Adolph Gysbert Malan, (3 October 1910 – 17 September 1963), better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African
fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained to engage in air-to-air combat, air-to-ground combat and sometimes electronic warfare while in the cockpit of a fighter aircraft. Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and ...
and
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
in the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF) who led
No. 74 Squadron RAF
Number 74 Squadron, also known as "Tiger Squadron" from its tiger-head motif, was a squadron of the Royal Air Force. It operated fighter aircraft from 1917 to the 1990s, and then trainers until its disbandment in 2000. It was the Royal Air Forc ...
during the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. He finished his fighter career in 1941 with twenty-seven destroyed, seven shared destroyed and two unconfirmed, three probables and sixteen damaged. At the time he was the RAF's leading ace, and one of the highest scoring pilots to have served wholly with
Fighter Command
RAF Fighter Command was one of the commands of the Royal Air Force. It was formed in 1936 to allow more specialised control of fighter aircraft. It served throughout the Second World War. It earned near-immortal fame during the Battle of Britai ...
during the Second World War.
After the war, Malan became leader of the
Torch Commando
The Torch Commando was a South African organisation, born out of the work of the Springbok Legion, a South African organisation of World War II veterans, founded in 1941 during the Second World War, and the War Veterans Action Committee estab ...
, a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
anti-authoritarian organization that opposed the introduction of the
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
system.
Early life
Malan was born on 3 October 1910 to an
Afrikaner
Afrikaners () are a South African ethnic group descended from Free Burghers, predominantly Dutch settlers first arriving at the Cape of Good Hope in the 17th and 18th centuries.Entry: Cape Colony. ''Encyclopædia Britannica Volume 4 Part 2: ...
family of
Huguenot
The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...
descent in
Wellington, Western Cape
Wellington is a town in the Western Cape Winelands, a 45-minute drive from Cape Town, in South Africa with a population of approximately 62,000. Wellington's economy is centered on agriculture such as wine, table grapes, deciduous fruit, and a bra ...
, then part of the
Cape Colony
The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...
. He joined the South African Training Ship ''
General Botha
HMS ''Thames'' was a protected cruiser built for the Royal Navy (RN) in the 1880s. The ship was placed in reserve upon her completion in 1888 and was converted into a submarine depot ship in 1903. She was sold out of the navy in 1920 and wa ...
'' in 1924 or 1925 as a naval cadet (cadet number 168) at the age of 14, and on 5 January 1928 engaged as an officer cadet (seaman's discharge number R42512) aboard the ''Landsdown Castle'' of the
Union-Castle Line
The Union-Castle Line was a British shipping line that operated a fleet of passenger liners and cargo ships between Europe and Africa from 1900 to 1977. It was formed from the merger of the Union Line and Castle Shipping Line.
It merged with ...
of the
International Mercantile Marine Co. which later earned him the nickname of "Sailor" amongst his pilot colleagues. On 19 February 1932, he joined the
Royal Naval Reserve
The Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) is one of the two volunteer reserve forces of the Royal Navy in the United Kingdom. Together with the Royal Marines Reserve, they form the Maritime Reserve. The present RNR was formed by merging the original Ro ...
as an
acting sub-lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
, and was commissioned a
sub-lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
on 18 June 1935.
Royal Air Force
In 1935 the
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
(RAF) started the rapid expansion of its pilot corps, for which Malan volunteered. He learned to fly in the
de Havilland Tiger Moth
The de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth is a 1930s British biplane designed by Geoffrey de Havilland and built by the de Havilland Aircraft Company. It was operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) and other operators as a primary trainer aircraft. ...
at an elementary flying school near
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
, flying for the first time on 6 January 1936. He was commissioned as an acting
pilot officer
Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
on 2 March, completed training by the end of the year, and was sent to join 74 Squadron on 20 December 1936. He was confirmed as a
pilot officer
Pilot officer (Plt Off officially in the RAF; in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly P/O in all services, and still often used in the RAF) is the lowest commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countri ...
on 6 January 1937. He was promoted to acting
flying officer on 20 May 1938 and promoted to substantive flying officer on 6 July. He received another promotion to acting
flight lieutenant
Flight lieutenant is a junior commissioned rank in air forces that use the Royal Air Force (RAF) system of ranks, especially in Commonwealth countries. It has a NATO rank code of OF-2. Flight lieutenant is abbreviated as Flt Lt in the India ...
on 2 March 1939, six months before the outbreak of war.
