Sniper of the Skies: The Story of George Frederick 'Screwball' Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM
Page 6
The Squadron was at Readiness from 0730 hours on 15 March, flying standing patrols over a convoy sailing off Clacton-on-Sea until late afternoon. The sorties were repeated on the following day, by which time the stragglers were off Shoeburyness. In the afternoon, Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden, DFC (later Air Vice-Marshal, DSO (11 September 1942), DFC (19 August 1941) and Bar (5 June 1942)), gave a lecture to all of the pilots on sweeps and operations. The wing commander was all too aware of the pilots’ lack of combat experience and the difficulties of the challenges that lay ahead.4
Meanwhile, the Squadron celebrated its first anniversary on 18 March, by holding a party at Drury Lane.
Convoy escort patrols were flown off Clacton-on-Sea during 23 March, while at 1510 hours the Squadron joined the rest of the North Weald Wing on a fighter sweep to St Omer. Three Bf 109s passed on the Squadron’s right and the Controller (codenamed ‘Mainland’) gave permission to bounce them. Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden, who was leading the Wing and flying with No. 403 Squadron, turned and climbed to meet the enemy formation, which was ahead and above. The enemy, which included Focke-Wulf 190s, made their move and dived on the Wing as it withdrew. Some of No. 121 Squadron’s pilots fired their guns, claiming one Fw 190 destroyed, with No. 222 Squadron providing top cover.
No. 403 Squadron’s Spitfires were unable to engage the enemy, and their ORB noted just how woefully inexperienced the Squadron’s pilots really were at this stage:
‘We had eleven boys flying; three experienced, three on their first trip over France and five on their second real operational trip. They obeyed instructions well, and the W/C complimented them on their flying.’
At 1330 hours on 24 March, a briefing was held at No. 222 Squadron’s dispersal; the Wing was to fly on Circus 116A. Taking off at 1245 hours, North Weald’s Spitfires provided close escort for a dozen Bostons which were targeting the Commines area. No. 403 Squadron flew as top Squadron.
During the return leg, No. 403 Squadron’s Blue Section was attacked by two Fw 190s of III./JG 26. Flight Sergeant L. Somers (Blue 3) got in a five-second long burst with cannon and machine gun fire from 75 yards, observing strikes on the enemy’s fuselage below the engine. Somers believed that he had hit the pilot, who appeared to ‘drop away’ in his seat. The Fw 190 went into a vertical dive, leaving a trail of bluish white smoke and apparently out of control.
Sergeant G.F. Beurling (Blue 4) also witnessed the Fw 190’s destruction, reporting seeing the enemy fighter ‘burning and disintegrating as it fell.’ Having exhausted his cannon shells, Sergeant L. Somers then opened fire on the second Fw 190 with machine gun only:
‘Keeping him in my sights until I ran out of ammunition when he was at about 350 yards range. I observed strikes on the underside of his fuselage, but no specific damage.’
The Fw 190 dived away rapidly, but could only be claimed as damaged. The attack had been seen by Beurling, who recalled that:
‘Larry Somers got his first Jerry that day, right besides me over Commines. He literally blew the bottom out of that Fw and it went down flaming.’
The Squadron was bounced by three Fw 190s and a Bf 109, all of the aircraft taking evasive action until they were ten miles out to sea. During this latter action, Sergeant B.E. Argue, who was on his first offensive operation, fired a burst of cannon at 150 yards, but was unable to make a claim.
Sergeant G.F. Beurling (flying AR865), was singled-out by an Fw 190 of III./JG 26 and fell behind the rest of the Squadron, later being targeted by three Fw 190s, as he quickly realised he had a fight for survival on his hands:
‘the bastards seemed to be coming at me from every corner of kingdom come. Tracers were putting on a regular fireworks display around the cockpit.’
Beurling threw his Spitfire into tight turns, trying to get out of trouble, but the Focke-Wulfs kept him in their sights: ‘One guy shot my hood off, just as I was going into a climbing flick roll.’ Beurling knew he had met his match. ‘I decided to get the hell out of there, if I could.’ As the three Fws made their next attack, Beurling lowered his landing flaps and ditched speed rapidly, getting a short burst at one enemy fighter as they overshot him. Pulling the flaps back up and using his emergency boost, Beurling high-tailed it out of danger.
