Sniper of the Skies: The Story of George Frederick 'Screwball' Beurling, DSO, DFC, DFM

by Nick Thomas

  Wing Commander H.C. Godefroy’s Combat Report, quoted in the general summary, summed up the attack:

  “‘I was flying Darkwood Leader with 421 Squadron. Just before reaching the target I saw about fifteen Fw 190s directly below me turning port in line astern, positioning themselves for an attack on the bombers. I took 421 Squadron straight down on them in order to head them off, but my position was not a good one for a bounce. It broke them up however and made them dive down. I took 421 Squadron down about 1,000ft below them dead astern and climbed into them. I picked the leader. I opened fire at 400 yards, closing to 250 to 300. There were few strikes visible, but I must have killed the pilot because he did not evade. He eventually rolled over on his back very slowly and went down semi-inverted from 10,000ft streaming a slight trail of smoke. I saw him last at approximately 2,000ft.’”

  Intelligence Officer, Flight Lieutenant Berger’s report continued:

  ‘Strikes were observed by all pilots in Black Section and the enemy aircraft was seen going down in an inverted dive by Flight Lieutenant Sherlock (Black 3). Flying Officer De Courcey (Black 4) saw an Fw 190, which was undoubtedly this aircraft, crash into field near Poix. This enemy aircraft is therefore claimed as destroyed by Wing Commander Godefroy [firing 96 cannon shells and 368 machine gun rounds].

  ‘At practically the same time, three more Fw 190s came from the south of the above gaggle and were immediately engaged by White Section. Flight Lieutenant Buckham (White 1) outlines his claim as follows:

  “‘We dived down on eight 190s about half way between Beauvais and Amiens. I was leading the flight and three 190s I dived on half-rolled and commenced violent evasive action. I followed the apparent leader through a series of aileron turns firing short bursts at ranges of about 300 – 350 yards. I observed strikes on his wings, he then levelled out of a steep dive right on the deck. His No. 2 and 3 stayed slightly behind and line abreast to him. I fired another burst at him on the deck and I noticed he was smoking badly. Then his No. 3 on the port side turned behind him cutting across my path so I gave him a two-second burst about five degrees off at 200 – 150 yards [having fired a total of 150 cannon shells], and he blew up and crashed into the deck.’”

  The summary of events continued:

  ‘No. 403 Squadron, who had remained up as top cover at 21–20,000ft, were circling round when Blue Section reported two enemy aircraft above. Flying Officer Beurling (Blue 4), sighted one of them, climbed up and positioned himself:

  “‘I was flying Blue 4 in 403 Squadron who were acting as top cover to the Marauder bombing force. Reports of numerous enemy aircraft in our immediate vicinity. Two Fw 190s were reported above 403 Squadron of which only one I could place, sitting just on top of the sun. [The] Squadron made [a] hard turn to port and the Fw 190 dived down and appeared to be heading for Blue 3. When I turned into attack, [the] 190 did a flick turn to south, the angle off being about 40 degrees to 45 degrees. [I] fired a short burst which caught enemy aircraft on port wing [firing a total of 27 cannon shells and 100 machine gun rounds]. Port aileron and wing as far down as aileron came off; enemy aircraft flicked over to left-hand did a left-hand spin down.

  “‘I did not see enemy aircraft go in. [The] place of attack was approximately over Froissy (12 miles north-west of Beauvais).’”

  ‘It is obvious this enemy aircraft, with practically the whole port wing gone, could not recover and it is therefore claimed as destroyed for Pilot Officer Beurling.

  ‘After these combats, the Wing reformed and patrolled the Amiens-Foix area at 20,000ft along with many other Squadrons of Spits. Crossed out from French coast at La Treport and landed at base at 1650 hours.’

  Meanwhile, Pilot Officer Hickerson, Flying Officer Barton and Flight Lieutenant Sherlock all fired their guns, frightened a few, but were unable to make a claim.

  No. 403 Squadron’s ORB noted:

  ‘Flying Officer Beurling used a very small amount of cannon shells in destroying this aircraft. Moral has been boosted and everyone is very happy.’

  Beurling’s first ‘kill’ while in a Canadian uniform had been eagerly awaited by the press and the news of his victory was published the same day:

  ‘BEURLING FIGHTS AGAIN – BAGS NAZI OVER FRANCE

  ‘Canadian flying aces, in some of the most productive aerial fighting since the days of the Battle of Britain three years ago, destroyed five enemy fighters today in widespread actions over France. F/O George (Buzz) Beurling of Verdun, Que., marked his long-sought return to action by shooting down a Focke-Wulf 190 to raise his score of enemy planes to thirty. Flying with the Wolf Squadron, Beurling saw the Fw 190 above him. He circled and tore off the enemy’s port wing with a single burst.’

