Prior to the outbreak of the Second World War, Mackie enrolled in a correspondence course to prepare prospective aircrew for the
Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). He did well in the course and this led to his application in May 1940 to join the RNZAF. He successfully completed the educational requirements and formally entered the RNZAF in January 1941 with the rank of
leading aircraftman.
Flight training After a period of basic training, in March Mackie proceeded to No. 4 Elementary Flying Training School at
Whenuapai in
Auckland where he experienced flying for the first time. His training was completed in early April; although rated as an average pilot by his instructors, he was his intake's best student in the academic component of the course. Mackie underwent further flight training in Canada, departing New Zealand at the end of April aboard the
ocean liner Awatea. At No. 32 Service Flying Training School, based at
Moose Jaw in
Saskatchewan, Mackie flew
North American Harvard trainers. Although he had originally expressed a preference for flying duties involving multi-engined aircraft, by the end of his training in Canada he wanted to fly
fighters. During his time in Canada, he became acquainted with fellow future flying ace
George Jameson, who later described him as "a straightforward chap".
Commissioned a
pilot officer in August, he earned his
aircrew brevet the same month, finishing top of his course. He was subsequently sent to the United Kingdom to serve with the
Royal Air Force (RAF), departing from
Halifax aboard the
Dominion Monarch and arriving at
Southampton in early September. Mackie was sent to
No. 58 Operational Training Unit at
Grangemouth to learn to fly the
Supermarine Spitfire fighter. Assessed as an above average pilot, he stayed on after completing his induction to the Spitfire to help train other pilots. Mackie later regarded the extra flying time that this gave him on Spitfires as advantageous when he began his operational flying. At the completion of his instructing duties, he was allowed to choose his operational posting and selected
No. 485 Squadron; although part of the RAF, it was a "New Zealand" squadron which had been formed earlier in the year.
Channel Front while another New Zealand flying ace,
Jack Rae, stands first left At the time of Mackie's arrival at No. 485 Squadron in early December, it was based at
Kenley as part of
No. 11 Group and operating Spitfires. There were few offensive operations so much of his early flying with the unit was patrolling and carrying out air-sea rescues. On 12 February 1942, the squadron flew a mission escorting bombers attempting to disrupt the
Channel Dash by the German
battleships
Scharnhorst and
Gneisenau. This marked Mackie's first encounter with the
Luftwaffe. His
flight, led by
Bill Crawford-Compton, pursued four
Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters sighted as the squadron neared the Belgian coast. Mackie expended his ammunition without success in the resulting encounter although Crawford-Compton destroyed one Bf 109. Afterwards, the squadron resumed its normal duties but on 26 March, while escorting bombers to Le Havre, he shared in destroying a Bf 109; Crawford-Compton was the other pilot involved. Operations to France began to increase in number and exactly a month later Mackie was credited with the probable destruction of a
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter over
Boulogne-
Saint-Omer. His Spitfire was hit by
flak in the port wing while crossing the French coast on the return flight to Kenley but he returned to base safely. In June he was appointed deputy commander of one of the squadron's flights. The following month, the squadron was withdrawn to
Kings Cliffe, in
No. 12 Group, for a period of less demanding duties of convoy patrols over the
North Sea. However, it was still called upon to carry small scale low level sweeps, termed 'Rhubarbs' and involving two to six aircraft at a time, to northern France and the Low Countries. No. 485 Squadron was one of several RAF fighter squadrons tasked with providing aerial cover for the
Dieppe Raid on 19 August. It flew four patrols during the day; once during the landings as fighter cover, and then three times during the withdrawal. Mackie, who had been promoted to
flying officer earlier in the month, only encountered the Luftwaffe during the first of these patrols, during which his Spitfire was lightly damaged by machine-gun fire. In October the squadron operated from
Ballyhalbert in Northern Ireland for three weeks, proving aerial cover for ships leaving the northwestern ports of the United Kingdom with the Allied invasion force for
Operation Torch, the invasion of French North Africa. It then returned to Kings Cliffe and resumed its duties with No. 12 Group. In January 1943, No. 485 Squadron was sent back to No. 11 Group and was based at
Westhampnett, as part of the
Tangmere fighter wing. It was hampered by its Spitfire Mark Vbs, which were dated relative to the new Mark IX model that equipped many RAF fighter squadrons at this time. This limited much of its operations to second-tier work, such as air-sea rescue flights and coastal patrols. Mackie only flew a few operations in January, as he was posted to the Middle East at the end of the month.
