Problems of plenty: The reconversion of the Royal New Zealand Air Force

During the Second World War manufacturers in the United States (US) produced in excess of 342,000 military aircraft at least 43,000 of which were supplied as Lend-Lease aid to its military allies, including New Zealand. However, even before the war ended in August 1945,the US had begun dismantling this vast aerial armada. This paper examines how this reconversion of US aerial forces affected the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It seeks to explain why it was necessary to scrap the bulk of the latter’s combat capability, when this was decided, and by whom (i.e., the US, New Zealand, or both).