British Forces

Sir Douglas Bader

Sir Douglas Robert Stewart Bader lost his two legs in a plane crash on 14 December 1931. Even with prosthetic legs, he was accepted back in RAF with the outbreak of WWII. Bader scored his first kills during the Battle of France, over Dunkirk, in 1940. He was posted to command the 242 Squadron as Squadron Leader on 29 June 1940. The 242 was mainly made up of Canadians. Bader became known for his perseverance and strong personality which many times gave him problems with his superiors in rank. On 9 April 1941, he was shot down while flying his Spitfire Mk VA over the France coast, probably by another Spifire (there are controversies on this matter. He said his Spit lost its tail due to a mid-air collision with a Me 109) and had to bail out over Le Touquet. Bader spent the rest of the war as a POW. He was freed by US 1st Army on 15 April 1945, when interned at the Colditz Castle Oflag IV-C, a “escape-proof” facility. His story as POW is full of escape attempts. He was once threatened of having his prostheses removed unless he became less “rascal”. Douglas Bader is listed as the 11th British ace, credited with 22.5 kills. His amazing story in his own words can be found at http://www.acesofww2.com/Canada/aces/bader_mcknight/baders_story.htm.