North Africa Sailing aboard the
Monarch of Bermuda, Mackie arrived at
Gibraltar in mid-February. After a period of leave, he was assigned a delivery flight of Spitfire Mark IXs that he was to lead to
Maison Blanche, in Algeria. Handing over his aircraft on arrival, he was then posted to
No. 243 Squadron, flying the Spitfire Mark Vc. His new unit was part of
No. 324 Wing which operated under the auspices of the
Northwest African Tactical Air Force and carried out offensive patrols and bomber escort missions. Mackie became one of the squadron's flight commanders. On 7 April, while patrolling over Beja-Medjez el Bab, he and eleven other pilots of his squadron engaged several
Junkers Ju 87 dive bombers. He destroyed two of them and damaged another. Two days later, with his commander,
Squadron Leader James Walker, he shared in the destruction of a Bf 109. This was followed on 10 April with the sole credit for shooting down another Bf 109, oil from which being splattered across his windscreen. Promoted to
acting flight lieutenant on 12 April, Mackie shared in the destruction of a Bf 109 while patrolling over the squadron's aerodrome near
Béja the next day, his wingman sharing the credit. He shot down a Bf 109 on 16 April and damaged a Fw 190 two days later. On 24 April, having earlier in the day destroyed a number of vehicles while strafing the road between
Pont du Fahs and
Bir-Mecherga, he and his flight became involved in a dogfight with a Bf 109. During the encounter, another Spitfire collided with him and as a result, Mackie had to forceland near Pont du Fahs, close to the headquarters of the
1st Armoured Division. He returned to his squadron the following day. Flying a replacement Spitfire, Mackie destroyed one Bf 109 and damaged another on 27 April while on a sweep over Tunis with several other pilots from No. 243 Squadron. The pilot of the aircraft that he shot down became a prisoner of war. Mackie damaged another Bf 109 the next day. At the end of the month Mackie learned he was to be awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC); this would be the first such medal to be earned by a pilot of No. 243 Squadron. His DFC was formally announced in May, the published citation reading:
Sicily and Italy By this time, the campaign in Tunisia was nearly over and the squadron's focus was targeting transport craft evacuating the Germans and Italians. On 7 May, while on a sweep over the battlefront, he strafed a small vessel. The following day, he shot down a Bf 109 that had just destroyed an aircraft of the RAF. On 13 May, the Axis forces in Tunisia surrendered, ending the fighting in North Africa. On 1 June, Mackie took command of the squadron when Squadron Leader Walker was taken off operations. Later in the month, the squadron moved to
Hal Far airfield on Malta as part of No. 324 Wing, which was to support the offensive in
Sicily. It began flying operations on 16 June but it otherwise had a quiet month. Much more intensive flying was completed the following month, as the aerial offensive ramped up in support of
Operation Husky: the Allied invasion of Sicily. On 4 July, while escorting
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bombers attacking the aerodrome at
Catania, Mackie destroyed a Bf 109. On the return flight to Malta, isolated from the rest of the squadron, he was harassed by a number of Bf 109s but was able to evade them. The following day, again escorting B-17s but this time to Gerbini, Mackie shot down another Bf 109. The squadron patrolled the landing beaches the day of the invasion of Sicily, 10 July, and the following day escorted