  The following day’s Vancouver BC News Herald printed the photos of Wing Commander E.F.J. Charles, Flight Lieutenant R.A. Buckham and Flying Officer G.F. Beurling. The article led with the headline:

  ‘Team Up With Famous ‘Buzz’ Beurling

  ‘Vancouver Airmen Blast Nazis In Terrific Struggle

  ‘Two Vancouver men, Flt. Lt Robert Buckham and Wing Cmdr E.F.J. Charles, teamed up with high-flying FO ‘Buzz’ Beurling and each shot down a German Focke-Wulf in an air battle over France in which Mosquito aircraft attacked the Lanveoc airfield.

  ‘The battle in which Canadian pilots knocked out of the sky five of the twenty planes bagged by the fighter command during the day, was termed as the most productive aerial fighting since the days of the Battle of Britain.

  ‘terrific while it lasted, the big fight in which the Canadians acquitted themselves so bravely, Charles’ Wing was credited with bagging four of the dozen Me 110s which attempted to break up the Mosquito attack.

  ‘“There were so many parachutes about, it looked like a field of mushrooms.” Said Charles, recently promoted to a wing commander. His score is now fifteen enemy planes.

  ‘The foray marked the return of FO Beurling to action and he raised his score of enemy planes to thirty by shooting an Fw 190 down.’

  The article then went on to say:

  ‘None of the Canadians fighters were lost during the operation which the RCAF said included escorting and covering attacks on Beauvaise-Tille, Evreux, Abbeville, St Omer and Longuenes, [and the] airfields and railway yards at Amiens.’

  Delighted at the Wing’s recent successes, Air Marshal Edwards visited the airfield during the morning of 28 September, no doubt speaking to Beurling and some of the other pilots who were notching-up enemy aircraft as ‘kills’.

  Despite his victory, Beurling was already tiring of the operations over Northern France, which largely involved shepherding bombers to and from their targets. He longed for the high-octane rolling combats on Malta. He looked for a change.

  It was sometime during September that Beurling flew a USAAF Thundebolt P-47 on an escort to B-17 bombers. The flight had been arranged by a friend of Colonel Tommy Hitchcock, USAAF, who Beurling had met while visiting his friend, the journalist Bruce West, at his London apartment a few weeks earlier. While the sortie proved uneventful, it gave Beurling the opportunity to fly the new type, which he no doubt relished.

  With no operational flying assigned to No. 403 Squadron for 1 October, Flying Officer Beurling was given permission to make a sweep over France with three pilots drawn from No. 421 Squadron. Despite Beurling’s best efforts to rile the enemy, they refused to send up any fighters, even against such a modest opposition. And so, with fuel starting to run low, Beurling had to conceded defeat and turn for home.

  No. 17 Wing made an uneventful sweep on 2 October, while the Squadron’s ORB reported the welcome return of one of their own originally posted as ‘missing’:

  ‘A pilot from this Squadron, Sgt K.D. Windsor, who was reported as missing, escaped from France and is now being posted back to this Squadron.’

  Beurling missed all three sweeps carried out on 3 October. During the third of these, the Wing destroyed six Fw 190s, with Flight Lieutenant A.C. Coles of No. 403 Squadron claiming two Fw 190s destro
yed. The victories came at a price, with Sergeant S. Barnes posted missing.

  A little after noon on the following day, Beurling joined the Squadron on Ramrod 261, which passed off without incident.

  The Wing flew uneventful sweeps on 8 and 9 October and a convoy patrol on the 17th. Meanwhile, on 6 October, the Squadron lost its CO when Squadron Leader N.R. Fowlow5 was posted to No. 17 Wing HQ as Gunnery Instructor. Fowlow handed over command to Flight Lieutenant R.A. Buckham, who was transferred over from No. 421 Squadron. Buckham, who was then on his second tour, had been a flight commander and was an experienced combat pilot with 6 ½ ‘kills’. Earlier Buckham had been involved in the incident that saw Beurling shot down by ‘friendly fire’, which Beurling had passed off as an engine failure. Thanks to him, Buckham was saved from a possible reprimand, which might have affected his promotion.