Malan developed the
Ten Rules for Air Fighting
Adolph Gysbert Malan DSO & Bar DFC (24 March 1910 – 17 September 1963), better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African World War II fighter pilot, who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the height of the Battle of Britain. Malan developed a se ...
for fighter pilots.
Second World War
Battle of Barking Creek
![Commonwealth Air Aces of the Second World War CH8119](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Commonwealth_Air_Aces_of_the_Second_World_War_CH8119.jpg)
No. 74 Squadron was dispatched 15 hours after war was declared to intercept a bomber raid that turned out to be returning RAF planes. On 6 September 1939, "A" Flight was scrambled to intercept a suspected enemy radar track and ran into the Hurricanes of
No. 56 Squadron RAF
Number 56 Squadron, nicknamed ''the Firebirds'' for their ability to always reappear intact regardless of the odds, is one of the oldest and most successful Squadron (aviation), squadrons of the Royal Air Force, with battle honours from many of ...
. Believing 56 to be the enemy, Malan ordered an attack. Paddy Byrne and
John Freeborn
John Connell Freeborn, (1 December 1919 – 28 August 2010) was a fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War.
In 1939, he shot down another RAF fighter in a friendly-fire incident that marked the first ...
downed two RAF aircraft, killing one officer – Montague Hulton-Harrop – in
friendly fire
In military terminology, friendly fire or fratricide is an attack by belligerent or neutral forces on friendly troops while attempting to attack enemy/hostile targets. Examples include misidentifying the target as hostile, cross-fire while eng ...
, which became known as the Battle of Barking Creek. At the subsequent
court-martial
A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of memb ...
, Malan denied responsibility for the attack. He testified for the prosecution against his own pilots stating that Freeborn had been irresponsible, impetuous, and had not taken proper heed of vital communications. This prompted Freeborn's counsel,
Patrick Hastings
Sir Patrick Gardiner Hastings (17 March 1880 – 26 February 1952) was an English barrister and politician noted for his long and highly successful career as a barrister and his short stint as Attorney General. He was educated at Charterhou ...
, to call Malan a bare-faced liar. Hastings was assisted in defending the pilots by
Roger Bushell
Squadron Leader Roger Joyce Bushell (30 August 1910 – 29 March 1944) was a South African-born British military aviator. He masterminded the "Great Escape" from Stalag Luft III in 1944, but was one of the 50 escapees to be recaptured and sub ...
, who, like Malan, had been born in South Africa. The court ruled the entire incident as an unfortunate error and acquitted both pilots.
Dunkirk
After fierce fighting over Dunkirk during
the evacuation of the British Army from Dunkirk on 28 May 1940, Malan was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross having achieved five "kills". During the night of 19/20 June Malan flew a night sortie in bright moonlight and shot down two
Heinkel He 111
The Heinkel He 111 is a German airliner and bomber designed by Siegfried and Walter Günter at Heinkel Flugzeugwerke in 1934. Through development, it was described as a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Due to restrictions placed on Germany after th ...
bombers, a then-unique feat for which a
medal bar
A medal bar or medal clasp is a thin metal bar attached to the ribbon of a military decoration, civil decoration, or other medal. It most commonly indicates the campaign or operation the recipient received the award for, and multiple bars on the ...
was awarded to his DFC. On 6 July, he was promoted to flight lieutenant.
Malan and his senior pilots abandoned the
Vic formation
The Vic formation is a formation devised for military aircraft and first used during the First World War.
It has three or sometimes more aircraft fly in close formation with the leader at the apex and the rest of the flight ''Echelon formation, ...
used by the RAF and turned to a looser formation (the
finger-four
The finger-four formation (also known as the "four finger formation" and the "Fingertip Formation") is a flight formation used by fighter aircraft. It consists of four aircraft, and four of these formations can be combined into a squadron formati ...
) similar to the four aircraft ''
Schwarm'' the ''
Luftwaffe
The ''Luftwaffe'' () was the aerial-warfare branch of the German ''Wehrmacht'' before and during World War II. Germany's military air arms during World War I, the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' of the Imperial Army and the '' Marine-Fliegerabtei ...
'' had developed during the
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil War ( es, Guerra Civil Española)) or The Revolution ( es, La Revolución, link=no) among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War ( es, Cuarta Guerra Carlista, link=no) among Carlists, and The Rebellion ( es, La Rebelión, lin ...