P-40 Kittyhawk fighter-bombers to
Gerbini airfield; during the return flight to Malta, a pair of
Macchi C.202 Folgores were sighted and Mackie damaged one of them. On 12 July, three MC202s were encountered near Lentini. Mackie pursued one of these, fired on it, and saw it go down in a smoking dive. He claimed this as probably destroyed. The next day, while patrolling over the landing beaches, his flight encountered eight Italian-flown Ju 87s of 121
Gruppo. Mackie shot down two of them, one of five that was claimed as destroyed by his squadron that day, damaged another Ju 87, and on a subsequent patrol destroyed a
Reggiane Re.2002 fighter of 5
Stormo. From mid-July, No. 243 Squadron began operating from an airstrip at
Comiso, on Sicily. For the next several days, patrols and escort missions were carried. At the end of the month the squadron moved again, this time to
Pachino. It carried on with its flying duties and on 8 August Mackie's acting rank was made permanent. The campaign in Sicily ended on 19 August and the squadron began preparing for offensive operations against mainland Italy, moving to Cassala airstrip, on the island's east coast. It flew patrols over the
Straits of Messina on 3 and 4 September, the commencement of the
Allied invasion of Italy. The following week it covered the
landings at Salerno. After unsuccessful engagements with Bf 109s in the preceding days, Mackie destroyed a
Dornier Do 217 bomber near Salerno on 11 September. Shortly afterwards the squadron moved to an airstrip from Salerno. At the end of the month, Mackie was awarded a
bar to the DFC he had received earlier in the year. For much of October, poor weather affected flying but on 15 October, Mackies's last operation with No. 243 Squadron, he damaged a Bf 109 while patrolling above the
Volturno River. Shortly afterwards he relinquished his acting squadron leader rank and was transferred away from the squadron to the headquarters of No. 324 Wing; this was as punishment for the inappropriate acquisition of vehicles by squadron personnel. His banishment was brief for in early November, he was posted to command of
No. 92 Squadron, part of
No. 244 Wing, and operating along the
Adriatic coast flying Spitfire Mark VIIIs. For next the few weeks, Mackie's operational flying consisted mainly of patrols along the
Sangro River and on one of these, on 3 December, he destroyed a Bf 109 when his section intercepted a dozen German fighters west of
Casoli. He shot down another Bf 109 two days later and on 16 December, back near Casoli, damaged a Bf 109. In mid-January 1944, No. 92 Squadron moved to an airstrip near
Naples in order to provide aerial cover for the forthcoming
landings at Anzio. On the day of the landings, 22 January, Mackie flew two patrols and several more over the next few days. During one of these, on 27 January, he damaged a Bf 109 but also received flak damage from gunners on nearby Allied navy ships. He shot down a Fw 190 on 2 February, one of around fifteen that were encountered by the squadron patrolling over Anzio. He flew his final patrol with No. 92 Squadron on 18 February, after which he was taken off flight duties for a rest, returning to England in April. By this time, he had completed 349 sorties and 492 flying hours on operations.
