Sailor Malan
Sailor Malan | |
|---|---|
Group Captain Sailor Malan c. 1945 | |
| Nickname | Sailor |
| Born | 3 October 1910 |
| Died | 17 September 1963 (aged 52) |
| Buried | West End Cemetery, Kimberley |
| Allegiance | United Kingdom |
| Branch | Royal Navy Royal Air Force |
| Service years | 1932–1946 |
| Rank | Group Captain |
| Commands | No. 145 (Free French) Fighter Wing No. 19 Wing RAF No. 74 Squadron RAF |
| Conflicts | Second World War |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Order & Bar Distinguished Flying Cross & Bar Croix de guerre (Belgium) War Cross (Czechoslovakia) Legion of Honour (France) Croix de guerre (France) |
| Other work | Farmer and leader of the Torch Commando |
Adolph Gysbert Malan, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar (3 October 1910 – 17 September 1963), better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain. 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 RAF Fighter Command during the Second World War.
After the war, Malan returned to South Africa. In the 1950s Malan became leader of the Torch Commando, a liberal anti-authoritarian organization that opposed the introduction of the apartheid system.