All of No. 403 Squadron’s Spitfires made it back to base, but the accompanying Wing lost a number of Spitfires: No. 412 Squadron’s CO, Squadron Leader J.D. Morrison5 was killed, while Pilot Officer A.T.A. Young became a POW. Both had fallen victim to oberleutnant J. Muncheberg of JG 26.
Over the following few days the Squadron was involved in a series of uneventful fighter sweeps, after which Beurling went on leave, spending much of the time in London.
The Squadron was airborne on a fighter sweep over St Omer at 1553 hours on 25 March, flying as middle Squadron with the Wing. This was a multi-Wing operation, with the Hornchurch Wing acting as top cover.
In the late morning of 26 March, Beurling (flying AD191) took off on a routine convoy patrol off Shoeburyness. Meanwhile, the afternoon saw Beurling (flying AB835) taking part in a flypast over London as part of the Warships Week parade.
The Squadron flew another sweep in the early afternoon of 27 March, operating as the bottom of the Wing with No. 121 Squadron in the middle and No. 222 Squadron flying as top cover. In the company of the Hornchurch and Biggin Hill Wings, they provided an escort to a dozen Bostons targeting the power site at Ostend. Beurling was flying Spitfire AR865, clocking up yet another operational sortie without a sight of the enemy.
The Squadron flew a Circus to the railway yards at Boulogne a little after noon on 1 April. The Biggin Hill Wing acted as close escort to eleven Bostons, the North Weald Wing providing escort cover, the Northolt Wing flying as top cover. No. 403 Squadron flew in the middle position of the North Weald Wing.
The Squadron was scrambled to Clacton-on-Sea at 1338 hours on 3 April. Anxious to get a crack at the enemy, Sergeant G.F. Beurling (flying KH-W), gunned his engine too quickly while on rough ground and struck some bumps on the limits of the perimeter track. His Spitfire ground-looped and collided with another Spitfire (AB835 KH-V), damaging its starboard wing and the propeller. The oleo leg and port wing of Beurling’s Spitfire were also damaged, while Beurling himself was shaken but not injured. Both pilots had had a lucky escape.
Later, at 1528 hours, one section flew a ground attack demonstration, with Pilot Officer N.D.R. Dick and Flight Sergeant L. Somers strafing the target position from zero feet. Apparently the Government officials and other spectators ran for cover, but the Prime Minister appeared to ‘stand fast’ as he viewed the attack.
The Squadron was briefed for a sweep to St Omer at 0930 hours on 4 April. No. 403 Squadron flew as bottom Squadron, with No. 121 Squadron in the middle and No. 222 Squadron as top cover. The Wing acted as forward support with freedom of action to sweep occupied France.
This sweep was timed to cover the withdrawal of a dozen Bostons returning from a raid on St Omer. The Wing swept Poperinghe, Cassel and St Omer where eight-plus Fw 190s were sighted. No. 403 Squadron dived to attack, but the Fw 190s made off. Coming out between Calais and Gravelines, several Fw 190s were encountered and, in the resulting melee, Flight Sergeant D.C. Campbell was fired upon, but was able to shake off his attacker. Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden stayed to escort any stragglers and to give protection to Flight Sergeant D.C. Campbell who remained out of formation. Meanwhile, Flying Officer N.D.R. Dick and Pilot Officer J.B.B. Rainville both reported having fired their guns, but neither was able to make a claim. Beurling (flying AB865) remained in his formation role and was therefore unable to get close enough to the enemy to engage.
All of the bombers returned safely, but some casualties were suffered in the fighter escort. Amongst these was Beurling’s Flight Commander, Flight Lieutenant R.R. Gillespie (flying BL721), who had been transferred from No. 72 Squadron. Shot down by flak, he was made a POW, but was later repatriated owing to his wounds.
That evening (4 April) the Squ
adron suffered a further major loss. While on what should have been a fairly routine fighter sweep, ‘A’ Flight’s commander, Flight Lieutenant C.P.J. Wood, DFC6 (flying BM146), was killed in action, shot down by an Fw 190 of JG 26.
Unwilling to acknowledge the body-blow delivered to the Squadron, the ORB noted that Sergeant G.F. Beurling, who missed the fighter sweep, had been assigned to look after a group of visiting ATC cadets, giving them flights in the Squadron’s Tiger Moth. The ORB added: ‘Beurling is very much at home in the air and can certainly handle the a/c.’ This was almost certainly an allusion to his fondness for both authorised and unauthorised aerobatics.
