George Beurling | |
|---|---|
 "Buzz" Beurling in March 1943 | |
| Nickname(s) | "Buzz" "Screwball" "Joe" |
| Born | 6 December 1921 Verdun, Quebec, Canada |
| Died | 20 May 1948 (aged 26) Rome, Italy |
| Allegiance |  United Kingdom Canada Israel |
| Service/ |  Royal Air Force (1940–43) Royal Canadian Air Force (1943–44) Israeli Air Force (1948) |
| Years of service | 1940–1944, 1948 |
| Rank | Flight Lieutenant (RCAF) |
| Service number | 128707 |
| Battles/wars | World War II 1948 Arab-Israeli War † |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order Distinguished Flying Cross Distinguished Flying Medal & Bar |
George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM & Bar (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",[1] 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[2] or 311⁄3.[3]
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.[4]
- ^ Worthington 2013.
- ^ Spick 1999, p. 107.
- ^ Nolan 1981, p. 185.
- ^ "George Frederick "Screwball" Beurling." Archived 15 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine acesofww2.com'. Retrieved: 3 August 2009.