Bader's War

More than a quarter of a century after his death, Douglas Bader remains the most famous fighter pilot Britain has every known. He lost both of his legs a flying accident in 1931, but overcame his disability and returned to the RAF in 1939, rising to command a Canadian fighter squadron and then the first RAF fighter wing during the Battle of Britain. Shot down and made prisoner, he made numerous escape attempts and became so aggravating to his German captors that he was held in Colditz Castle. Widely recognised for his exploits during the war, he became even more famous from the 1950s onward as a result on a bestselling biography that served as the basis of the hit film Reach for the Sky. While he had as many flaws as laudable qualities, Bader undeniably achieved great things, both during the Second World War and in his later work for the disabled. Baders War makes use of new memoirs, interviews, and documents that have only recently become available to shed more light on various episodes in his life and provide a rounded and unbiased portrayal of this fascinating man.