisis. After returning to the UK the unit stayed for a number of years at Hawkinge. The Snipes gave way to Grebes and later Siskins, while in December 1936 the squadron became the first unit to receive the Hawker Fury Mk II, having already flown the Fury Mk I since 1932. The Fury was replaced by the Hawker Demon when the squadron was given a night-fighter role. For night-flying training purposes the squadron also received Gloster Gladiators. No. 25(F) Squadron moved to RAF Northolt on 12 September 1938. During World War II it flew Blenheims on night patrols, which were replaced by Beaufighters and later Mosquitos. By the closing stages of the war, the squadron was almost entirely committed to bomber escort missions. After the war, the night-fighter Mosquitos remained on strength until 1951 when they were finally replaced by Vampires. A mix of two Meteor night-fighter variants replaced the Vampires in 1954 and remained with the Squadron until it was disbanded in June 1958. Barely a week later, on 1 July 1958, No. 153 Squadron at Waterbeach was renumbered No. 25 and the same mix of Meteors (NF12s and NF14s) was flown until all-weather Javelin fighters arrived in early 1959. In November 1962, the Squadron again disbanded, this time until October 1963, when the Squadron was reformed at North Coates as the first operational Bloodhound surface-to-air guided missile unit. In 1970, the Squadron moved to Bruggen with detached Flights based at Laarbruch and Wildenrath, remaining in Germany until 1983 when the unit returned to the UK with bases at Wyton, Barkston Heath and Wattisham. The Bloodhounds were withdrawn from service on 1 August 1989 and the Squadron reformed the same day at Leeming as a Tornado F3 squadron. During its time at Leeming, the squadron has had operational tours in the Gulf, providing air and groundcrews for the detachment of Tornado F3 based in Saudi Arabia on a rotational basis with other air defence squadrons. This ceased following the Operation Telic in 2003. | |
No.305 Sqn RAF Country : UK Founded : 29th August 1940 Fate : Disbanded 6th January 1947 Polish Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of No.305 Sqn RAF | No.305 Sqn RAF Full profile not yet available. | |
Red Arrows Country : UK Polish Click the name above to see prints featuring aircraft of Red Arrows | Red Arrows Full profile not yet available. | |
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