So the book covers Beurling's efforts to become a pilot, then to get into a shooting war. The 1st person narrative is compelling and reminds us of the recent past, and how different it was. Beurling is not a braggart, but he was certainly very competent, and knew it. The end notes with short career summaries of all the pilots encountered in the book is Striking autobiography with writing help. The end notes with short career summaries of all the pilots encountered in the book is interesting. The core of the book is Beurling's narrative, and it's a quick read and well worth it.
May 01, John rated it really liked it Shelves: This was a really good book! The majority of the book takes place at Malta where he and his comrades were often out numbered 10 to 1. The book was written in so there is a real sense of currentness to it. There is bravado on the pilots part and total disdain for t This was a really good book! There is bravado on the pilots part and total disdain for the enemy!
George Beurling - Wikipedia
No post war reflection here. And to top things off he is Canadian! Robert rated it it was amazing Nov 28, Emmanuel Buttigieg rated it it was amazing Jul 12, James Lamont rated it really liked it Sep 10, Pat Griffith rated it it was amazing Aug 21, Dave rated it really liked it Dec 21, Richard Edmonds rated it liked it Jan 09, Paul rated it it was amazing Dec 03, Nick Wingham-Boyer rated it really liked it Jan 15, Tim rated it really liked it Apr 10, Niko Airaksinen rated it it was ok Jan 13, Robert Pearson rated it liked it Dec 17, Dave rated it really liked it Jan 29, Victoria Lister rated it really liked it Jan 07, Rob rated it it was amazing Sep 03, Tahira Tahira rated it it was amazing Oct 22, Ashley rated it really liked it Jan 01, Connor Murphy rated it it was amazing Aug 11, Thomas added it Aug 12, Jbondandrews marked it as to-read Mar 10, Ines marked it as to-read Feb 06, Anna marked it as to-read Mar 03, Pablo Sultana marked it as to-read Mar 05, Malcolm Mifsud marked it as to-read Jun 17, Snail in Danger Sid Nicolaides marked it as to-read Aug 13, Michael Bull marked it as to-read Sep 30, Jack added it Oct 17, Donna marked it as to-read Nov 20, Brad marked it as to-read Aug 19, Costa Wang marked it as to-read Oct 30, Carlee Zarb marked it as to-read May 07, Caroline added it May 30, William Eckman marked it as to-read Oct 03, Sid marked it as to-read May 12, Justin LaMont marked it as to-read May 13, Ian Kihara marked it as to-read Jul 08, Issac Paea marked it as to-read Jan 12, Bob added it Apr 16, Mark Hageman marked it as to-read Jul 28, Paul Fawbert marked it as to-read Aug 20, 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. 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. This aircraft also fell into the sea. Beurling's aircraft was "riddled by better than 20 bullets through the fuselage and wings".
The following day, eight 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 Macchi 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.
Niclot Doglio, who was diving to counter attack the head-on Spitfires of Squadron and had misunderstood the warning waggling of wings of his wingman, Maresciallo Ennio Tarantola who had seen the oncoming Squadron fighters from left, high above , was his 14th "kill". On the same day, Beurling claimed also two Messerschmitt Bf fighters, one of which was piloted by the ace Leutnant Karl-Heinz Preu of JG 53 although other sources attribute this to flak.
Sergeant Beurling has displayed great skill and courage in the face of the enemy. One day in July , he engaged a number of enemy fighters which were escorting a formation of Junkers 88s and destroyed one fighter. Later during the same day he engaged 10 enemy fighters and shot two of them down into the sea, bringing his total victories to eight.
On 30 July, he was commissioned as a pilot officer , [35] and on 4 September won a bar to his DFM, largely for his exploits on 27 July. Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in July , Sergeant Beurling has destroyed a further 9 enemy aircraft, bringing his victories to One of his exploits was the destruction of 4 enemy fighters in one day; during these brief combats he also damaged a further 2 hostile aircraft.
His courage and determination are a source of inspiration to all. The enervation of daily combat combined with the effects of the poor rations and dysentery were telling. On 8 August, while he was shooting at a Bf , he was jumped by two more. He claimed that he hit one and that it went straight into the sea. This was apparently confirmed by his section leader.
But his aircraft was then hit in the engine and he belly-landed in a stone-walled field. Beurling hitched back to Ta' Qali Field. That day, flying with 11 other Spitfires, he met a dozen Bf s 30 miles northeast of Zonqor Point. He claimed to have "disintegrated" a first Messerschmitt, to have damaged a second and put in flames a third, 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. He reported to have hit the "starboard fellow" in the engine: But there is no record of a Messerschmitt crashing on the island on 10 October , nor any German losses.
