George Beurling

George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling, (6 December 1921 – 20 May 1948) was the most successful Canadian fighter pilot and flying ace of the Second World War.

Beurling was recognised as "Canada's most famous hero of the Second World War", as "The Falcon of Malta" and the "Knight of Malta", 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 31 or 31.

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.

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.

His father, Frederick Gustav Beurling, was Swedish and a commercial artist working for the Claude Neon Company.

His mother, Hetty Florence Gibbs, is of English descent and was born in the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Saint-Charles.

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.

At the age of 15, George quit school and took up a job to increase his income.

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 went to China, hoping to join the Chinese Nationalist Air Force by crossing the US border.

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.

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, after he had survived the return trip, the RAF accepted him as a pilot.

Having survived one or two aerial misdemeanours, Beurling reached No. 7 Operational Training Unit, at RAF Hawarden, in September 1941.

Beurling demonstrated considerable skill in training.

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."

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.

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 Christmas Day 1941.

Beurling remained with 403 for nearly four months, escorting bombers and flying fighter sweeps across the English Channel.

Beurling did not get off an effective shot during his time with 403, despite being in formations "jumped" by German fighters.

In early 1942, a change of policy by the RCAF required its squadrons to be staffed by RCAF personnel.

Because Beurling had remained technically a member of the RAF, he was posted to 41 Squadron RAF in Sussex.

Two days later, as usual for a newcomer, he was assigned again to the number four position.

He spotted a lone Focke-Wulf Fw 190, and broke from the flight to pursue it.

He claimed the German fighter as probably destroyed 2-3 mi off Cap Gris Nez at approximately 12:00.