Harvey Sweetman

Harvey Nelson Sweetman, (10 October 1921 – 15 January 2015) was a New Zealand fighter pilot of the Second World War. He flew extensively with No. 486 (NZ) Squadron over Europe and was later commander of No. 3 Squadron. He was credited with shooting down three aircraft and at least eleven V-1 flying bombs.

Early life Harvey Sweetman was born on 10 October 1921 in Auckland, New Zealand, and educated at Matamata District High School in the Waikato, where he was swimming champion and captain of the 1st XI cricket team. He later worked as a clerk.

Second World War Sweetman enlisted in the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) in April 1940 and, after flight training, left New Zealand for Europe as a sergeant pilot later in the year. It was the second DFC to be awarded to a pilot of the squadron; the first had been made just a week earlier. In July Sweetman, having flown operationally for nearly two years, left the squadron for an instructor's post at RAF Charmy Down before taking up production testing for the Hawker Aircraft Company. His role, based at Langley in Berkshire, involved test flying aircraft from the factory line.

Sweetman returned to No. 486 Squadron for a second tour to command 'A' Flight in February 1944. By this time the unit had converted to the Hawker Tempest Mk V and from the middle of 1944 Sweetman and No. 486 Squadron became heavily involved in Operation Diver, the campaign to protect London and southeast England from the V1 flying bomb offensive. Sweetman was one of the more successful of the squadron's pilots, responsible for destroying several V1s.

Later war service Following the death of its leader, Sweetman was promoted to squadron leader and given command of No. 3 Squadron on 15 September 1944. He led the squadron in operations in support of the Allied advance into Western Europe until the following January at which time he was taken off flight operations for a rest. He returned to Hawker Aircraft Company as a test pilot, before going on to complete a course at the Empire Test Pilots' School at Boscombe Down.

Sweetman ended the war credited with the destruction of one German aircraft, one probably destroyed, and two damaged. He also shared in destroying two more, shared one probably destroyed and a shared damaged aircraft. He was a V1 ace, claiming eleven V1 flying bombs as destroyed with another shared.

Later life After the war Sweetman returned to New Zealand. In his later years he lived in retirement in Auckland. He died on 15 January 2015 at the age of 93, survived by his wife Alice and five children. He is buried at North Shore Memorial Park.