George Beurling

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Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox military person George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling, Template:Postnominals (6 December 1921 – 20 May 1948) was the most successful Canadian fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.

Burling was recognized as "Canada's most famous hero of the Second World War", as "The Falcon of Malta" and the "Knight of Malta",Template:Sfn having been credited with shooting down 27 Axis aircraft in just 14 days over the besieged Mediterranean island. Before the war ended his official total climbed to either 31Template:Sfn or 31Template:Fraction.Template:Sfn

Beurling's wartime service was terminated prior to war's end, for repeated stunting and his lack of teamwork. Having found a way to potentially continue combat flying in the postwar era, Beurling was killed in a crash while attempting to deliver an aircraft to Israel.<ref>"George Frederick "Screwball" Beurling." Template:Webarchive acesofww2.com. Retrieved: 3 August 2009.</ref>

Early life

George Beurling was born in 1921 in Verdun (now part of Montreal), Quebec into a religious family and was the third of five children in the family.Template:SfnTemplate:Page needed His father, Frederick Gustav Beurling, was Swedish and a commercial artist working for the Claude Neon Company. His mother, Hetty Florence Gibbs, was of English descent and was born in the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Saint-Charles.Template:SfnTemplate:Page needed

George Beurling began to develop an interest in flying at the age of 6 when his father built him a model aircraft. His parents wanted him to study in McGill University and become a successful commercial artist like his father.Template:Sfn At the age of 15, George quit school and took up a job to increase his income.Template:Sfn One year later, he had logged 150 flying hours and passed all examinations for a commercial pilot licence.

Wanting to increase his flying experience, he set out for China, hoping to join the Chinese Nationalist Air Force by crossing the US border.Template:Sfn He was intending to head to San Francisco and work for some while in China and later sign up for the job. Eventually, he was arrested as an immigrant at the border and was repatriated back home. He first took the controls of an aircraft in 1933, and was flying solo by 1938. He left school to work for an air freight company in Gravenhurst, Ontario, and soon gained a commercial licence. Beurling joined the Royal Air Force (RAF) in September 1940.

Second World War

With the outbreak of war, Beurling tried to join the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), but his lack of academic qualifications led to his rejection. He then tried to join the Finnish Air Force (which was fighting the Soviets in the Winter War), but could not get his parents' permission. Instead, Beurling sailed across the Atlantic on a convoy, landing in Glasgow, intending to enlist in the RAF. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his birth certificate and had to return to Canada. In September 1940,Template:Sfn after he had survived the return trip, the RAF accepted him as a pilot.Template:Sfn

Joining the RAF

Having survived one or two aerial misdemeanours, Beurling reached No. 7 Operational Training Unit, at RAF Hawarden, in September 1941.Template:Sfn Beurling demonstrated considerable skill in training.Template:Sfn In Hawarden, he came under the influence of the great Ginger Lacey, whose score at the time stood at 27. Lacey later commented about Beurling: "There are not two ways about it, he was a wonderful pilot and an even better shot."Template:Sfn

These two factors, coupled with exceptional eyesight, were the keys to Beurling's later success. But they did not come without effort. At Hawarden, he immersed himself in gunnery, estimation of range, deflection, bullet trail and bullet drop, until his application of these became automatic. For him, flying and shooting became one single action.Template:Sfn

In the middle of December, he was posted as a Sergeant Pilot to 403 Squadron, a RCAF "Article XV squadron", which had just moved to North Weald, Essex. He flew his first (uneventful) combat mission in a Supermarine Spitfire, on the 25th of December, 1941. Beurling remained with 403 for nearly four months, escorting bombers and flying fighter sweeps across the English Channel.

In early 1942, a change of policy by the RCAF required its squadrons to be staffed by RCAF personnel.Template:Sfn Because Beurling had remained technically a member of the RAF, he was posted to 41 Squadron RAF in Sussex.Template:Sfn

