George Beurling George Frederick " Buzz " Beurling DSO , DFC , DFM & Bar , RAF & RCAF ( 6 December 1921 – 20 May 1948 ) , was the most successful Canadian fighter pilot of the Second World War . Beurling was recognised as " Canada ' s most famous hero of Second World War " , as " The Falcon of Malta " and the " Knight of Malta " , having shot down 27 Axis aircraft in just 14 days over the besieged Mediterranean island . Before the war ended his total climbed to either 31 or 31 . Beurling ' s wartime service was terminated prior to war ' s end . In an attempt to continue combat flying in the postwar era , Beurling lost his life in a crash while delivering an aircraft to Israel . Early life . Born in Verdun ( now part of Montreal ) , Quebec , Beurling first took the controls of an aircraft in 1933 and was flying solo by 1938 . He left school to work for an air freight company in Gravenhurst , Ontario , and soon gained a commercial license . He had intended to go to China , but was imprisoned for a few months for illegally crossing the border into the United States in an attempt to join the Flying Tigers . This is a curious story , as the timeline appears to be off . The American Volunteer Group ( AVG ) aka " Flying Tigers " was not authorized until mid 1941 . The Flying Tigers were not an effective fighting force until early 1942 . George Beurling joined the Royal Air Force in September 1940 . Second World War . With the outbreak of war , Beurling tried to join the Royal Canadian Air Force , but his lack of academic qualifications led to his rejection . He then tried to join the Finnish Air Force ( which was fighting the Soviets in the Winter War ) , but could not get his parents ' permission . Instead , Beurling sailed across the Atlantic on a convoy , landing in Glasgow , intending to enlist in the Royal Air Force . Unfortunately , he had forgotten his birth certificate and had to return to Canada . In September 1940 , after he had survived the return trip , the RAF accepted him as a pilot . RAF service . Having survived one or two aerial misdemeanours , he reached the Operational Training Unit at RAF Hawarden in September 1941 . Beurling demonstrated considerable skill in training . In Hawarden , he came under the influence of the great Ginger Lacey , whose score at the time stood at 27 . Lacey later commented about Beurling : " There are not two ways about it , he was a wonderful pilot and an even better shot . " These two factors , coupled with exceptional eyesight , were the keys to his later success . But they did not come without effort . At Hawarden , he immersed himself in gun nery , estimation of range , deflection , bullet trail and bullet drop , imprinting them into his subconscious until they were automatic . For him , flying and shooting became one single action . In the middle of December , he was posted as a Sergeant Pilot to RCAF 403 Squadron , which had just moved to North Weald , Essex . Beurling flew his first ( uneventful ) combat mission , flying the Supermarine Spitfire on Christmas Day 1941 . He remained with 403 for nearly four months , escorting bombers and flying fighter sweeps across the English Channel . A couple of times , his formation was jumped by German fighters , but he never managed to get off an effective shot while with 403 . By late spring , a decision was made to include only RCAF personnel in RCAF squadrons . Beurling , who was Canadian but an RAF pilot , joined 41 Squadron in Sussex . His first two missions with his new squadron were uneventful , but on the third , a sweep over Calais on 1 May , five Focke - Wulf Fw 190 s jumped the section . Beurling , who was the " tail end Charlie " , the last of the formation , became divided from his flight and his Spitfire suffered a number of serious hits that put half of his guns out of action . Nevertheless , he managed to fire a short burst at a FW 190 ; the German fighter exploded in mid air . Two days later , as usual for a newcomer , he was assigned again to the number four position . He spotted a lone FW 190 , and broke from the flight to pursue it . He claimed the German fighter as destroyed over Cap Gris Nez . On this occasion , Beurling was reprimanded for attacking a target without permission , and became unpopular with his superiors and fellow pilots . He then volunteered for a posting overseas . When his ship reached Gibraltar , Beurling learned where he was destined : the island of Malta and No . 249 Squadron RAF . Malta . Fighter pilots played a critical role in the defence of Malta during its siege . Beurling landed on the island on 9 June , after having flown off the deck of aboard his Spitfire , during Operation Salient . His nickname on Malta was " Screwball " , an expletive he had a habit of using . Beurling had his baptism of fire in the mid - morning of 12 June when , flying a Spitfire , with three other pilots from 249 , the formation intercepted eight Bf 109s . Beurling claimed to have blown the tail off a Bf 109 , but nobody saw it hit the ground , so he was credited with a " damaged " . After that , Beurling claimed a series of kills that had no equal on the Mediterranean island . On 6 July 1942 , with other pilots from 249 , he attacked a formation of three Cant Z1007bis , 14 Reggiane Re . 