. It is believed that on 28 July he met
Werner Mölders
Werner Mölders (18 March 1913 – 22 November 1941) was a World War II German Luftwaffe pilot, wing commander, and the leading German fighter ace in the Spanish Civil War. He became the first pilot in aviation history to shoot down 100 ...
in combat, damaged his plane and wounded him, but failed to bring him down, though recent research has suggested that Mölders was wounded in a fight with
No. 41 Squadron RAF
No. 41 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is the RAF's Typhoon Test and Evaluation Squadron ("TES"), based at RAF Coningsby, Lincolnshire. Its official title is "41 TES". The squadron was formed in 1916 during First World War as part of the Royal ...
.
Squadron leader of No. 74 Squadron
On 8 August, Malan was given command of 74 Squadron and promoted to acting
squadron leader
Squadron leader (Sqn Ldr in the RAF ; SQNLDR in the RAAF and RNZAF; formerly sometimes S/L in all services) is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence. It is also ...
at the height of the
Battle of Britain
The Battle of Britain, also known as the Air Battle for England (german: die Luftschlacht um England), was a military campaign of the Second World War, in which the Royal Air Force (RAF) and the Fleet Air Arm (FAA) of the Royal Navy defende ...
. On 11 August, action started at 7 am when 74 was sent to intercept a raid near
Dover
Dover () is a town and major ferry port in Kent, South East England. It faces France across the Strait of Dover, the narrowest part of the English Channel at from Cap Gris Nez in France. It lies south-east of Canterbury and east of Maidstone ...
, which was followed by three more raids, lasting all day. At the end of the day, 74 Squadron had claimed to have shot down 38 aircraft, and was known from then on as "Sailor's August the Eleventh". Malan himself commented, "thus ended a very successful morning of combat". He received a bar to his DFC on 13 August.
On 29 December 1941 Malan was added to the select list of airmen who had sat for one of
Cuthbert Orde
Captain Cuthbert Julian Orde (18 December 1888 – 19 December 1968) was an artist and First World War pilot. He is best known for his war art, especially his portraits of Allied Battle of Britain pilots.
Family background
Orde was born on 18 D ...
's iconic RAF charcoal portraits. He had the rarer honor of also being the subject of a full color painting by Orde.
Wing commander – Biggin Hill
On 24 December Malan received the
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order (DSO) is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, as well as formerly of other parts of the Commonwealth, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typ ...
, and on 22 July 1941, a medal bar to the Order. On 10 March 1941 he was appointed as one of the first
wing leader
Wing leader, or wing commander (flying), denotes the tactical commander of a Commonwealth military wing on flying operations. The terms refer to a position, not a rank, although the role was usually taken by an officer ranked wing commander. The p ...
s for the offensive operations that spring and summer, leading the Biggin Hill Wing until mid-August, when he was rested from operations. He finished his active fighter career in 1941 with 27 kills destroyed, 7 shared destroyed and 2 unconfirmed, 3 probables and 16 damaged, as one of the highest scoring pilots to have served wholly with Fighter Command during World War II. He was transferred to the reserve as a squadron leader on 6 January 1942.
After tours to the US and the
Central Gunnery School
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
, Malan was promoted to temporary
wing commander
Wing commander (Wg Cdr in the RAF, the IAF, and the PAF, WGCDR in the RNZAF and RAAF, formerly sometimes W/C in all services) is a senior commissioned rank in the British Royal Air Force and air forces of many countries which have historical ...
on 1 September 1942 and became station commander at
Biggin Hill
Biggin Hill is a settlement on the south-eastern outskirts of Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. Within the boundaries of the historic county of Kent, prior to 1965 it was also in the administrative county of Kent. I ...
, receiving a promotion to war substantive wing commander on 1 July 1943.
Post-war opposition to apartheid
After the victorious conclusion of the War Malan resigned his commission with the Royal Air Force in April 1946, retaining the rank of
Group Captain
Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...
, and returned home to South Africa, where he commenced a career in sheep farming.
In the early 1950s he became involved in increasingly volatile South African domestic politics with its radical polarizing atmosphere and racially and culturally divided societal tensions. After the
National Party was voted into government in the late 1940s South Africa's domestic governance moved to a position of
national conservatism
National conservatism is a nationalist variant of conservatism that concentrates on upholding national and cultural identity. National conservatives usually combine nationalism with conservative stances promoting traditional cultural values, ...
and introduced
apartheid
Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...
