A decorated Canadian airman

            During a time of war all participating countries rely of the commitment of regular citizens to put aside their regular jobs and take up arms. For a WWII pilot that meant at least two years of training and undertaking some of the most hair-raising missions in the history of flight. When Canada joined the war in September 1939, 24 year old Sydney Shulemson signed up for the Royal Canadian Air Force and by the end of the war he was his country’s most decorated airman.

            Sydney Simon Shulemson was born in 1915 in Montreal and always had dreams of flight. His grandfather was a kosher chicken seller and his parents owned a dry goods store. His dream job was as a flight engineer but the Great Depression in 1929 put a hold on his plans. Canada declared war on Germany on September 10, 1939 and volunteers immediately began to sign up for the armed forces. Shulemson signed up that day to become a pilot in the air force. He graduated in 1942 and was sent to Scotland to fight the Nazis with the 404 Squadron.

            The 404 primary mission was coastal patrol and to sink enemy shipping off the coasts of Norway and the Netherlands. Equipped with Bristol Beaufighters as well as bomber and patrol aircraft they were ready for anything the Germans could bring into the chilly waters. The Beaufighter was a heavy two engine fighter that was heavily armed and could carry a torpedo. They would need the rugged plane to stop the flow of war materials coming from neutral Sweden.

            On his first mission Shulemson down a German flying boat. On the same mission they were alerted by the cruiser HMS Belfast that more planes were on the way. Sydney and his flight commander then proceeded to the location and shot down another flying boat. It was a good start to his flying career.

            Shulemson was not promoted probably because he was Jewish but he earned the respect of his peers and some of his superiors. The squadron was short of wing commanders and Shulemson was selected to lead a group of 14 Beaufighters on a mission of 80 aircraft against enemy shipping off the coast of Norway. He was the only one with experience and he led them on a difficult mission against better planes. Enemy ships had been sighted and on February 3, 1944 they went out to give them the works.

That morning they ran into several Me109 fighters. The Me109 was faster and lighter than the heavy Beaufighter and usually defeated the British plan in an aerial dogfight. Shulemson saw a Me109 chasing one his buddies and positioned himself behind the enemy. He shot cannon into the Me109 and gave it a one way ticket to the ground. Realizing that if the Beaufighter flew close to the ground the Messerschmitts could not position themselves for an attack. He thought that the Germans had turned for home but one determined Me109 began the chase again. Forced to perform dangerous maneuvers the Beaufighter escaped major damage. There was a blown tire but the plane and Sydney were safe. The fighter wing safely returned home and Shulemson received the Distinguished Service Order for downing an enemy fighter and for saving the life of a fellow airman. Their overall mission was a success as well and three merchant vessels were severely damaged or sunk (the records of the battle are vague).

Later that year he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “consistently successful sorties against heavily defended convoys and units of the German navy off the Dutch and Norwegian coasts”. Two heavily defended German ships were sunk in the Bay of Biscay thanks to the actions of Shulemson and his flight.

After completing the required number of missions he stayed with the air force as an instructor. The all-wooden Mosquito fighter was being outfitted with rockets and Sydney was tasked with creating methods to use them against Axis shipping. Even though he was a Flight Lieutenant e rained an entire wing on these tactics that saw much success. These methods were used for many years until long range and smart weapons were invented.

            After the war Shulemson was recruited for the new Israeli Air Force that was being created out of desperation. Jewish pilots worldwide were being asked to assist their beleaguered brethren to fight off their Arab neighbors. The departing British Army left many planes and advisors for the Arabs and the Israelis were being outclasses. Sydney himself did not take part in the action but he helped recruit key pilots including the famed George “Buzz” Beurling. He also was able to acquire 200 Mosquito planes originally destined for China and divert them to Israel.

            Sydney was honored by the State of Israel for his efforts in their hour of need. He died in 2007 at the age of 91. Shulemson was the highest decorated Jewish Canadian of WWII. Even though he was never promoted due to anti-Semitism he will be remembered for the daring missions that most people would have balked at taking. His efforts on behalf of Israel were important for the existence of the state.