George Beurling: Canada's Deadliest Fighter Ace

canadaswarpath
Mar 31
3 min read

Born to Fly

December 6, 1921. Verdun, Quebec. A kid named George Frederick "Buzz" Beurling is born with a fire in his gut and his eyes on the sky. While most boys his age are playing street hockey, George is sketching aircraft, reading aviation books, and building model planes. His old man, an aviation nut himself, takes him to airfields where he watches the birds of war take off. School? That’s a distraction. His classroom is the cockpit.

By 14, he’s already in the air, taking lessons, feeling out the controls. He’s got a gift, razor-sharp eyesight, instincts you can’t teach, and the kind of nerves that make a fighter pilot lethal.

The Road to War

When war breaks out in 1939, Beurling is itching to get in the fight. The RCAF turns him down, too much of a lone wolf. That doesn’t stop him. He tries to sign up with the Finnish Air Force, but that doesn’t pan out either.

Finally, he finds his way to the RAF (Royal Air force) in 1940. He trains, he flies, and when the time comes, he fights.

The Siege of Malta: Hunting Season

The Luftwaffe owns the sky over Malta in 1942. The RAF is outnumbered, outgunned, and barely holding on. Enter George Beurling. He’s posted to No. 249 Squadron and immediately starts racking up kills. He doesn’t just fight, he hunts.

Beurling flies the Spitfire like it’s an extension of himself. His gunnery is unmatched. He doesn’t waste bullets, every shot is calculated, every burst deadly. He shoots ahead of his targets, anticipating their moves, cutting them down with surgical precision.

Between July and October 1942, he takes out 27 enemy aircraft. The Germans and Italians start calling him “The Falcon of Malta.” His squadmates just call him the deadliest pilot they’ve ever seen.

Decorated and Dangerous

The brass take notice. The medals start piling up:

Distinguished Flying Medal (DFM)
Bar to the DFM
Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC)
Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

The press loves him. Canada hails him as a hero. But Beurling doesn’t care about fame, he just wants to fly and fight.

A Rebel Among Soldiers

For all his skill, Beurling doesn’t play by the rules. He’s got no patience for military bureaucracy, and he hates flying in formation. He’s a lone wolf, and that doesn’t sit well with the top brass.

After Malta, they send him back to Britain, but the structured nature of the Western Front doesn’t suit him. Soon, he’s back in Canada, doing war bond tours, talking when he should be flying.

Post-War: A Man Without a War

When the war ends, so does Beurling’s purpose. The RCAF brings him in, but it doesn’t last. He’s not made for peacetime. Then, an opportunity, Israel is fighting for its survival, and they need pilots. Beurling signs up, ready to take his talents back to war.

But sadly, Never got the chance to fight.

The Mysterious End

May 20, 1948. Rome. Beurling is test-flying an aircraft for Israel when it crashes. He doesn’t walk away. Sabotage? Maybe. Some believe his plane was tampered with to keep him out of the fight. No one knows for sure.

The Legend Lives On

George "Buzz" Beurling was Canada’s greatest fighter ace, a man built for war, unmatched in the sky. He flew with instinct, fought with precision, and lived with a fire that couldn’t be tamed. Streets, schools, and aviation institutions bear his name, but his real legacy lives in the history books and in the sky where warriors like him still take to the air. He wasn’t just a pilot. He was a predator. And when the world needed him most, he delivered.