2001s and more than two dozen Macchi MC . 202s . He almost certainly shot down " Sergente " Francesco Pecchiari from 352 Squadriglia . Then he claimed another Macchi that crashed near Zejtun , likely the Reggiane of " Sottotenente " Romano Pagliani , 152 " Squadriglia " . He made a third claim that day , a Messerschmitt , hit from a distance of 800 yards and was credited with three victories in his first proper air battle at Malta . On 10 July , his Malta tally rose to five in just four days , making him an ace . That day , it seems likely that he shot down the MC . 202 of " Sergente Maggiore " Francesco Visentini , from 378 " Squadriglia " . On 12 July , Beurling , flying a Spitfire , and searching for Pilot Officer Berkeley - Hill , who was missing , spotted " Tenente Colonnello " Aldo Quarantotti and " Tenente " Carlo Seganti , flying Reggiane Re . 2001 s . Beurling , with Flying Officer Erik Hetherington , dove on the tail of the second of the two Reggianes and downed Seganti . Then Beurling attacked the other Reggiane . He closed up to 100 ft and just when Quarantotti spotted him , Beurling delivered a short burst that decapitated the Italian commander . This aircraft also fell into the sea . Two days later , he was badly shot up by Reggianes . Beurling ' s aircraft was " riddled by better than 20 bullets through the fuselage and wings " . " An explosive bullet nicked my right heel " , he recalled . On 22 July , he lost his best friend in Malta , French - Canadian Pilot Jean Paradis . The following day , eight 249 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 151 " Squadriglia " , in fact , lost " Serg Magg " Bruno Di Pauli . The Macchi 202 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 . 27 July , was Beurling ' s " biggest day on Malta " . That day , he shot down " Sergente " Faliero Gelli ) , and immediately after , Captain Furio Niclot Doglio , both flying Macchi MC . 202s , " Regia Aeronautica " s best fighter . Niclot Doglio , who was diving to counter attack the head - on Spitfires of 126 Squadron and had misunderstood the warning waggling of wings of his wingman , " Maresciallo " Ennio Tarantola ( who had seen the oncoming 249 Squadron fighters from left , high above ) , was his 14th " kill " . On the same day , Beurling claimed also two Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighters , one of which was piloted by the ace " Leutnant " Karl - Heinz Preu of JG 53 although other sources attribute this to flak . On 24 July 1942 , Beurling was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal , the citation read : On 30 July , he was commissioned as a pilot officer , and on 4 September won a bar to his DFM , largely for his exploits on 27 July . The citation read : The enervation of daily combat combined with the effects of the poor rations and dysentery were telling . Beurling was bedridden for much of August and September , gaining only 1½ victories in August . On 8 August , while he was shooting at a Bf 109 , 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 . " I climbed out , he recalled , unhurt except for a superficial cut in one arm . " Beurling was shot down either by Herbert Rollwage or Siegfried Freytag and " Fw " Pohl of I . / JG 77 , who all claimed a Spitfire shot down . Beurling hitched back to Ta ' Qali Field . On 25 September , he had another successful day , claiming to have downed three German fighters , but on this occasion his victories seem to be " overclaimed " . That day , flying with 11 other Spitfires , he met a dozen Bf 109s 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 after . On 10 October , Beurling was testing his newly serviced Spitfire when he was vectored to intercept two Bf 109s , flying line abreast at 1 , 000 ft over Filfla . He reported to have hit the " starboard fellow " in the engine : " He pancaked right smack down on his belly and flipped over onto his back . " The second BF 109 tried to fly away but he hit the gas tank : " The ship blow up , complete with pilot . " Those " kills " brought Beurling ' s Malta tally to 21 , plus another shared with two others . But there is no record of a Messerschmitt crashing on the island on 10 October 1942 , nor any German losses . On the morning of 13 October , three miles north of St Paul ’ s Bay , Beurling , attacked a formation of Ju 88s , escorted by 30 Bf 109s . He claimed to have at first hit a bomber , then an oncoming Bf 109 that burst into flames . Seconds later , he shot at a second Messerschmitt , without observing strikes , “ but pilot bailed out ” . On 16 October he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross , the citation read : A teetotaler and non - smoker , he dedicated himself totally to the art of aerial combat . 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 . Like many successful Spitfire pilots , Beurling developed the habit of only engaging enemy aircraft at 250 yards or less — a range at which many other pilots would be breaking away . 