He claimed to have at first hit a bomber, then an oncoming Bf that burst into flames. Seconds later, he shot at a second Messerschmitt, without observing strikes, "but pilot bailed out". Since being awarded a Bar to the Distinguished Flying Medal, this officer has shot down a further 3 hostile aircraft, bringing his total victories to One day in September , he and another pilot engaged 4 enemy fighters. In the ensuing combat, Pilot Officer Beurling destroyed 2 of them.
As a relentless fighter, whose determination and will to win has won the admiration of his colleagues, this officer has set an example in keeping with the highest traditions of the Royal Air Force. Beurling was a committed Christian, teetotaler, and non-smoker; while his counterparts patronized the local bars every night, he dedicated himself totally to the art of aerial combat.
Malta Spitfire:
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. Beurling owed his spectacular 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 like a stone. Only a very experienced or crazy pilot would pull such stunts more than once or twice. Beurling made them a matter of habit. He knew that the Spitfire could be nursed out of such self-induced trouble and get him home safely.
But Beurling was not invincible; he was shot down four times over Malta. On 14 October 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 s, Macchi s and Reggiane s 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 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. Of the seven Ju 88s claimed to have been shot down by the RAF, only one did not return. Beurling was then sent back to Britain on 31 October Beurling was one of only three survivors.
On 4 November he received the Distinguished Service Order , the citation read: Since being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Pilot Officer Beurling has destroyed a further six enemy aircraft, bringing his total victories to During one sortie on 13 October , he shot down a Junkers 88 and two Messerschmitt s. The following day, in a head-on attack on enemy bombers, he destroyed one of them before he observed his leader being attacked by an enemy fighter. Although wounded, Pilot Officer Beurling destroyed the fighter.
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Then climbing again, although his aircraft was hit by enemy fire, he shot down another fighter before his own aircraft was so damaged that he was forced to abandon it. He descended safely on to the sea and was rescued. This officer's skill and daring are unexcelled. Over Malta, he had claimed over 27 kills, by far the highest total by an RAF pilot during the campaign.
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.
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He was promoted to war substantive Flying Officer on probation on 30 January Also, he often said things that embarrassed the RCAF, such as that he enjoyed killing people. He completed his promotional work in mid and also met his future wife, Diana Whittall in Vancouver. On 8 June, during a mock dogfight, Beurling was forced to bail out of Spitfire II P 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 On 1 September , Beurling transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force , [51] and was posted to an operational squadron, a return to his first squadron at Kenley , flying the new Spitfire IX. Shooting down an Fw of JG 2 in September, but unhappy with flying sweeps, Beurling requested command of a flight of North American P 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. At 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. Beurling returned to Canada in April He was given an honourable discharge in October and, despite an attempt to join the United States Army Air Forces , his wartime flying was over. Beurling's marriage ended in March , but he was not formally divorced. En route, after a test flight, Beurling fatally crashed his Noorduyn Norseman transport aircraft while landing at Aeroporto dell'Urbe in Rome on 20 May , just six days after the Israeli Declaration of Independence.
It was his tenth crash.
Malta Spitfire – the diary of an ace fighter pilot
Suspicion at the time of the accident centred on possible sabotage, which was never proven. On a small brass plate over the lid of the coffin were the words "Colonel Georgio Beurling". Beurling's coffin was kept for three months in a warehouse in the Verano Monumental Cemetery, as nobody had claimed the body.
In November , 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: According to Group Captain "Laddie" Lucas, Beurling was "untidy, with a shock of fair tousled hair above penetrating blue eyes.
He smiled a lot and the smile came straight out of those striking eyes Malta Spitfire , an account of his time in Malta, co-written by Leslie Roberts and Beurling, was first published in Pearson School Board in Verdun, is also named after him. Beurling was provisionally credited with 31 air victories destroyed and one third shared destroyed , and 9 damaged.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Not to be confused with George Burling. Quotes on Beurling in Malta He fired only when he thought he could destroy. Sniper of the Skies: The London Gazette Supplement. Image details, Beurling, Flight Lieutenant, 30 December Axis Powers Pilots and Crew". Retrieved 21 November Beurling, George and Leslie Roberts. The Buzz Beurling Story. The Story of a Fighter Pilot. Cull, Brian with Frederick Galea.