George 'Buzz' Beurling DSO DFC DFM & Bar - 20 May 1948

[Gunner]

I wonder how many of us knew who he was?

On 20 May 1948, George 'Buzz' Beurling DSO DFC DFM & Bar, Canada's top Second World War air ace with 31-1/2 kills, died at age 26 when the Norseman aircraft he was piloting for the Israeli underground army Haganah blew up at Urbe airport near Rome.  Beurling was born on the Miramachi, and raised in Verdun, Que.  Unable to enrol in the RCAF, he joined the RAF and became a national hero in Britain and Canada for shooting down 27 German and Italian warplanes over Malta in a two-week period.  He was buried in Rome's English Cemetery between the graves of Keats and Shelley, but two years later the grateful state of Israel exhumed his body, laid him in state in Haifa and buried him at the base of Mount Carmel, near the cave of Elijah the Prophet..

 

[pronto]

When growing up, I heard time and again about "screwball" beurling. They also called him the master of the deflection shot. He once went out, shot down a bunch of the enemy, and came back with an amazingly low number of rounds expended, and he knew how many were left!!!

A real hero

 

[jmacleod]

Dr. David Bercuson Faculty of History University of Calgary wrote a book several years ago entitled
"The Secret Army" the story of the creation of the Israeli Air Force. There is a great deal of information
of S/L George Buerling DSO,DFC,DFM in the book, including details about all the other Canadian Jewish
and non-Jews who served. Author Patrick Nolan, Ottawa also wrote an excellent book about the
famous RAF, (later RCAF) fighter pilot. An interesting but relatively unknown fact about S/L Buerling
is that his Quebec family were Plymouth Brethern who were very much against military service.
Buerling was killed in company with a former USAAC pilot and West Point graduate, when the
engine of their Canadian built Noordyn "Norseman" failed just after take off - the pilot turned
down wind to approach and land on the Rome airport, and the aircraft stalled and crashed - my
opinion was that Buerling, an excellent pilot with lots of single engine time, was not flying the
aircraft when it crashed. LTCOL David Eschel IDF (Ret) a publisher in Israel, also has undertaken
a lot of research of the career of our greatest World War II ace. In Israel, George Buerling is considered
a substantial hero (which he, of course was). MacLeod

 

[jmacleod]

Correction: The Ottawa based Canadian author of the book about S/L George Buerling RAF(RCAF)
is Mr. Brian Nolan, not as shown in my last Post. Author Nolan also wrote the "Champaign Navy"
and co-authored a book about the Canadian Airborne Regiment in Somalia. MacLeod

 

[pronto]

OK - even though not Canadian, anyone here remember Douglas Bader? Subject of Paul Brickhill's book... Now THERE was a man who would not give up - even though he didn't have a leg to stand on (Pun Intended)... I was actually luck enough to meet him once. The stories of the legs being parachuted to him in Stalag were hilarious

 

[jmacleod]

Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader,OBE,DSO*DFC* was the famous "Legless Ace" of the RAF during
the Battle of Britain. Author Paul Brickhill wrote an excellent book about him, "Reach For The Sky"
which was made into a film starring Kenneth More as G/C Bader. The best book about Sir Douglas
Bader was written by fellow RAF fighter pilot, Laddie Lucas (his brother-in-law). After the War Sir
Douglas rejoined Shell Aviation Services, until his retirement. In 1974-75, the Royal International Air
Tattoo sponsored by the RAF Benevolent Fund commenced at RAF Greenham Common, under the
direction of the late Paul A. Bowen, and his associate, Tim Prince. The first Chairman of the RIAT
was Sir Douglas Bader, until his death. In his honor, the RIAT created the RIAT Flying Scholarships
for the Disabled. Paul Bowen and I were close personal friends for decades. The format for the
Shearwater International Air Show was based on the RIAT and the Abbotsford International Air Show.
We wrote a highly detailed business plan to bring the "Bader Scholarships" to Canada, but despite
support from senior cabinet Ministers, Ottawa and Moncton based bureaucrats destroyed the concept
for Canada. The "Bader Scholarships" are now available at the University of Western Michigan, Kalamazoo
Michigan - the program should have come to Canada, because the RAF pilots which Bader commanded
were in fact all Canadians serving in the RAF. The business plan remains valid, and I think we will
resubmit it. For details about the "Bader Scholarships" go to the RIAT 2005 Site. Incidently, the
book by G/C Laddie Lucus is "Flying Colors" - Bader was a truly remarkable man, and a great hero
of the Royal Air Force. MacLeod