The person ‘Spitfire pilot’ refers to as John Freeborn’s Commanding Officer, was his Flight Commander in this incident, who was Sailor Malan.Malan denied giving the order to attack, and instead of sticking up for the rest of his flight, appeared for the prosecution against them.Malan was called a lier by John’s defence and John was cleared.Not suprisingly, relations between John and Malan were never the same during their time together on 74 Sqn.