, which Malan objected to. In the early 1950s in response Malan joined a
liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
politically organized protest movement opposed to the introduction of the apartheid system styling itself as the
Torch Commando
The Torch Commando was a South African organisation, born out of the work of the Springbok Legion, a South African organisation of World War II veterans, founded in 1941 during the Second World War, and the War Veterans Action Committee estab ...
, of which – with his public recognition acquired from his war career – he was elected president. Through the early 1950s he involved himself in political opposition to what he perceived was increasing authoritarianism of the National Party in government, which he felt threatened to become
fascist
Fascism is a far-right, Authoritarianism, authoritarian, ultranationalism, ultra-nationalist political Political ideology, ideology and Political movement, movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and pol ...
in nature. At one point the Torch Commando (so-called for its predilection for staging night-time rallies outside government buildings with the protestors bearing flaming torches for dramatic illumination) movement had 250,000 members, and staged well-attended rallies across South Africa, which Malan often publicly addressed. By the late 1950s, the movement lost momentum as some of the factions that constituted it increasingly moved from a hitherto public liberal position to one of
world communism
World communism, also known as global communism, is the ultimate form of communism which of necessity has a universal or global scope. The long-term goal of world communism is an unlimited worldwide communist society that is classless (lacking ...
, and splintered away to join the
African National Congress
The African National Congress (ANC) is a Social democracy, social-democratic political party in Republic of South Africa, South Africa. A liberation movement known for its opposition to apartheid, it has governed the country since 1994, when ...
(ANC), with which Malan was not sympathetic. The rise of the ANC and its ideological radical agenda discouraged the majority of the Torch Commando's membership from continuing with their campaign against the apartheid state laws, leaving Malan with the disintegrating organization and him retiring from politics and public life, leaving the National Party to rule South Africa for the next four decades.
Death
Malan died at the age of 53 on 17 September 1963 from
Parkinson's disease
Parkinson's disease (PD), or simply Parkinson's, is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. The symptoms usually emerge slowly, and as the disease worsens, non-motor symptoms becom ...
, at the time a rare and little understood medical condition. A considerable sum of money was raised in his name to further study the disease. His funeral service was at
St Cyprian's Cathedral, Kimberley
The Cathedral Church of St Cyprian the Martyr, Kimberley, is the seat of the Bishop of the Kimberley and Kuruman, Anglican Church of Southern Africa. The building was dedicated in 1908, becoming a Cathedral when the Synod of Bishops mandated fo ...
, and his body was buried at West End Cemetery in
Kimberley,
Cape Province
The Province of the Cape of Good Hope ( af, Provinsie Kaap die Goeie Hoop), commonly referred to as the Cape Province ( af, Kaapprovinsie) and colloquially as The Cape ( af, Die Kaap), was a province in the Union of South Africa and subsequen ...
.
Cinematic portrayals
In the 1969 film
''Battle of Britain'', the character of Squadron Leader Skipper played by
Robert Shaw was based on Malan.
[Interview with director ]Guy Hamilton
Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton, DSC (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films.
Early life
Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, wh ...
in the documentary 'A Film for the Few', which was included with the 2004 Special Edition DVD release of the film
See also
*
List of top World War II aces
*
List of World War II aces from South Africa
This is a list of fighter aces in World War II from South Africa.
See also
* List of World War II aces by country.
* Military history of South Africa during World War II
* South African Air Force
Notes
*DFC - Distinguished Flying Cross
*DFM ...
*
Huguenots in South Africa
Many people of European heritage in South Africa are descended from Huguenots. Most of these originally settled in the Cape Colony, but were absorbed into the Afrikaner and Afrikaans-speaking population, because they had religious similaritie ...
, for the history of French surnames (like Malan) in South Africa.
References
Citations
Bibliography
*
*
* Franks, Norman L.R. ''Sky Tiger The Story of Sailor Malan''. Crecy, Manchester, UK. 1994. .
*
*
*
* Walker, Oliver '' Sailor Malan''. Casssell & Co Ltd. 1953.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
External links
Sailor Malan at acesofww2.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malan, Adolph
1910 births
1963 deaths
People from the Cape Winelands District Municipality
Afrikaner people
Royal Air Force group captains
Royal Air Force personnel of World War II
South African military personnel
South African World War II flying aces
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
British World War II flying aces
The Few
Companions of the Distinguished Service Order
Neurological disease deaths in South Africa
Deaths from Parkinson's disease
Afrikaner anti-apartheid activists
Wing leaders
Royal Naval Reserve personnel
Royal Navy officers