  On 14 October, No. 403 Squadron transferred from 127 Airfield, Headcorn, Kent, to RAF Station Kenley, Surrey. Beurling flew on Ramrod 269 on 15 October. Three days later the Squadron took part in three fighter sweeps. On one of these, Squadron Leader Buckham had a lucky escape, flying back with several flak holes in his aircraft, one just behind the cockpit.

  Meanwhile, on the last sweep, No. 403 Squadron’s Flying Officer J.D. ‘Danny’ Browne claimed an Fw 190 destroyed, confirmed by his CO. The enemy were milling around at the same altitude as No. 403 Squadron, but for some reason, Beurling (flying MA585 KH-B) elected to go for a more difficult target flying thousands of feet below the main battle. Going into a power-dive, Beurling’s Spitfire IX ran away from him and was heard to call over the radio, ‘I’ve had it.’ The Squadron’s ORB took up the narrative:

  ‘Flying Officer Beurling had chased an enemy fighter through a dive [from 20,000 ft] but had been unable to pull out. After considerable exertions he managed to turn it out and, after blacking out, came to at 1,700ft. Having made a recovery he flew back to base, landing ten minutes after the rest of the Squadron.’

  Beurling had only averted disaster at the last minute by using elevator trim, but not before he had buckled the Spitfire’s airframe and apparently removed hundreds of rivet-heads from the underside of the aircraft. His Spitfire (MA585 KH-B), had to be written-off. Meanwhile, the G-force had left Beurling’s eyes terribly bloodshot. Initially grounded by Squadron Leader Cam MacArthur, Beurling was exonerated by an inquiry led by Squadron Leader R.A. Buckham.

  The incident was reported to the press via one of the Service’s regular communiqués:

  ‘the ground leaped toward the screaming, diving Spitfire and George Beurling, tugging at a “frozen” stick, felt so certain that his time had come that he shouted “I’ve had it” over his radio in farewell to other members of the Squadron.

  ‘The ace from Verdun, Que., was chasing two Germans over France when his fighter refused to level off from a dive at 3,000ft. As a last resort he “trimmed” the plane to force it into a climb, a risky procedure which would tear the wings from an ordinary aircraft.

  ‘The gamble worked, although the consequent rush of blood made him “blackout.” When he regained consciousness he was at 1,700ft with his hands and legs hanging limply away from the controls. Groggy, he returned to base 15 minutes behind the rest of the Squadron and resulting headaches grounded him for a week.

  ‘The Spitfire, incidentally, was scrapped. The steel covering of the fuselage was wrinkled from the strain it had undergone.’

  The Squadron made two sweeps with No. 17 Wing on 24 October. On the first sweep, escorting seventy-two Marauders to Beauvais/Tille aerodrome, Flying Officer J.D. Browne destroyed a Bf 109, damaging another.

  A general combat report was filed. This read:

  ‘Shortly before crossing the French coast, the Wing was vectored towards hostiles approaching from east at 20,000ft. In the area north-east of Abbeville, twenty Me 109s emerged from cloud in three groups slightly below our aircraft and flying on a course at right angles to us.

  ‘A general melee followed in which 403 Squadron was broken up. Squadron Leader R.H. Buckham (Red 3), leading 403 Squadron, received a cannon shot [in] his engine and turned back to the coast which he patrolled until the Wing emerged from France, and he was able to rejoin his Squadron.

  Flying Officer J.D. Browne attacked the leader of a group of four Me 109s. His combat report read:

  ‘After a several-second burst with cannon while the aircraft was out of sight under my nose, I allowed him to come into my sight and detected on the starboard wing what I took to be damage caused by the HE cannon shell. I saw an Me 109 firing on a Spitfire. The enemy aircraft sighted me and dived away, but I caught him and practically blew him to pieces in mid-air. He went diving down in flames, and I claim the first Me 109 attacked as damaged and the last as destroyed [firing a total of 253 cannon shells].

  ‘When we first sighted the enemy aircraft, I called to Yellow 1 (Flight Lieutenant H.J. Southwood) drawing his attention to the other group of enemy aircraft emerging from cloud. I broke away as did others in our flight, but Flight Lieutenant Southwood continued to fly straight inland. In the ensuing combat I lost contact with him and did not see or hear from him again.

  Flying Officer Southwood (flying MH665) was not seen again.

  Both Squadron Leader R.A. Buckham, DFC (Red 3), and Pilot Officer J.A. Cousineau saw Browne’s Bf 109 go down in flames and hit the ground.

