Karel Kuttelwascher was one of the RAF’s greatest fighter aces and arguably its most brilliant night fighter pilot. During the war, he was a well-known hero but his name has subsequently been almost forgotten. Now, for the first time, this is his full story.So many biographies of World War II fighter pilots are written like novels, full of conversations that could not possibly have been recorded, still less remembered. It might enliven the narrative, but it makes it difficult to know what is verifiable fact and what is essentially fiction. “Night Hawk” eschews such a style. Kut’s story is sufficiently exciting not to require artificial embellishment, so everything in this book – to the best of my efforts as a researcher – is fact and every quote is authentic. I have chosen not to quote combat reports since the texts are stylised and dated, but the reader can be assured that every date and time, every reference to the weather, every burst of fire has a documentary source.Essentially, “Night Hawk” is a biography of one extraordinary man. However, it outlines as well the tremendous contribution to the war effort made by Czech airmen as a whole, a story not yet fully told anywhere in the English language. Also it describes an aspect of the last war – night intruder operations – which has previously received too little examination and appreciation.It is a story that needs to be told. Even those who knew Kut and are interested in aviation history have not appreciated the full nature of his exploits. For instance, Wing Commander Pat Hancock, who knew Kut briefly at No 1 Squadron and is now Honorary Secretary and Treasurer of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, wrote to me: “In truth I had not realised just how famous Kut had become”. Also, it is a story which really had to be written in the 1980s before too much source material was lost, too many memories had irretrievably faded, and too many of those personally involved reach the end of their fascinating lives. As one of Kut’s wartime colleagues put it, many of his contemporaries are now “flying with angels”.