Return to Europe On reaching England, Mackie was posted to
Bentley Priory, the headquarters of
Air Defence of Great Britain, formerly Fighter Command, where he took up a training role. He was responsible for communicating training directives to the various RAF instructing establishments around the country. Although he regularly flew around the country to ensure that the directives were being followed, it was not work that he found fulfilling; he had preferred a role at gunnery school. During this time, he went to
Buckingham Palace to be invested with his DFC and bar by King George VI. On 13 December, Mackie was posted to
No. 122 Wing, flying from
Volkel in the Netherlands, as a supernumerary squadron leader. He had earlier in the month undergone a conversion course on the Hawker Tempest, with which the wing was equipped. He initially flew with
No. 3 Squadron and then
No. 274 Squadron. The wing's commander,
Group Captain Patrick Jameson, a friend of Mackie's from his days with No. 485 Squadron, wanted him to gain operational experience on the Tempest before Mackie could be assigned a squadron command. As well as carrying attacks on ground targets, the squadrons of No. 122 Wing also performed patrols to maintain air superiority. On Christmas Eve, Mackie shot down an Fw 190 over the
Malmedy area; the pilot was most likely the German flying ace Wolfgang Kosse. Three days later, he damaged a Bf 109 over
Aachen. (second left), commander of No. 3 Squadron, and
A.E. 'Spike' Umbers (first right), commander of No. 486 Squadron; the wing commander,
Patrick Jameson stands second right On 1 January 1945, the Luftwaffe launched
Operation Bodenplatte, a coordinated strike against the Allied airfields in the Low Countries. Mackie was sitting in his Tempest, waiting to take off, when the Volkel airfield was attacked by low flying fighters. Despite the airfield being strafed, Mackie was not injured. Most of No. 122 Wing were already in the air and were largely unscathed by the attack. Two weeks later, Mackie was given command of
No. 80 Squadron, also at Volkel. He replaced another New Zealander,
Robert Spurdle, who had flown continuously for six months and was exhausted. Over the next several weeks Mackie flew extensively, destroying a number of locomotives and motor vehicles; he also shot down a Bf 109 on 23 January. On one raid, carried out on 2 February, the engine of his aircraft was damaged and he had to nurse it back to Volkel, around away, where he crashlanded. Uninjured, Mackie flew the next day, leading a sortie of eight Tempests in attacking two trains laden with trucks. He shot down a Fw 190 in a difficult dogfight near
Hanover on 7 March, later describing his opponent as a "real cracker". No. 80 Squadron flew in support of the crossing of the Rhine on 23 March, protecting the bridgehead, and two days later resumed its regular ground attack duties. From 26 to 31 March, Mackie flew eight sorties, destroying or damaging a number of trains and vehicles. On 6 April, he was informed that he was to be awarded the
Distinguished Service Order (DSO). This was formally announced on 8 May in
The London Gazette, the published citation reading: On 9 April, Mackie was credited with two of three
Arado Ar 96 trainers that were destroyed when No. 80 Squadron caught a number of them circling over Fassberg airfield. Two days later, the squadron moved to Hopsten in Germany and were flying from there beginning 12 April. With the German military in full retreat, there were a number of vehicles that were targets for the Tempests. The Luftwaffe still retained a limited presence in the air; on 15 April he shared in the destruction of a Fw 190 with his wingman. This was Mackie's final aerial victory. No. 80 Squadron returned to the United Kingdom on 18 April to undergo training in using their Tempests as fighter-bombers. While there, Mackie was promoted to
wing commander and offered the choice of two new commands; the first was as
wing commander (flying) at No. 122 Wing, the incumbent having been killed earlier in the month, or as commander of
No. 616 Squadron, the first RAF squadron to be equipped with the
Gloster Meteor jet fighter. He chose the former and took up his new appointment on 2 May; he was immediately on flying duties, performing a reconnaissance flight in the
Eutin area. The next day his aircraft was damaged by shrapnel from an exploding locomotive that he attacked but he was able to make a safe landing. Switching to another aircraft, Mackie flew another sortie the same day to
Schwerin, seeking out German aircraft with No. 3 Squadron. The sweep resulted in fourteen aircraft of the Luftwaffe being destroyed in the air and on the ground; Mackie was responsible for three of those on the ground. On 4 May Mackie led a similar sortie, this time with
No. 486 Squadron, over the Kiel-Haderslev area, and they claimed three
Fieseler Fi 156 aircraft destroyed on the ground. Mackie shared in the destruction of one of these. The war in Europe ended on 5 May, with Mackie having flown a total of 433 sorties. He achieved twenty aerial victories, as well as three shared kills, two probables, ten damaged and one shared damaged, with three destroyed and two shared destroyed on the ground during the war. Of this final total, twelve victories, three shared destroyed, two probably destroyed, seven damaged and one shared damaged, was achieved while flying the
Spitfire Mark V and
Mark VIII. Mackie was also credited with five and one shared victories in the
Hawker Tempest. He was the most successful flying ace to serve with the RNZAF. ==Postwar period==