Paul Wattling Rabone DFC (2 March 1918 – 24 July 1944) was a New Zealand fighter pilot and flying ace who flew in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

Returning to England at the end of the fighting in France, he transferred to Fighter Command and flew in the Battle of Britain.

He later switched to nighttime operations, flying interception missions during the Blitz and intruder flights to France, interspersed with periods of instructing duties.

488 (NZ) Squadron was formed in 1942, and much of the year was spent in training before commencing offensive night operations to France.

Killed while flying an operation to Germany, he was credited with the destruction of nine enemy aircraft at the time of his death.

[1] In early 1938, Rabone made an application for a short service commission in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF).

He received flight training at civilian facilities, including the Auckland Aero Club and, after gaining his pilot's licence in April, was accepted for the RNZAF.

They landed behind enemy lines but after gaining civilian clothes were able to it make back to Dieppe after five days of walking.

There they found three Hawker Hurricanes in various states of disrepair; cannibalising parts from the other two aircraft he was able to make one servicable and flew it to England.

[5] Rejoining his squadron, which was still in France, Rabone was shot down by a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter on 12 June while on another bombing mission, this time targeting a bridge over the Seine.

422 Flight, operating Hurricanes from Shoreham and flying patrols during the day while also attempting interceptions at night.

[1] When Manchester and the Midlands was raided on the night of 22 December by a large force of around 300 bombers, he shot down one, having noticed the glare of its exhausts.

Rabone was flying a Defiant fighter on a night patrol on 5 April 1941, when he and his gunner bailed out over Derbyshire after his aircraft's engine failed.

When operating interception missions at night, it would use its radar equipment to locate enemy aircraft, then illuminate them with the searchlight once spotted so that an accompanying Hurricane of No.

Originally based at Drem, in April 1942, the flight was moved to West Malling, operating in the early hours of the morning and in the evenings.

After an initial period of training, the pilots learning to use their onboard interception equipment and techniques for co-operating with searchlight and anti-aircraft units, it moved to Ayr in Scotland.

The first of these involved three aircraft and took place on 16 February, with Rabone accompanying Trousdale and another New Zealand pilot, in flying to attack targets in France.

23 Squadron, at the time based in Malta and operating the de Havilland Mosquito on intruder missions to Italy.

He regularly flew missions targeting transports and airfields, on one occasion strafing three CANT Z.506 Airone floatplanes that were moored at Lake Bracciano.

At the time, he was flying a Supermarine Spitfire and was delivering spare parts to a detachment of his squadron that was based at Palermo.

On 8 September, with the squadron now operating from Sicily, Rabone shot down another Ju 88 and a Heinkel He 111 medium bomber in an attack on an airfield at Grosseto.

515 Squadron, he flew the Mosquito on intruder missions from Little Snoring to enemy airfields in France and also escorted aircraft carrying out mine-laying operations.