On 1 May 1942 41 Squadron was placed at a state of 30 minutes readiness from dawn until 09.00 and from 12.30 to participate in a Rodeo 9. Tangmere Wing was airborne from Westhampnett and Merston between 13.05 and 13.10, led by S/Ldr Thomas, and flew to Beachy Head where it rendezvoused with the 10 Group Wing at 10,000 feet at 13.30. Initially, 41 Squadron pilots saw nothing of interest on their patrol, but after they had left the French coast and after orbiting to port once off the coast just after turning home, approximately sixteen Fw 190s were seen. Sgt George Beurling later reported combat at 14,000 above Cap Gris-Nez: "Squadron orbited left-handing towards the English coast. E/A were reported by their vapour trails at 9 oʼclock. I as [...] blue 4 saw 2 FW diving on the blue 3, I pulled my nose up and fired at E/A on the starboard side and blue 3 could see one on the port side. I was then hit by cannon and machine gun fire from 5 or 6 FW attacking from above and behind". After landing, his machine was so severely damaged by enemy fire that it was delivered to Flying Training School Hucknall, but after inspection recategorized as E and Struck off Charge. Beurling was allegedly not claimed as a kill by the enemy. He continued his Combat Report: "I turned into the[m], seen no evasive action and FW roared overhead heading into [...] also gradually opening out as they did so. I adjusted my sights on the middle one. E/A appeared to jump momentarily and shudder, still nothing happened. My last burst of fire appeared to hit his petrol tank as his wings broke off heading up, also the fuselage breaking between the cockpit and the tail unit. I waited for signs of the pilot out but there was none. (The attack was made line astern very slightly off to the left 5o at the most). Ammo used 60 Rds Cannon, 1210 Rds .303 Browning".

The same repeated itself on 3rd May, when he spotted a lone Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and broke from the flight to pursue it. Beurling made a climbing turn to port, following S/Ldr Feeʼs lead. Looking down, he saw an Fw 190 attacking a Spitfire below him, which he believed was 41 Squadronʼs Yellow Section. He half-rolled onto the FWʼs tail, being noticed by the target plane, which broke away and dove steeply for the French coast. Beurling went after it and closed to between 300 and 350 yards, where he opened fire with both cannons and machine guns using 120 cannon shells and 480 MG rounds. Pieces of the Fw 190 dislodged from the starboard side of the fuselage, which was followed by an explosion near the cockpit in a large orange flash. The aircraft then dove vertically in a crash toward the coast, while George remained at 17,000 feet and orbited the area. Beurling then regrouped with friendly aircraft, but as he did not witness its final fate claimed the Fw 190 probably destroyed Template:Convert off Cap Gris Nez at approximately 12:00.<ref>"Combat Reports, Second World War—Image details—Beurling, G. Y. (sic), Sergeant, 3 May 1942." The National Archives via DocumentsOnline. Retrieved: 29 July 2009.</ref> On this occasion, Beurling was reprimanded for attacking a target without permission,Template:SfnTemplate:Page needed and became unpopular with his superiors and fellow pilots. As Red 4, finding himself alone in the sky, he made his way back across the Channel, joining up with Sgt Appleton mid-way. Counting all claims together, after Group revision, 3–1–2 Fw 190s were credited to the RAF FC pilots. These claims are disputed.

When another pilot was posted overseas, Beurling offered to take his place.Template:Sfn Ordered to board a ship, he did not know his destination until the vessel reached Gibraltar. He was destined for No. 249 Squadron RAF, at Malta.Template:Sfn

Malta (1942)

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Fighter pilots played a critical role in the defence of Malta during its siege. Beurling landed on the island on 9 June, after having flown off the deck of Template:HMS aboard his Spitfire, during Operation Salient.Template:Sfn His nickname on Malta was "Screwball", an expletive he had a habit of using.

Beurling had a baptism by fire in the mid-morning of 12 June when, flying a Spitfire, with three other pilots from 249, the formation intercepted eight Bf 109s. Beurling claimed to have blown the tail off a Bf 109, but nobody saw it hit the ground, so he was credited with a "damaged".Template:Sfn This correction was right, because Jagdwaffe did not suffer any combat loss near Malta on that day, not even damaged fighter. After that, Beurling claimed a series of kills that had no equal. On 6 July 1942, with other pilots from 249, he attacked a formation of three Cant Z1007bis, 14 Reggiane Re.2001s and more than two dozen Macchi C.202s. He almost certainly shot down Sergente Francesco Pecchiari from 352a Squadriglia. Then he claimed another Macchi that crashed near Zejtun, likely the Reggiane of Sottotenente Romano Pagliani, 152a Squadriglia. During this fight, the Italians claimed two Spitfires, one by Furio Niclot Doglio (whom Beurling killed three weeks later). RAF suffered no losses, but Beurling's aircraft was badly shot up. However he made a third claim that day, a Messerschmitt, hit from a distance of 800 yards.Template:Sfn Jagdwaffe suffered one fighter combat casualty on that day. Fw. Anton Engels of 1./JG 77 was allegedly hit by A.A. fire and lost with his Bf 109F-4, W.Nr. 13386, Weiss 4 in the sea near Malta.