On 6 April, Beurling (flying AD206) flew on one of the Squadron’s standing convoy patrols off Harwich, the escorts being repeated from dawn the following morning, as the convoy entered the Thames estuary.
Beurling attended a Squadron briefing, before taking off on a fighter sweep to the St Omer area at 0645 hours on 8 April. The North Weald Wing, with No. 222 Squadron on the bottom, No. 403 Squadron in the middle, and No. 121 Squadron as top cover, made rendezvous with the Debden and Hornchurch Wings at Bradwell Bay. While over St Inglevert, Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden reported Bf 109s flying east along the coast. Squadron Leader C.S.N. Campbell was ordered to take No. 403 Squadron in for the attack, but was out-manoeuvred and unable to make an interception.
On 9 April, Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden gathered the Wing’s pilots for a lecture on air-to-air firing. The Wing Commander’s words must have had great resonance for Beurling with his theories on deflection firing, which remained, as of yet, untried in combat. Scott-Malden stated that too much deflection was being allowed in firing, and that most pilots opened fire at too great a range, failing to correctly judge their distance from the enemy.
Air Marshal Sir Sholto Douglas of Fighter Command, arrived at the Squadron’s dispersal. He was escorted around the station by Group Captain Pike and Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden, speaking with Squadron Leader C.S.N. Campbell and greeting the other pilots, including Beurling.
Beurling sat in on a briefing at 1600 hours on 10 April, ahead of a multi-Wing fighter sweep over Cassel and St Omer. This proved to be uneventful for the North Weald Wing, but gained the pilots additional experience of flying over enemy-occupied territory.
At 1400 hours on 11 April, Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden gave a talk on air-sea rescue to the Wing in No. 222 Squadron’s dispersal. This was followed by a practical demonstration of inflating a dinghy in the local reservoir. Beurling, like many of the other pilots, watched the demonstration intently, taking in every detail. No one knew when the knowledge might save their life.
Following a briefing in No. 222 Squadron’s dispersal on the following day (12 April), No. 403 Squadron flew on a circus to St Omer at 1200 hours. The North Weald Wing was to act as escort to nine Bostons on the multi-Wing show.
No. 403 Squadron was over the target at 1330 hours, when Blue Section was attacked from above at eleven o’clock by several Fw 190s. The enemy were driven off with bursts of fire from Flight Lieutenant B. Walker and Pilot Officer W.F. Munn, engaging a Bf 109 at 250 yards, but without results. Wing Commander F.D.S. Scott-Malden fired a burst at a Bf 109. His attack was followed up by Flight Sergeant B.E. Argue who got in a good burst from 250 yards, closing to 150 yards. The Bf 109 went into a shallow dive, but Flight Sergeant B.E. Argue could not pursue the enemy fighter, as another enemy aircraft opened fire on him from above and astern, with tracer passing over his port wing. Pilot Officer J.B.B. Rainville fired short bursts at two Fw 190s and one Bf 109 from 500 yards, but was unable to observe any strikes. At about the same time, Pilot Officer A.H. McDonald attacked two Bf 109s, firing short bursts, and breaking off when he was attacked by three Fw 190s. The first he knew of their presence was when he saw tracer pass overhead. McDonald kicked hard on the rudder and pulled the Spitfire around, and made a head-on attack, scaring two of the enemy fighters off. He then turned inside the third enemy fighter and got in another burst, but without seeing any damage. Meanwhile, Squadron Leader C.S.N. Campbell saw two Fw 190s come up to attack the bombers and led his section in successfully heading them off. Four more enemy fighters made a diving attack on the Bostons as they made their bombing run. The rear port bomber was hit in the starboard engine and fell away. Whether put off from their attack or not, the rest of the formation appeared to miss the target.
Beurling missed the fighter sweep of Marquis on 13 April and the Circus operation flown during 15 April when ‘B’ Flight’s Blue 4, Flight Sergeant B.E. Argue, claimed an Fw 190, probably destroyed.