  The general report continued by outlining the role played by No 421 Squadron in the same combat:

  ‘421 Squadron went into attack and, in the resulting combat, two Fw 190s were damaged.’

  Black 1, Squadron Leader C. Magwood’s combat report read:

  ‘421 Squadron was flying south-east directly for Amiens when a single Fw 190 approached from 3 o’clock from about 2,000ft below. [I] turned onto the tail of the enemy aircraft which did a shallow climbing turn for a second and then half-rolled and dived at an angle of 60 or 70 degrees. I fired five or six short bursts of about one second each at about 350 yards, and on the second burst observed two cannon strikes on the engine.’

  Pilot Officer J.F. Davidson (Green 2) witnessed Squadron Leader C. Magwood’s attack and saw several strikes on the engine, while Flying Officer R.G. Middlemiss (Blue 3) reported: ‘I saw this enemy aircraft break out into bright orange flames around the engine and go down at an angle of 60 degrees or more going in towards Amiens.’

  White 2, Flying Officer R.G. Driver reported:

  ‘four Fw 190s were sighted flying south at the same level (20,000ft) and crossing our course at right angles. I got in one squirt at 300-400 yards range. I saw no strikes [firing 16 cannon shells and 72 machine gun rounds]. However, white smoke was coming back over the fuselage and tail and streaming behind. Enemy aircraft was last seen diving well over the vertical below 8,000ft.’

  The Wing withdrew from France over the Somme estuary and returned to base landing at 1315 hours.6

  A press report described the mission under the banner:

  ‘BAGS THREE NAZIS, FIVE LOCOMOTIVES

  ‘London, Oct. 24, 1943 – (CP) – RCAF Spitfire and Mustang Squadrons today destroyed at least three Nazi fighters and one reconnaissance aircraft during a busy day escorting bombers, patrolling and sweeping Northern France. Five locomotives were shot up and a number of aircraft were damaged with the loss of one Spitfire. Sqdn Ldr. G.W. Northcott of Minnedosa, Man., shot down a Focke-Wulf fighter while his Spitfire Squadron was escorting United States medium bombers attacking an air base at Montdidier, France. F.O. J. D. Browne of Forham Park, N.J., flying in a Spitfire wing, commanded by Wing Comdr. Hugh Godefroy of Toronto, destroyed a Messerschmitt 109 and damaged another during a sweep over France. Other members of the Wing damaged at least two more. P.O. Gordon Driver, 14 Willowbank Blvd., Toronto, damaged a Focke-Wulf 190 during a melee in which the Canadians were outnumbered nearly 4 – 1. Sqdn. Ldr. Charles Magwood of Toronto, leader of the Red Indian Squadron, also damaged a Focke-Wulf. From this scrap Sqdn. Ldr. Robert A. Buckham of Vancouver, leader of the Wolf Squadron, returned h
ome with a damaged motor that had been holed by a cannon shell. Details of other successes were not immediately available.’

  Four days later, Flying Officer Beurling was made a flight commander to replace Flight Lieutenant Southwood. Wing Commander Godefroy had recommended Beurling for promotion, which he initially turned down, citing the mountain of paperwork which he would have to deal with commanding a flight. Astounded by Beurling’s reaction, Godefroy explained that the ‘paperwork’ would be done for him by junior officers and clerks. There was, however, a perk which attracted Beurling to the role; the Squadron’s Tiger Moth (DE 138), which he would have jurisdiction over. Beurling accepted the promotion, which was announced in the papers on the following day.

  Poor weather conditions during the first week of November meant that there was no operational flying. Beurling, however, was able to take the Squadron’s Tiger Moth up. He couldn’t resist performing aerobatics, but instead of flying off somewhere over the horizon to work off his frustrations, Beurling chose to perform his stunts directly over the airfield.

  As soon as the Tiger Moth’s wheels stopped turning and he climbed out of the cockpit, Beurling was summoned to Godefroy’s office for a ‘roasting’. Strangely, Godefroy didn’t ban Beurling from doing aerobatics, probably realising it was pointless. Instead, he told Beurling not to repeat his escapades over the airfield, reasoning that one of the less experienced pilots would try to emulate him and be killed.

  Two days later, however, Beurling took off in the Tiger Moth, buzzing Godefroy’s office before throwing the aircraft about once more, in plain sight of the Wing Commander and the whole station. He was warned for a second time, but repeated his antics the following day. Beurling would later claim that this latter episode had been due to his giving a gunnery lecture at another airfield and that he had simply been flying back to base under the cloud ceiling which was at only 300ft.