On 10 July, Beurling's Malta tally rose to five in just four days, making him an ace. That day, it seems likely that he shot down the C.202 of Sergente Maggiore Francesco Visentini, from 378a Squadriglia.Template:Sfn

On 12 July, Beurling, piloting a Spitfire and searching for Pilot Officer Berkeley-Hill, who was missing, spotted, at a lower altitude, Tenente Colonnello Aldo Quarantotti and Tenente Carlo Seganti flying Reggiane Re.2001s, who in turn were looking for Lieutenant Francesco Vichi, who had disappeared while a Spitfire was chasing him. Beurling, with Flying Officer Erik Hetherington, dived on the tail of the second of the two Reggianes and downed Seganti. Then Beurling attacked the other Reggiane. He closed up to Template:Convert and just when Quarantotti spotted him, Beurling delivered a short burst that decapitated the Italian commander. This aircraft also fell into the sea.Template:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn Two days later it was the Reggianes who attacked him and badly shot up his Spitfire. Beurling's aircraft was "riddled by better than 20 bullets through the fuselage and wings". "An explosive bullet nicked my right heel", he recalled.Template:Sfn

On 22 July, Beurling lost his best friend in Malta, French-Canadian Pilot Jean Paradis. The following day, eight 249 Spitfires were scrambled. Beurling claimed to have badly damaged a bomber and, after a long dogfight with a Reggiane, to have "blown his left wing off". The 151a Squadriglia, in fact, lost Sergente Maggiore Bruno Di Pauli. The Macchi 202 pilot reported to have parachuted down after an AA shell had damaged his aircraft and realizing that he was followed by six Spitfires that, at the moment, had still not fired.Template:Sfn

File:NiclotDoglio 11.gif
Italian ace and recordman Furio Niclot Doglio; he was Beurling's 14th kill.

27 July was Beurling's "biggest day on Malta".Template:Sfn That day, he shot down Sergente Faliero Gelli,Template:Sfn and immediately afterwards, Captain Furio Niclot Doglio, Regia AeronauticaTemplate:'s best fighter ace,Template:Refn both flying Macchi MC. 202s. Doglio, who was diving to counterattack the head-on Spitfires of 126 Squadron and had misunderstood the warning waggling of wings of his wingman, Maresciallo Ennio Tarantola (who had seen the oncoming 249 Squadron fighters from left, high above), was Beurling's 14th "kill".

On the same day, Beurling also claimed two Bf 109s, one of which was piloted by the ace Leutnant Karl-Heinz Preu of JG 53 although other sources attribute this to flak.Template:Sfn On 24 July 1942, Beurling was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal, the citation read:Template:Sfn

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On 30 July, he was commissioned as a pilot officer,Template:Sfn and on 4 September won a bar to his DFM, largely for his exploits on 27 July. The citation read:Template:Sfn

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The enervation of daily combat combined with the effects of the poor rations and dysentery were telling. Beurling was bedridden for much of August and September, gaining only 1½ victories in August. On 8 August, while he was shooting at a Bf 109, he was jumped by two more. He hit one and it went straight into the sea: this was confirmed by his section leader. But his aircraft was then hit in the engine and he belly-landed in a stone-walled field. "I climbed out", he recalled, "unhurt except for a superficial cut in one arm."Template:Sfn Beurling was shot down either by Herbert Rollwage or Siegfried Freytag and Fw Pohl of I./Jagdgeschwader 77 (JG 77—77th Fighter Wing),Template:Sfn who all claimed a Spitfire shot down.

Beurling hitched back to Ta' Qali Field.Template:Sfn On 25 September, he had another successful day, claiming to have downed three German fighters, but on this occasion his victories seem to be "overclaimed". That day, flying with 11 other Spitfires, he met a dozen Bf 109s 30 miles northeast of Zonqor Point. He claimed to have "disintegrated" a first Bf 109, to have damaged a second and set a third on fire, that "enveloped in flames, dived vertically striking the sea", the pilot bailing out. Two of these victims were two German fighters that came back to base, even if badly damaged and the third could be the one piloted by Kurt Gorbing, who made a forced-landing and died shortly afterwards.Template:Sfn

