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Adolph Gysbert “Sailor” Malan
Sailor Malan was a South African fighter pilot and one of the leading aces of the Royal Air Force (RAF) during the Second World War. Born on October 3, 1910, to Hugenot descent, Malan would first serve as a naval cadet joining the Royal Navy reserve in 1932. His naval background earned him the nickname “Sailor” among his fellow pilots when he transitioned to the Royal Air Force during its rapid expansion in 1935.
Malan would first prove himself at the Dunkirk evacuation where he would be awarded Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for five victories on the 28 May 1940. The following night he would shoot down two Heinkel He 111 bombers earning a bar for his DFC.
Malan and his squadron (74 Squadron) played a key role in the Battle of Britain, with him being given command at the height of the battle on August 8, 1940. Just three days later, on August 11, his squadron spent the entire day intercepting four separate raids, claiming 38 victories. The squadron would remember the day as “Sailor’s August the Eleventh” for his role in the battle, for which he was awarded a bar to his Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC).His squadron had also adopted the more effective finger four formation before rest of the RAF and Malan would pioneer its use.
On March 10, 1941, Malan was selected as one of the first wing leaders for the RAF’s offensive operations over occupied Europe. Leading the Biggin Hill Wing until mid-August 1941, he was eventually rotated out of front-line combat. By the end of his active fighter career, his record stood at 27 confirmed kills, 7 shared destroyed, 2 unconfirmed, 3 probables, and 16 damaged, making him one of the highest-scoring pilots to serve entirely within Fighter Command during World War II.
Following a lecture tour in the United States, Malan took command of the Central Gunnery School, where he trained new pilots in combat tactics for over a year. His leadership and expertise earned him a promotion to temporary wing commander on September 1, 1942, and later, the position of station commander at RAF Biggin Hill. His final wartime promotion came on July 1, 1943, when he was made a war substantive wing commander. His contributions had extended beyond the cockpit before having developed the “Ten Rules for Air Fighting,” which likely appeared on many mess walls during the Battle of Britain.
After the war, Malan would organize The Torch Commando a movement opposed to the introduction of Apartheid. This political stance was likely the reason he was denied military honors at his funeral after passing away in 1963 to Parkinson’s disease.
Decorations:
- Distinguished Service Order (DSO) & Bar
- Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) & Bar
- 1939–45 Star with Battle of Britain Clasp
- Air Crew Europe Star with France & Germany Clasp
- Defence Medal (United Kingdom)
- War Medal 1939–1945 (Mentioned in Dispatches)
- Legion of Honour (Officer) (France)
- Croix de Guerre 1939–1945 (France)
- Croix de Guerre (Belgium)
- Czechoslovak War Cross 1939
Gallery
Another candidate for the profile picture:
On 29 December 1941 Malan was added to the select list of airmen who had sat for one of Cuthbert Orde’s iconic RAF charcoal portraits. He had the rarer honour of also being the subject of a full colour painting by Orde.
Malan (second from left), RAF and Free French officers on D-Day
Another candidate:
Another one:
Sailor Malan’s ‘Ten Rules for Air Fighting’
As Station Commander, Group Captain Malan poses with pilots from the wing who shared Biggin Hill’s 1,000th aerial victory.
Sailor Malan, complete with iconic Irving flying jacket and medals, President and Founder of the Torch Commando and speaking at an anti-apartheid rally in 1948.