Episode 1: The roots of it

In this episode:

Over decades, South African World War 2 hero Adolph Gysbert Malan has been portrayed as the handsome, cold-blooded, 'flyboy'. Indeed, he was straight out of Central Casting for a fighter pilot: good-looking, talented and successful at the job of shooting down the enemy - the epitome of the ace. But there has always been much more to his story.

Chewing on a stick of dynamite as a baby, almost accidentally shooting his mother with a rifle, developing the keen eyesight that would help him pick out and shoot down enemy fighters in the skies over Britain and Europe - all before leaving home at 13 - and then as a young sea cadet dealing with hazing, bullying and poverty, Malan's youth would shape the man to come.

His mixed English and Afrikaner heritage would be central to both his own life and South Africa's path. We dig into the roots of the animosity between English and Afrikaner communities - the Anglo-Boer War with its scorched earth policies, concentration camps and ultimate outcome that would cement divisions and influence the many negative opinions of Malan. It would also influence South Africa's entry into both World Wars and fundamentally shape its politics throughout the 20th century.

As Malan enters the Merchant Navy at the age of 16, he prepares the ground for the nickname ‘Sailor’ that all would know him by, then he joins the Royal Air Force and becomes a key figure during the Battle of Britain. But this decision, combined with his Afrikaner heritage, would lead to him being branded by some as a traitor in his home country.

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