George Beurling was born in Verdun, Quebec in 1921. His parents had high hopes for George, his mother wanting him to be a doctor and his father hoped he would be a commercial artist (presumably George had showed some talent that way). George only wanted to fly, "Ever since I can remember, airplanes and to get up in them into the free sky had been the beginning and end of my thoughts and ambitions". He had taken his first flight by age 9, and hung around LaSalle Road airport outside of Verdun every chance he got. He often made the chances, skipping school to watch airplanes.

When he was sent to his room he spent hours building model airplanes. He sold these creations and used the money to buy flying lessons. The only books he was interested in were about flying, especially tales about the WWI aces. He studied the tactics and aerial battles of WWI, discussing them and arguing with anyone who had the time. Other kids bullied him because of his obsession with flying, and when he was chased home one day his father bought boxing gloves and taught to fight. He also said, "George I don't want you to look for a fight, but I don't want you to run away."

He first took the controls of an airplane when he was 12, and soloed in the winter of 1938. He saved up enough money to afford a weekly lesson, but it was too slow for him. He left home and took the train to Gravenhurst, Ontario and got a job hauling air freight into the bush. It was dull work, but he got many hours of flying time logged. After getting his pilots license he headed west to Vancouver hoping to get a commercial license. Then he planned to join the Chinese airforce flying against the Japanese invading Manchuria.

Beurling tried everything that came along his way that had anything to do with flying. In Edmonton he joined a flying competition that included several RCAF pilots. He won the event. He was anything but humble on receiving the prize. He told the crowd that if the pilots from the RCAF was the best Canada could do, then they were in trouble. Several years later when he was rejected by the RCAF, he attributed the rejection to his comments in Edmonton, and carried a chip on his shoulder for the rest of his life.

Beurling then did an astounding thing. He sought out the WWI ace, Ernst Udet in the USA. Udet was doing barnstorming events across the west to make ends meet, and was willing, for cash, to give Beurling lessons in aerial warfare tactics. He was one of the greatest aces of all time, having shot down 62 Allied planes. He killed himself late in WWII. But he taught Beurling what he knew about dogfighting in the air. This was, perhaps, one of Udet's biggest mistakes. When they were through throwing their planes around and mock fighting, Beurling probably knew more about aerial combat than most of the peacetime RCAF pilots.

While trying to get to China he snuck into the U.S.A. and was caught. He was thrown into jail for a time and then released. By then WWII was on and George went into the first RCAF recruiting post and presented himself for duty. His poor academic record got him booted out of the recruiting station. So he decided to head to Europe and join the Finnish airforce fighting against the Russians, but the Finnish embassy insisted on his parents permission as he was still only 18. They refused to give it.

Determined to get into the fighting he signed onto a munitions ship going to England, a sign of real despiration. The trip over has hazardous as the German U-Boats were becoming very active in the north Atlantic, sinking ships at will. Once in Glasgow he went to the RAF recruiting office, but was told they would need a birth certificate before they would sign him. Off back across the Atlantic he went for the document, surviving a direct torpedo hit on his ship, the Valparaiso. And back again to England he went. This time the English were impressed with his technical qualifications and signed him immediately.

He was sent to a large training school in the north of England, and then to Operational Training School (OTS) flying Supermarine Spitfires. He studied under the ace Ginger Lacy, who was renowned for shooting down 30 Germans, including the Heinkel 111 bomber that had hit Buckingham Palace.

Beurling got his first taste of warfare while on leave to London. During an air raid he was astounded by seeing a little girl playing with a doll while bombs fell nearby and shrapnel screamed through the air. Rushing to her, he saw her arm had been blown off, and she was in shock. He scooped her up and carried her to an aid station. Another girl was pinned in a basement room while water from a ruptured main filled it. A doctor hurriedly amputated her leg and carried her to safety. The incidents hardened Beurling, up to now he had thought that the war was a great adventure for those who could fly.

In the final stages of fighter training he astounded instructors with his air-to-air gunnery, consistently scoring direct hits on the droge targets pulled by Fairey Battles. Ginger Lacy offered him a commission on the spot, but perhaps distrusting officers, or more likely due a lack of self esteem, he turned it down. He announced that he preferred to live with the sargeant pilots. Once posted to 403 Sqdn, RAF he was again offered a commission, and he again turned it down.

His commanding officer placed him in the Tail-End-Charlie position, meaning that in a flight of 5 aircraft, he flew behind and slightly above the others. The Tail-End-Charlie frequently did not make it back to base as the Germans attacked him first. It was a seriously flawed tactic that the English eventually abandoned, but it cost many pilots. The Germans used a loose finger-four formation, with two planes flying as a pair. They could support each other and attack targets as well.

One day in March, 1942 on a sweep over northern France in Spitfires, the Germans pounced with their new Focke-Wulf 190s. George was the first to spot them and announced "bandits". He was told to maintain radio silence! Disregarding instructions he pulled out of formation with three FW 190s on his tail. His engine hood was shot away and he figured himself for dead meat, when he got an idea. He dropped his landing gear and flaps, slowing instantly, and the FW 190s overshot. On returning to base he lit into his commanding officer in front of everyone. Shortly after he was transferred to a new squadron.

