WW2 SAAF Beaufighter Pilot Steve Stevens DFC tribute page
19 Squadron Beaughfighter mk X "K" flown by Steve on 13/2/1945 against an attack on Zuzemberk in Yugoslavia. (profile image courtesy Stefaan Bouwer)
Stephen John Stevens joined the South African Air Force in 1940. He was selected for flying training. With his final qualification tests Steve obtained top marks in his class. He was subsequently chosen for flying instruction and trained many pupil pilots at Flying Schools in South Africa.
Steve was eventually transferred to the Middle East (1944) for operational service and placed in SAAF No. 19 Beaufighter squadron, based in Italy. From there they flew operations to targets in the Balkans on mainly shipping- and ground attack sorties.
Steve flew combat missions until the end of the war, finishing 43 operational sorties. His aircraft was hit at times by enemy fire but he could always return to base safely.
He participated in a daring raid where the German mine layer ship "Kuck-Kuck" was sunk.
Steve was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his exceptional service.
After the war Steve stayed on in the SAAF until 1950. Besides flying troops from Cairo back home he also flew DDT tsetse fly spraying flights and participated in the Berlin Airlift of 1948/49.
Steve then became a member of the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) and had a long and eventful career in this organization doing mainly Christian missionary work in Africa.
1940: SAAF pupil aircrew ground school
Steve's medals including the DFC. (photograph: Neil Pugh)
This is a living web site. Any input and/or participation will be much appreciated regarding additional information, correctness, information from relatives of members who served with Steve, photographs, stories etc. Please e-mail me.
If you perhaps have a family member who served as a SAAF fighter pilot during WW2 and you would want to find out more about his war service please contact me, hopefully I can be of some help.
Tinus le Roux
November 2014
Condolences to his family and friends.
MILITARY CAREER
??/08/1940 Joined the SAAF
August 1940 Lyttleton, ground training
June 1941 No 1 Air School Baragwaneth, EFT, Tiger Moths
No 21 Air School Kimberley, AFT, Hawker Harts
Qualified for SAAF flying badge
No 64 Air School Bloemfontein, Instructors course for elementary flying
No 4 Air School Benoni, Elementary flying instructor, Tiger Moths.
No 5 Air School Witbank (grounded)
No 24 Air School Nigel (Dunnottar), conversion course to twins, Oxfords
No 26 Air School Pietersburg, flying instruction on Oxfords
1944 Released from flying instruction and was flown to Cairo to be assigned to combat operations in Europe
1944 OTU Shalufa, Beaufighter conversion course
Nov 1944 SAAF 19 Squadron operational service flying Beaufighters. 43 operations. Stationed at Termoli, Italy. Most sorties were flown to the Balkans. At times Steve's aircraft was hit by enemy fire. Types of sorties included attacks against enemy ships, buildings, transports, armour, artillery and troop formations. See list of Steve's operations below.
May 1945 End of operational tour, return to the Union
SAAF 28 Transport Squadron, transporting troops from Cairo to South Africa
Tsetse Fly DDT spraying Mtubatuba, Natal, Ansons
1948-'49 Berlin Airlift, Dakotas
1950 Resigned from the SAAF
VIDEOS
Video 1: How one of WW2's greatest rocket air strike photographs was taken.
Video 2: Sinking of the Kuck-kuck.
OPERATIONAL SORTIES (43)
Information from 19 Squadron war diary sortie reports
21/11/1944 First op: Met and Photo recce of a bridge on the way to Sarajevo, bad weather, nil visibility at target.
02/12/1944 Attack barracks at Bjelovar
03/12/1944 Attack coastal defence gun at Lussino island
06/12/1944 Attack enemy held town of Gracac
15/12/1944 Attack M.T. on road Matesevo
17/12/1944 Attack coastal defence guns at Lussin Piccolo (nav: Lt. Huson)
18/12/1944 Attack on M.T. on road Bioce Matesevo (nav: Lt. Huson)
22/12/1944 Attack on M.T.B. human torpedo shelter and barracks (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
26/12/1944 Attack reported petrol dump Ljuboljana (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
28/12/1944 Attack marshalling yards at Karlovac (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
04/01/1945 Attack town of Obcina (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
11/01/1945 Attack coastal defence guns at Lussin Piccolo (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
15/01/1945 Attack coastal defence guns at Lussin Piccolo (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
16/01/1945 Attack coastal defence guns at Lussin Piccolo (nav: Lt. Mitchell)
20/01/1945 Attack marshalling yards at Sanski Marof
27/01/1945 Attack midget submarines or dump between wreck Lussin Piccolo
03/02/1945 Attack marshalling yards Sunja and Novska
05/02/1945 Attack marshalling yards at Popovaca
08/02/1945 Attack marshalling yards at Prigorje
13/02/1945 Attack enemy town Zuzemberk
15/02/1945 Photo recce of Zolla and Gargaro
18/02/1945 Attack enemy town of Trata (Grovenca Vas)
22/02/1945 Attack enemy town of Vrhovine
23/02/1945 Attack enemy village Vace
24/02/1945 Attack on enemy mine layer ship (Kuck-kuck) in Fiume
27/02/1945 Attack enemy buildings held in Domzale
11/03/1945 Attack on enemy HQ troops in 4 houses Zalga Vas
14/03/1945 Attack rolling stock in Karlovac
15/03/1945 Attack on Gargaro, photo Chiapovao and Tarnova
16/03/1945 Attack Chiapovano
19/03/1945 Attack enemy city Trbovlje
21/03/1945 Attack HQ in Podvinje
23/02/1945 Attack barracks at Postumia
25/03/1945 Attack enemy village Zolla and Gargaro Britovo
01/04/1945 Attack strong point
03/04/1945 Attack houses at Trebca, Zuzemberk area
05/04/1945 Attack Eusvaca + Grablje
08/04/1945 Attack Ogulin
10/04/1945 Attack M.T. between ? and Zenica
25/04/1945 Attack on enemy village of Klinga Selo
27/04/1945 Attack Zolla, aborted
30/04/1945 Attack Zolla, aborted
04/05/1945 Attack troop areas at Radovljica, last squadron ops
19/05/1945 Departed
SAAF Beaufighters
Steve and Kay on their wedding 1947. They were married for 65 years. Kay went to heaven in 2012.
PHOTOGRAPHS
Steve doing a "beat-up" to his Christian friends camping at Henly-on-klip near Johannesburg, 1942. During that time he was an elementary flying instructor at No.4 Air School Benoni. When Steve saw these photographs afterwards, which was taken by one of his friends, he only then realised the risk he had taken towards his and his pupil's lives!
Steve at the Beaufighter Operational Training Unit, Shalufa, Egypt 1944.
A rare SAAF Beaufighter colour photograph, courtesy Julie Geater, who's grandfather was a fellow pilot with Steve in the squadron.
The high resolution nose camera fitted to the two South African Beaufighter squadrons. These cameras took brilliant photographs and could be manually controlled by the pilot. Note the 19 Squadron "A" flight logo.
The fabulous photograph of Steve's aircraft during the attack on Zuzemberk taken by Steve's No.2 pilot Lt. Steve Schonveld on 13/2/1945.
24 February 1945: Here Steve's rockets rushing towards the German mine layer ship "Kuck-Kuck". It was sunk on that day. Visible in the water are the strike marks of the OC's rockets that caused the fatal sub-waterline hits. Four aircraft flew this dangerous mission and the OC, Lt. Col. Don Tilley, received an immediate DSO when it was confirmed that the ship was sunk. Sortie report below.
Article in the Sunday Mirror newspaper, 2010
Tribute article sent by Pamela Stevens
