“Like all pilots who flew and fought in the Hurricane I grew to love it. It was strong, highly maneuverable and it could turn inside the Spitfire and the Me 109. Best of all it was a marvelous gun platform. The sloping nose gave you a splendid forward view, while the eight guns were set in blocks of four in each wing, close to the fuselage. The aeroplane remained rock steady when you fired.”
—(Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, CBE, DSO and Bar, DFC and Bar)
Douglas Bader was one of the Royal Air Force’s best-known fighter aces of World War II, during which he became a national hero in Britain. He is, perhaps, one of the most famous RAF pilots ever, and his story is well known to aviation enthusiasts. Having lost both his legs in a flying accident prior to the war, he managed to return to flying status and was credited with 20 aerial victories, four shared victories, six “probables,” one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged, before he was brought down and forced to bail out of his Spitfire over enemy territory in August 1941, spending the remainder of the war as a troublesome POW.
Despite being an undisputed hero and an inspiration to many, the determined, dogmatic, stubborn and fearless Bader remains a controversial character who divides opinions. His personality was undoubtedly formed by his background and, not least, by having to overcome the severest of disabilities and adversities as a young man. He had great charisma and charm, but he could be abrasive, over-bearing, and downright rude on occasion. Some saw him as arrogant, cocky, outspoken, selfish, and impatient. He was intransigent and did not take kindly to any disagreement with his own strongly held opinions. What cannot be questioned though is his record as a proven and inspirational wartime leader, both on the ground and in the air, and also that he possessed enormous guts, fierce determination, and great fighting spirit.
I was privileged to meet Douglas Bader when I was a young RAF fighter pilot with 19(F) Squadron, flying English Electric Lightning F2As based in Germany. In the summer of 1976, I was asked to attend an air show at the famous ex-RAF airfield at Duxford, in Cambridgeshire, England, to represent my squadron, which had been the first to receive the Spitfire in August 1938 while it was based at Duxford. As I wasexplained, he was kind enough to spend a few moments chatting to me. He stood with that wide leg stance he had, rocking slightly to help him keep his balance on his artificial legs. I easily forgave him his somewhat brusque demeanor as he had my unmitigated respect for all that he had done and achieved, especially as a great fighter leader in wartime.
