KC Kuhlman

SAAF Airmen in RAF Squadrons

Many of the first 32 SAAF pilots seconded for RAF service in Britain who sailed from Cape Town on the “SS Strathnaver and arrived in Glasgow in early December 1941 had been on an early “Empire Air Training Scheme” course and experienced the SAAF’s illogical insistence that they be awarded RAF wings, rank, uniforms before remustering as SAAF pilots prior to secondment. That group included A Bartlemann, BR Bennetts, PH Bosch, GB Callaghan, EG Catton, RJ Clements, NA Freeman, WD Forsmann, C Heydenrich, AE Hounsom, AV Johnson, KC Kuhlman, AD Morum, CV Nissen, FO Noome, WR Roberts, AC Rowe, CC Steyn, ET Strever, CJO Swales and DP Tilley. Bosch, Freeman, Morum Steyn, Noome and Nissen did not survive the war, Heydenrich, Clements and Kuhlman became “POW’s”.

SAAF Airmen in RAF Squadrons

The small Mediterranean island of Malta had been subjected to intensive Italian and German bombing from mid-1940 and by the time ET Strever, FO Noome, DP Tilley KC Kuhlman, CJO Swales and RJ Clements arrived in 1942, the island, close to submission to the German and Italian forces, was desparately short of fuel and food and, completely reliant on the Allied convoys delivering supplies being protected by the “Torpedo Bomber” and Spitfire squadrons aside from attacking ships along the Greek coastline carrying supplies for Rommel’s army.

SAAF Airmen in RAF Squadrons

and lost their lives less than a year after arriving in Glasgow while Keith Kuhlman and Ted Strever’s secondments endured for more than three years and did not involve any subsequent SAAF squadron operational service. No 227 Squadron Beaufort pilot Lt John Clements became a “POW” after failing to return from a November 1942 shipping strike, escaped 11 months later, returned to operations, flew No 16 Squadron Beaufighters from Libya in 1944 and was awarded the “Distinguished Flying Cross” in January 1945. 11