On 10 October, Beurling was testing his newly serviced Spitfire when he was vectored to intercept two Bf 109s, flying line abreast at Template:Convert over Filfla. He reported to have hit "the starboard fellow" in the engine: "He pancaked right smack down on his belly and flipped over onto his back." The second BF 109 tried to fly away but he hit the fuel tank: "The ship blow up, complete with pilot." Those kills brought Beurling's Malta tally to 21, plus another shared with two others. But there is no record of a Messerschmitt crashing on the island on 10 October 1942, nor any German losses.Template:Sfn On the morning of 13 October, Template:Convert north of St Paul's Bay, Beurling, attacked a formation of Junkers Ju 88s, escorted by 30 Bf 109s. He claimed to have at first hit a bomber, then an oncoming Bf 109 that burst into flames. Seconds later, he shot at a second Bf 109, without observing strikes, "but pilot bailed out".Template:Sfn On 16 October he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the citation read:Template:Sfn

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Beurling's Spitfire VC in which he scored most of his victories in Malta

Beurling was a committed Christian and non-smoker. He dedicated himself totally to the art of aerial combat. Tending to be a loner on the ground and in the air, Beurling angered his commanders with his disdain for teamwork. His relentless concentration on aerial fighting led Beurling to develop a marked skill at deflection shooting and together with his situational awareness, he was soon recognised as a deadly fighter pilot. Like many successful Spitfire pilots, Beurling developed the habit of only engaging enemy aircraft at Template:Convert or less – a range at which many other pilots would be breaking away. Beurling owed his success to remarkably good eyesight and the ability to "toss his Spitfire" into violent combat manoeuvres. If jumped from behind, he would pull back on the stick of his Mk Vc Spitfire so hard that the aircraft would enter a violent stall, flick over and spin. This was a hard, sudden and very dangerous act for the enemy fighter on his tail to follow. Beurling would also ram both ailerons and rudder into a sudden and violent turn, causing his Spitfire to flip over and drop. This manoeuvre was notably difficulty and risky, although Beurling used it habitually.Template:Sfn

Beurling in hospital after his transport aircraft crashed

Beurling was shot down four times over Malta. On 14 October 1942 (his last flight over Malta), Beurling scrambled with six other pilots from his squadron to intercept a raid of Ju 88s escorted by 60 Bf 109s, Macchi 202s and Reggiane 2001s just south of Zonqor Point. He strafed a bomber that he claimed to have shot down, but was, in turn, hit by return fire from the Ju 88: "I picked up about 30 bullet holes." Then he claimed to have damaged a Messerschmitt and to have blown the left wing of another Bf 109 off at the root. Seconds later, another German fighter hit him from below. He was wounded in the heel, elbow and ribs, and his Spitfire was set on fire. He managed to bail out into the sea. During this action, no Messerschmitt was in fact destroyed. Only 2. Staffel (Black 1/7619) of I/JG53, flown by Obfw Josef Edere who was wounded, was damaged in the action, and Edere crash-landed at San Pietro, Sicily. Beurling was probably shot down by Obfw Riker of 4/JG53 or Ltn Karl von Lieres of 2/JG27 (who was credited with his 26th). Of the seven Ju 88s claimed to have been shot down by the RAF, only one did not return.Template:Sfn After his rescue, Beurling was hospitalised.

Beurling was then sent back to Britain on 31 October 1942.Template:Sfn On the way, the B-24 transport aircraft he was aboard crashed into the sea off Gibraltar. Beurling was one of only three survivors.

On 4 November he received the Distinguished Service Order, the citation read:Template:Sfn

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Over Malta, he had claimed over 27 kills, by far the highest total by an RAF pilot during the campaign.

War bond drive

Beurling signing autographs at a war production plant, January 1943

After landing back in Britain, Beurling was then sent to Canada to join a Victory Loan Drive, selling war bonds, being the guest of honour at a parade in Verdun and meeting Prime Minister Mackenzie King. He was promoted to war substantive Flying Officer (on probation) on 30 January 1943.Template:Sfn He did not enjoy the war bond campaign. Also, he often said things that embarrassed the RCAF, such as that he enjoyed killing people.<ref name="McCall 2009, p. 52">McCall 2009, p. 52.</ref> The leg wound Beurling had received over Malta, combined with his poor general health, returned him to hospital for several weeks. He completed his promotional work in mid-1943 and also met his future wife, Diana Whittall in Vancouver.

