Paul Richey, DFC & Bar (7 May 1916 – 23 February 1989) was a flying ace who served in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.

Repatriated to the United Kingdom, after a period of service as a fighter controller and then an instructor, he returned to operational flying in April 1941 with a posting to No.

It sold well and brought Richey to the attention of Air Marshal Sir William Sholto-Douglas, who arranged a posting to the headquarters of Fighter Command.

An incomplete manuscript of his wartime experiences following the Battle of France was found among his papers and, finished by Norman Franks, was published in 1993 as Fighter Pilot's Summer.

Portions of his childhood were spent abroad; firstly in Albania where his father, George Richey, a former British Army officer, was involved in the training of the police force there, and then at a boarding school in Switzerland.

Once his schooling was completed, he joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) on a short service commission in March 1937.

By October it was operating from Vassincourt and patrolling the French-German border, occasionally engaging the Luftwaffe, although Richey made no claims during this time.

[4] On 29 March, Richey achieved his first aerial victory, destroying a Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter near Saarburg.

[3] Richey shared in the destruction of a Dornier Do 17 medium bomber over Longwy on the opening day of the invasion and this was followed on 11 May with his shooting down of a pair of Messerschmitt Bf 110 heavy fighters near Brunehamel.

[1] Once Richey had recovered from his wounds, he was posted to the RAF station at Middle Wallop as a fighter controller where he remained for three months.

Three days later he shot down a Bf 109 over Nieppe Forest and with Pilot Officer Roger Malengreau, a Belgian flying with the squadron, shared in the probable destruction of another, near Saint-Omer.

On this occasion, the squadron was providing cover for a group of Short Stirling heavy bombers attacking a power station at Chocques.

[1] On 7 August, the Biggin Hill wing was heavily engaged with Bf 109s over Saint-Omer and Richey's Spitfire was badly damaged, losing all its coolant.

The published citation read: This officer has displayed great skill and coolness throughout the numerous operational missions in which he has participated and has destroyed at least nine enemy aircraft and damaged a further seven.

As a flight commander he has invariably displayed a high sense of responsibility for the safety of his fellow pilots.Having previously been engaged in the Circus offensive, No.

[1][14][15] The leader of Fighter Command, Air Marshal Sir William Sholto-Douglas, read the book and after determining that Richey was the author, had him assigned to his staff in November.

His new unit was in the process of converting to the newly developed Hawker Typhoon interceptor and during his brief time at Fighter Command headquarters, Richey had been involved in the decision to have the squadron receive this new type of aircraft.

[1] The squadron's Typhoons had a troubled introduction to RAF service with a number of serious crashes arising from structural failures but it became operational by May, commencing patrols to detect incoming Luftwaffe raids.

It carried out relatively few sweeps to occupied France and most of its duties for the few months following Richey's arrival involved patrolling.

[6] However, it was involved in Operation Jubilee, the Allied amphibious attack on Dieppe, on 19 August; flying with the Duxford wing, it flew an uneventful sortie in the late morning.

[21] A second sortie in the mid-afternoon, covering the fleet returning from Dieppe, resulted in the squadron having an engagement with Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighters.

[22] In its third and final sortie of 19 August, carried out in the late afternoon, Richey's Typhoon developed a fault and he returned early.

However, while in transit he suffered a series of medical issues, including appendicitis and amoebic dysentery, which meant that he never took up his intended posting as commander of No.

[1] Richey ended the war credited with having shot down eleven German aircraft, one of which was shared with another pilot, while a further aerial victory was unconfirmed.

[1] In May 1949 he was appointed an Officer in the Belgian Order of the Crown by the Prince Regent of Belgium, "...in recognition of valuable services rendered in connection with the war".

Covering the balance of his wartime career, this was subsequently worked upon by military aviation historian Norman Franks and published in 1993 as Fighter Pilot's Summer.