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He had more problems with his new commanding officer, but he downed his first German. At 24,000 ft over Calais, 5 FW190s attacked him while in the tail end position. Cannon shells slammed into his wings knocking out his own cannons. Again, cunning saved his hide. He pulled straight up into the sun, the FW190s followed and shot past him, as they had more speed, having just pulled out of a dive. As they climbed past him, he lined up on the middle plane and fired his 8 0.303 Browning machine guns. The FW190 exploded, tearing off the wings and splitting the fusilage. Back on the ground he was chewed out for breaking formation! Beurling responded "Six of us broke formation, five Jerries and I".

Yet again, two days later, over Calais he was in the Tail-End-Charlie position when he spotted a flight of FW190s below them and heading their way. The rest of the flight ignored his warnings, as usual. This time he didn't wait to be on the receiving end of the German's cannons. He peeled out of formation and dove on the Germans, scoring a perfect deflection shot on the lead plane. It fell away smoking and crashed into the sea. Once again he was reprimanded for disobeying orders by leaving formation. Disgusted with the crass stupidity of his commanding officers, he offered to take the place of a married pilot who didn't relish being posted to Malta, and was promptly granted permission to leave.

HMS Eagle Flying Off Spitfires

Getting to Malta was problematic, as the Germans and Italians were trying to cut it off and pound it to pieces. Any ship getting within range of Axis bombers flying from Sicily were in grave danger. The new Spitfires and pilots destined for Malta were shipped in the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle. When they were within flying range of Malta the pilots were given instructions on the heading and approximate distance to the island and flew off the deck of the Eagle.

The Germans did their best to confuse the new pilots by giving false instructions in English, but most pilots were not fooled by this ruse. Beurling had just landed in his brand new Spitfire, when the cockpit was whipped back, the groundcrew pulled him out and another pilot climbed into the cockpit. As soon as it was refueled and armed it roared off to confront an inbound flight of Axis fighters and bombers. He had landed in the middle of an air raid.

His commanding officer on Malta was Laddie Lucas. He proved to be a good judge of character. He said of George,

"Beurling was untidy, with a shock of fair, touseled hair above penetrating blue eyes. He smiled a lot and the smile came straight out of those striking eyes. His sallow complexion was in keeping with his part Scandinavian ancestry. He was high strung, brash and outspoken. He was a rebel, yes; but I suspected that his rebelliousness came from some mistaken feeling of inferiority.

I judged that what Beurling needed most was not to be smacked down but to be encouraged. His ego mattered very much to him, and from what he told me of his treatment in England, a deliberate attempt had been made to assassinate it. I made him a promise that I would give him my trust and that if he abused it he would be on the next aircraft out of Malta. When I said all this those startling blue eyes peered incredulously at me as if to say that, after all his past experience of human relations, he didn't believe it. He was soon to find out that a basis for confidence and mutual trust did exist. He never once let me down."

He arrived at the height of the siege of Malta by the German Luftwaffe and Italian Regia Aeronautica. They were pounding the island night and day to blast it into submission. Malta was the perfect location to stage interception raids on Axis ships trying to reinforce General Rommel in North Africa. On June 12 he saw his first action when 4 Spitfires were scrambled to intercept 5 Messerschmitt Bf109s. He blew the tail off of one and was credited with a probable, as no one saw it go down. During the following lull in fighting Beurling practiced the art of the deflection shot, learning how to lead a plane so your shells hit the same space as the aircraft did at the same time. It was tricky to learn, but he mastered it.

On July 6 he got to put into practice what he had learned when 8 Spits were sent to intercept 3 Italian Cant bombers heading for Malta. They were escorted by no less than 30 Macchi 200 fighters. Beurling led the assault diving straight through the Macchi formations and pulling up to fire on a big, Cant bomber. His first burst hit the pilot blowing off his head, the second took out an engine. But it made it back to base in Sicily flown by an observer.

Beurling turned quickly and fired directly into an Italian fighter, knocking it down in flames. He lined up another Italian fighter but it dove sharply to get away. Beurling followed all the way from 20,000 feet to 5,000. The Italian had no choice but to pull up and George caught him square in his sights. The Macchi blew up. Later the same day he led an attack on 2 Junkers Ju88s escorted by 20 Bf109s. A wild dogfight broke out and 2 German fighter pilots headed right for Beurling.

But George used Ernst Udet's own tricks on his pilots, he circled tightly and caught a 109 with a long burst from 800 yards and at a nearly impossible angle. He hit the fuel tanks and the 109 went down in flames. In one day he increased his kill to 5. Back at base the other pilots snubbed him by not throwing an acknowledgement party of his ace status. But Beurling didn't care, he was a total loner, only interested in making a name for himself flying fighters.

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