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 1942 ( 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 109s , Macchi 202s and Reggiane 2001s 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 88 : “ I picked up about 30 bullet holes . ” Then he claimed to have damaged a Messerschmitt and to have blown the left wing of another Bf 109 off at the root . 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 . Only 2 " Staffel " ( Black 1 / 7619 ) of I / JG53 , flown by " Obfw " Josef Edere who was wounded , was damaged in the action , and Edere crash - landed at San Pietro , Sicily . Beurling was probably shot down by " Obfw " Riker of 4 / JG53 or Ltn Karl von Lieres of 2 / JG27 ( who was credited with his 26th ) . Of the seven Ju 88s claimed to have been shot down by the RAF , only one did not return . After his rescue , Beurling was hospitalised . Beurling was then sent back to Britain on 31 October 1942 . On the way , the B - 24 transport aircraft he was aboard crashed into the sea off Gibraltar . Beurling was one of only three survivors . On 4 November he received the Distinguished Service Order , the citation read : Over Malta , he had claimed over 27 kills , by far the highest total by an RAF pilot during the campaign . War bond drive . After landing back in Britain , he was then sent to Canada to join a Victory Loan Drive , selling war bond s , being the guest of honour at a parade in Verdun and meeting Prime Minister Mackenzie King . He was promoted to war substantive Flying Officer ( on probation ) on 30 January 1943 . He did not enjoy the war bond campaign . Also , he often said things that embarrassed the RCAF , such as that he enjoyed killing people . The leg wound Beurling had received over Malta , combined with his poor general health , returned him to hospital for several weeks . He completed his promotional work in mid - 1943 and also met his future wife , Diana Whittall in Vancouver . Instructor . Returning to Britain , Beurling was posted as a gunnery instructor to 61 OTU . On 27 May 1943 , he was posted to the Central Gunnery School at RAF Sutton Bridge . On 8 June , he was accidentally shot at during a mock dogfight , bailing out of Spitfire II P7913 as the engine caught fire . Royal Canadian Air Force . On 1 September 1943 , he transferred to the Royal Canadian Air Force , and was posted to an operational squadron , 403 ( a return to his first squadron ) at Kenley , flying the new Spitfire IX . Shooting down an Fw 190 of JG 2 in September , but unhappy with flying sweeps , Beurling requested command of a flight of P - 51 Mustang s in order to carry out deep penetration , free - roaming raids into Germany . His request was turned down . Disciplinary problems annoyed his commander , but he was promoted to Flight Lieutenant . However , his stunting of a Tiger Moth at zero feet over his airfield eventually led to his Wing Commander , Hugh Godefroy DFC , threatening him with a court martial ; subsequently , Beurling was transferred to 126 Wing HQ and then to 412 Squadron . At 412 Squadron , he 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 . Wyrich of " 5 Staffel " , JG 26 flying an FW 190 , when the squadron was covering returning American bombers near Compiègne , France . Discharge . Beurling returned to Canada in April 1944 . 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 . He ended his career as a Squadron Leader with 31 and one shared confirmed kills , nine claimed damaged , along with a DSO , DFC and a DFM and bar . Death . Beurling ' s marriage ended in March 1945 , but he was not formally divorced . He survived the war only to find himself unable to adjust to civilian life . In 1948 , he was recruited to fly P - 51 Mustangs for the Israeli Air Force . En route , Beurling fatally crashed his Noorduyn Norseman transport aircraft while landing at Aeroporto dell ' Urbe in Rome after a test flight . It was his 10th crash . Suspicion at the time of the accident centred on possible sabotage which never was proven . " The initial report , while it identified the crew as Beurling and Leonard Cohen ( another Malta RAF pilot ) , acknowledged that the bodies were burned beyond recognition . " The funeral in Rome lacked only one element : Beurling ' s widow , family and personal friends were not in attendance . On a small brass plate over the lid of the coffin these words were written " 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 . Then his widow , Diana Whittall Gardner , had him buried in the Protestant Cemetery behind the Cestia Pyramid , between the graves of Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats . In November 1950 , 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 : for Beurling that of " segen " , lieutenant . 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 . . . he was highly strung , brash and outspoken . . . something of a rebel " . Legacy . " Malta Spitfire " , an account of his time in Malta , co - written by Leslie Roberts and Beurling , was first published in 1943 . " In Verdun the only reminder of the famous son is the boulevard which carries Beurling ' s name . " Beurling Academy , a high school in the Lester B . Pearson School Board in Verdun , is also named after him . Summary of victory claims . Beurling was provisionally credited with 31 air victories destroyed ( and one third shared destroyed ) , and 9 damaged .