Jack Rae

John Donald "Jack" Rae, DFC * (15 January 1919 – 19 December 2007) was a New Zealand flying ace of the Royal New Zealand Air Force during the Second World War, who was credited with the destruction of twelve enemy aircraft, eight and a half probably destroyed, and six damaged. He flew Spitfires over the Channel Front with No. 485 (New Zealand) Squadron, having spent a period with No. 249 Squadron in Malta. Forced down over France in August 1943, he spent the remainder of the war as a prisoner of war.

John Donald Rae, known as Jack or JD, was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 15 January 1919, the son of E. Rae and his wife. He was educated at Cornwall Park School and then at Auckland Grammar. When he finished his schooling, he worked as a stonemason.

Soon after the outbreak of the Second World War, Rae joined the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). After his flight training in New Zealand was completed, in March 1941 he was sent to England to serve with the Royal Air Force (RAF). With the rank of sergeant pilot he was posted to the RAF's No. 485 (New Zealand) Squadron in mid-July 1941. The squadron had been formed earlier in the year and its flying personnel were mainly New Zealanders but with British administrative staff and ground crew. By the time of Rae's arrival, it was operating Spitfire Mk. IIs from Redhill airfield, as part of No. 11 Group's Kenley Wing. However, the squadron soon received Spitfire Mk. Vs, which had cannons rather than machine guns.

Rae, who decorated his Spitfire with the emblem of his former high school school, Auckland Grammar, shot down his first aircraft, a Messerschmitt Me 109 on 12 August 1941. He destroyed another Me 109 less than a week later. On 12 February 1942, No. 485 Squadron flew a mission escorting bombers attempting to disrupt the Channel Dash by the German battleships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau. During this mission, Rae damaged two Me 109s. He shot down a Focke Wulf Fw 190 on 28 March 1942.

In April 1942, as part of Operation Calendar, Rae was attached to No. 601 Squadron as one of several pilots ordered to fly Spitfires to Malta to reinforce the aerial defences of the island. Embarking on the American aircraft carrier USS Wasp, he flew his Spitfire from the carrier's flight deck and landed on Malta on 20 April. He remained on the island, being posted to No. 249 Squadron and flew several missions defending against German and Italian air raids. Not long after his arrival, his aircraft was damaged by an Me 109 and wounded in the leg, Rae had to bale out a short distance from Malta. Fortunately, the breeze carried him to the island. In December 1942, Rae's award of a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) was published. The citation noted his destruction of six enemy aircraft while serving with No. 249 Squadron.

After a period of leave and then instructor duties, Rae rejoined No. 485 Squadron in May 1943, which was now operating out of Biggin Hill. He shared in the destruction of a Fw 190 on 27 July 1943 and this was then followed with the sole credit for shooting down a Me 109 on 9 August, when his section of four Spitfires, led by Squadron Leader Johnny Checketts, accounted for seven Me 109s. On 17 August, while flying cover for a bombing raid being carried out by Martin Marauders, he shot down two Me 109s. During an escort mission on 22 August, the squadron was surprised by 50 to 60 German fighters. Rae was one of four New Zealanders to be shot down, having to force land in France and becoming a prisoner of war (POW). Prior to this, Rae was due to be promoted and made a flight commander in another squadron. He had been recommended by Checketts for a bar to his DFC and not long after Rae's capture, this award was announced.

Rae was incarcerated at Stalag Luft III, a POW camp well to the southeast of Berlin, in what is now Żagań, in Poland. He made one escape attempt which placed him in solitary confinement for a time. This meant that he was not involved in the Great Escape and avoided being one of the 50 escapees that were recaptured and eventually murdered. As the war drew to a close, the POWs at Stalag Luft III were force marched deeper into Germany but was liberated by the advancing Allied forces near Hamburg at the end of the war.

Repatriated to New Zealand, he was discharged from the RNZAF in 1946 as a flight lieutenant, having ended the war with an official count of twelve destroyed enemy aircraft, with another eight and half likely having been destroyed. He was also credited with damaging six more enemy aircraft.

Returning to civilian life, he married Vera Grant; she was the sister of Reg Grant, a wing commander in the RNZAF who had been killed during the war. With Vera, he set up and ran a factory manufacturing clothing. He was also involved in volunteer work, particularly for the International Red Cross which had provided aid when he was a POW in Germany. He was also a Rotarian and spent his final years in Kerikeri. He died on 19 December 2007, survived by four children. His wife had predeceased him. His memoirs had been published by Grub Street in 2001.