It was at about this time that Beurling took part in a routine Squadron formation practice flight. Because this was a non-operational flight, the details were not included in the Squadron ORB. Beurling however, later claimed to have destroyed an enemy fighter during one such non-operational sortie. The story was related by his fitter, Frank Klaponski, and referred to in Brian Cull’s Scewball Beurling – Malta’s Top Scoring Fighter Ace. Klaponski explained that while flying in formation through thick cloud, Beurling had sighted a Bf 109. Dropping out of position, he got onto the tail of the enemy aircraft, which he then shot down. Unable to find his Squadron he landed back at base. The covers were blasted off his gun-ports, so it was obvious that he had fired his machine guns. Klaponski explained that Beurling had confided in him and that he agreed to falsify the armoury records in order to conceal the actual number of rounds fired. The official log simply indicated that Beurling had test-fired his guns.
Beurling flew with No. 403 Squadron for nearly four months, escorting bombers and flying fighter sweeps across to the other side of the English Channel. A couple of times, his formation was jumped by German fighters, while on one occasion Beurling’s aircraft had been targeted; he had escaped by using all of his flying skills.
Despite the fairly routine nature of his Squadron’s sorties, Beurling appeared content. However, everything was soon to change.
On his return from a short period of leave, Beurling was summoned to the orderly room where he was informed of his posting to No. 41 Squadron in Sussex. It had been decided that No. 403 Squadron should become an all-RCAF Squadron. While Beurling was Canadian through and through, he was still serving in the RAF, meaning, regrettably, he had to move on.
A nominal list of pilots flying with No. 403 Squadron between 16 December 1941 and 13 April 1942:
Squadron Leader Cyril Norman Stanley Campbell, DFC,
CO 12.42–27.4.42 POW*
Squadron Leader A.G. ‘Pinky’ Douglas, DFC
CO 30.9.41–11.1.42
F/L Henry Percy Duval, MiD
later Flight Commander KIA 27.4.42*
Flight Lieutenant Brad Walker
‘A’ Flight Commander
Flight Lieutenant C.P.J. ‘Timber’ Wood (English)
‘A’ Flight Commander KIA 4.4.42
Flying Officer Brisley
Flying Officer Norman Donald Robert ‘Norm’ Dick
Flying Officer R.R. Gillespie
‘B’ Flight Commander
Pilot Officer Douglas Spencer Aitken
KIA 8.3.42
Pilot Officer John Nicholas Cawsey
KIA 12.2.42
Pilot Officer Derick Colvin**
Pilot Officer Gordon Francis Joseph Hoben
D. flying accident 11.7.42
Pilot Officer Doug Hurst
POW 2.6.42
Pilot Officer Alexander Hamilton ‘Hammy’ McDonald***
Pilot Officer G.H. McPharlin
Pilot Officer Charles McLaughlin ‘Maggie’ Magwood****
DFC 18.5.43, CO of 403 Squadron, 22.4.43–12.6.43
Pilot Officer Norman O. Monchier
KIA Dieppe 19.8.42
Pilot Officer William Forsythe ‘Bill’ Munn
KIA 25.4.42
Pilot Officer Jack Parr
POW 2.6.42
Pilot Officer Johnny Baptiste Bernard Rainville
Pilot Officer Larry Somers
&nb
sp; POW 2.6.42
Pilot Officer Tillier
Pilot Officer Leclare Allerthorn Walker
MiD (3) KIA 19.8.42
Pilot Officer William Zoochkan
KIA 25.4.42
Warrant Officer Hugh Belcher
Warrant Officer Donald C. Campbell
POW 2.6.42
Flight Sergeant Harvey Alexander Crawford
later Flight Lieutenant, DFC 23.1.45 with No. 411 Squadron
Flight Sergeant Eric Ambrose ‘Junior’ or ‘Crisy’ Crist
later flew with No. 126 Squadron, Malta
Flight Sergeant Hubbard
Fight Sergeant S.E. Messum
Flight Sergeant Arthur Joseph ‘Art’ Monserez
KIA 17.1.42
Flight Sergeant George Albert ‘Rick’ Ryckman
later flew with No.126 Squadron, Malta
Flight Sergeant L Soanes
Sergeant George D. Aitkens, RCAF
AFC 14.6.45
Sergeant Bradley Edward ‘Teddy’ Argue
POW 25.4.42
Sergeant Cairns
Sergeant Ken Collinson
Sergeant Connell
Sergeant Cromwell
Sergeant Charles Frank ‘Charlie’ Grigg
Sergeant Michell Johnson