Commander Bill Hardy USN WWII Fighter Ace

Commander Willis (Bill) E. Hardy was a Hellcat and Corsair pilot in the United States Navy scoring 6 ½ kills against the Japanese. He took part in... more

by Pilots And Partisans Then and Now

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Commander Bill Hardy USN WWII Fighter Ace

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Pilots And Partisans Then and Now

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Photograph - Photography: B&w On Canvas And Paper.

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Commander Willis (Bill) E. Hardy was a Hellcat and Corsair pilot in the United States Navy scoring 6 ½ kills against the Japanese. He took part in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.
Born on March 3, 1920 in California, Bill Hardy enlisted in the Navy in 1939. He started as a machinist’s mate, but eventually got his wings in late 1943. When I spoke to him, he was very proud that he spent time working his way up; saying it made him a better pilot.
Assigned to USS Hornet in squadron VH-17 (with the skull and crossbones as their insignia), Bill quickly made his mark. Arriving in February 1945 he provided support to the Marines in the invasion of Iwo Jima, destroying gun caves on Mount Suribachi by dropping napalm bombs in six foot wide tunnels on the side of the mountain. He described how much skill was required to drop the bomb exactly where the Marines wanted it, sometimes flying through narrow ravines and having to rely on full power to avoid smacking into the side of the mountain on the way out. And doing this over and over each day.
He also took part in strikes on Tokyo and air battles over Okinawa and Kyushu.
Bill Hardy is famous for becoming an ace in-a-day on the 6th of April 1945. Shooting down five Japanese aircraft including a Val, a George, a Zeke 52 and two Judys to the north of Okinawa when the Japanese launched mass Kamikaze attacks. He told me how he had to do a night landing that evening and only made it by the skin of his teeth. Extremely low on fuel and with no margin for error, he and his wingman made it back on deck running on fumes and sweat.
A week later he added a shared Tojo to his score, plus a probable Tojo and a damaged Frank. His last kill was another Frank a month later and his last claim was a shared damaged Zeke above Miyakazi Airfield on the 24th of May, 1945.
In early June a typhoon damaged the deck of USS Hornet and this meant the end of wartime operations for VH-17. Bill held various positions in the navy before his retirement in 1959 in the rank of commander. He then worked in the aerospace business until his retirement in 1983.

Cdr Hardy’s combat awards include:
The Navy Cross (an award given for extraordinary heroism in combat).
The Distinguished Flying Cross.
The Air Medal with 4 Gold Stars.
The Presidential Unit Citation
Marine Corps fighter ace who took part in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa.

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September 16th, 2020

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