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From Spitfires to Vampires and Beyond: A Kiwi Ace's RAF Journey
World War Two Spitfire pilot Owen Hardy was probably the last New Zealand ace to tell his story. He left home at 18 bent on joining the RAF and by 1942, aged only 20, he was at Biggin Hill with 72 Squadron under Brian Kingcome. D-Day found him flying over the Normandy beaches with 485 (New Zealand) Squadron. That he survived the war unharmed owed as much to luck as it did to his ability as a fighter pilot. Unable to settle in civilian life afterwards in New Zealand, he returned to the RAF for the second phase of a remarkable career. Converting to jets, Hardy went on to command 71 Squadron, leading a Vampire aerobatic team with considerable success across Europe – dodging MiGs at the same time! But adapting to peacetime service wasn’t easy. Previously stimulated by the wartime environment and still passionate about flying, he was less enamored with staff jobs; and this despite working on the introduction of a new, state-of-the-art missile system, Bloodhound. Then a fateful decision, to turn down command of a Javelin squadron and follow his mentor, led finally to disillusionment. Hardy pulls no punches in this forthright and refreshingly honest autobiography. In retelling his eye-opening story, editor Black Robertson shines a light on what it was like not just to fly in combat, but also on the changing face of a post-war RAF which arguably undervalued some of its heroes. From the heat of North Africa to the uncertainties of the Cold War, it’s a unique and enthralling tale.
267 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 25, 2023
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October 6, 2023
FROM SPITFIRES TO VAMPIRES AND BEYOND: A Kiwi Ace's RAF Journey is derived from a memoir Owen Hardy (1921-2018) had written in 2004 for his family in which he spoke with considerable candidness about his World War II experiences as a fighter pilot flying Spitfires and his subsequent service in the RAF postwar, which turned out to be a bit of mixed blessing for Hardy.
This book was edited by Air Marshal G.A. 'Black' Robertson (RAF retired) whose father had flown with Hardy during the war. What was remarkable about the book is how much, as a reader, I got a real, tangible sense of Hardy himself. His love for flying - going back to his childhood in New Zealand - shines through. Then he takes the reader through his flight training -- from New Zealand to Canada (for advanced training), and finally the UK, where he had his first flight in the Supermarine Spitfire, a plane he flew in combat (over Europe and North Africa) between 1942 and 1945.
With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, Hardy shamefully admits that "there was a great sadness and an empty feeling inside me. There was nothing ahead now, no certainty, no future except the unknown. A way of life had suddenly ended; a way in which, dare it be said, I'd enjoyed. It had become a drug, bringing excitement, creating expectation,. The prospect of civilian life was horrifying. The misery of my situation was destroying every hope, all interest. Unlike others, there was no hilarity or celebration for me on the cessation of hostilities."
The first 5 years of peacetime service in the RAF saw Hardy in command of a fighter squadron that was posted to Germany, flying the DeHavilland Vampire, one of Britain's first jet fighters. He also led an aerobatic team flying Vampires in Europe, where he enjoyed considerable success. But his time as a full time fighter pilot was numbered. For the remaining 16 years of his stint in the RAF, Hardy would be assigned to a variety of staff jobs in which airmen of his experience, he found, were often undervalued and passed over for promotion for some of the flimsiest, nonsensical reasons.
From Spitfires to Vampires and Beyond is a fascinating story of historical value, given that the number of World War II veterans still living is rapidly shrinking. It's smartly edited, with footnotes to give the reader a clearer understanding of some of the personalities and events Hardy describes, and contains photos from Hardy's RAF service. Simply put, this book is a keeper.
This book was edited by Air Marshal G.A. 'Black' Robertson (RAF retired) whose father had flown with Hardy during the war. What was remarkable about the book is how much, as a reader, I got a real, tangible sense of Hardy himself. His love for flying - going back to his childhood in New Zealand - shines through. Then he takes the reader through his flight training -- from New Zealand to Canada (for advanced training), and finally the UK, where he had his first flight in the Supermarine Spitfire, a plane he flew in combat (over Europe and North Africa) between 1942 and 1945.
With the end of the war in Europe in May 1945, Hardy shamefully admits that "there was a great sadness and an empty feeling inside me. There was nothing ahead now, no certainty, no future except the unknown. A way of life had suddenly ended; a way in which, dare it be said, I'd enjoyed. It had become a drug, bringing excitement, creating expectation,. The prospect of civilian life was horrifying. The misery of my situation was destroying every hope, all interest. Unlike others, there was no hilarity or celebration for me on the cessation of hostilities."
The first 5 years of peacetime service in the RAF saw Hardy in command of a fighter squadron that was posted to Germany, flying the DeHavilland Vampire, one of Britain's first jet fighters. He also led an aerobatic team flying Vampires in Europe, where he enjoyed considerable success. But his time as a full time fighter pilot was numbered. For the remaining 16 years of his stint in the RAF, Hardy would be assigned to a variety of staff jobs in which airmen of his experience, he found, were often undervalued and passed over for promotion for some of the flimsiest, nonsensical reasons.
From Spitfires to Vampires and Beyond is a fascinating story of historical value, given that the number of World War II veterans still living is rapidly shrinking. It's smartly edited, with footnotes to give the reader a clearer understanding of some of the personalities and events Hardy describes, and contains photos from Hardy's RAF service. Simply put, this book is a keeper.
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