Instructor

Returning to Britain, Beurling was posted as a gunnery instructor to 61 OTU. On 27 May 1943, he was posted to the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge. On 8 June, during a mock dogfight, Beurling was forced to bail out of Spitfire II P7913 when the engine caught fire after being accidentally hit. It is alleged that whilst stationed at RAF Sutton Bridge he actually flew under the Crosskeys Bridge that crosses the Nene, which still stands today having been built in 1897.Template:SfnTemplate:Page needed

Royal Canadian Air Force

On 1 September 1943, Beurling transferred to the RCAF,Template:Sfn and was posted to an operational squadron, 403 (a return to his first squadron) at Kenley, flying the new Spitfire IX. Shooting down an Fw 190 of JG 2 in September, but unhappy with flying sweeps, Beurling requested command of a flight of North American P-51 Mustangs in order to carry out deep penetration, free-roaming raids into Germany. His request was turned down.

Disciplinary problems annoyed his commander, but Beurling was promoted to flight lieutenant. However, his stunting of a de Havilland Tiger Moth at zero feet over his airfield eventually led to his Wing Commander, Hugh Godefroy, threatening him with a court martial. Subsequently, Beurling was transferred to 126 Wing HQ and then to 412 Squadron.

At 412 Squadron, Beurling again came into conflict with his commander for stunting and his lack of teamwork, leading to his eventual grounding. He claimed his last kill on 30 December, shooting down and wounding Uzz. Heinz Wyrich of 5 Staffel, JG 26 flying a Fw 190A-45 W.Nr. 1175, Weisse 16 2 km S. of Romaine,Template:Sfn when the squadron was covering returning American bombers near Compiègne, France.<ref>"Combat Reports, Second World War: Image details, Beurling, Flight Lieutenant, 30 December 1943." DocumentsOnline, The National Archives. Retrieved: 29 July 2009.</ref>

Discharge

Beurling returned to Canada in April 1944. He was given an honourable discharge in October and, despite an attempt to join the United States Army Air Forces,<ref>Associated Press, "Action Demanded by Noted Canadian Pilot", The San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Saturday 2 September 1944, Volume 51, page 5.</ref> his wartime flying was over. He ended his career as a squadron leader with 31 and one shared official kills, nine claimed damaged, along with a DSO, DFC and a DFM and Bar.

Death

In 1948, Beurling was recruited to fly P-51 Mustangs for the Israeli Air Force. After a test flight, Beurling fatally crashed his Noorduyn Norseman transport aircraft while landing at Aeroporto dell'Urbe in Rome on 20 May 1948, just six days after the Israeli Declaration of Independence. Also killed was British volunteer Leonard Cohen, another Malta RAF pilot.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A USAAF 3rd Air Commando Group UC-64A (Norseman) in the Philippines, 1945

It was his tenth crash. Suspicion at the time of the accident centred on possible sabotage, which was never proven. "The initial report, while it identified the crew as Beurling and Cohen, acknowledged that the bodies were burned beyond recognition."Template:Sfn Template:Page needed Beurling's widow, family and personal friends were not in attendance at the funeral in Rome. On a small brass plate over the lid of the coffin were the words "Colonel Georgio Beurling".Template:Refn

George Beurling's grave in the military cemetery in Haifa, Israel

Beurling's coffin was kept for three months in a warehouse in the Verano Monumental Cemetery, as nobody had claimed the body. Then his widow, Diana Whittall Gardner, had him buried in the Cimitero Acattolico behind the Cestia Pyramid, between the graves of Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. In November 1950, two and half years after his death, Beurling's casket arrived at Haifa Airport. His coffin, draped with the blue and white Israeli flag, was laid in a nearby air force base, where an honour guard of young airmen mounted a silent watch. During the long funeral in the streets of Haifa, Israeli Air Force aircraft paid homage to Beurling. At last, he was re-interred in the military cemetery at the foot of Mount Carmel. The grave is marked, as are the others in Israel Defense Forces cemeteries, with only name, serial number and rank: for Beurling that of segen (lieutenant).Template:Sfn

Legacy

Malta Spitfire, an account of his time in Malta, co-written by Leslie Roberts and Beurling, was first published in 1943.

"In Verdun the only reminder of the famous son is the boulevard which carries Beurling's name."Template:Sfn Beurling Academy, a high school in the Lester B. Pearson School Board in Verdun, is also named after him.

Summary of victory claims

Beurling was provisionally credited with 31 air victories destroyed (and one third shared destroyed), and 9 damaged.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Template:Page needed

References

Notes

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Citations

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