Never in the field of human conflict,” said Winston Churchill (Number 3), “was so much owed by so many to so few.” The British prime minister was paying tribute to the Royal Air Force (RAF), a group of men who defended the British Isles during the blitz of the German Luftwaffe. Though Douglas Bader appears here as an individual, he represents the entire RAF, especially those who flew the Spitfires and the Hurricanes during the Battle of Britain.
That is not meant to imply that Bader somehow was an average RAF pilot, though such a designation would be praise enough for any man, for the fliers of the RAF dis-played remarkable courage and tenacity in England’s darkest hour. During the Battle of Britain, it was not uncommon for them to fight the Luftwaffe against overwhelming odds, return to base, refuel, load up again on ammunition, and return to the battle.
That small group of brave men prevented a German invasion of England when it was most vulnerable. They restored English confidence and destroyed the myth of the Nazi super race. They are all represented here in the person of Douglas Bader.
Fighting against Overwhelming Odds
Why choose Bader? He was one of the top flying aces of the RAF, for one thing. That is impressive enough. But he was also downed and captured by the Germans; he escaped, was recaptured, and was sent to Colditz prison camp for the rest of the war. He did all of this on a pair of artificial legs.
Courage, stamina, determination, and fighting against overwhelming odds embody Bader and the RAF. That is why he was chosen.
Bader was born in London in 19l0. He competed successfully for admission to the Royal Air Force College at Cranwell. In 1930, Bader was commissioned into the RAF. He became a fighter pilot. Two years later Bader crashed, and both of his legs were amputated. In 1933, the RAF discharged him. His military career was obviously over, and he went to work for a private company. But in 1939, when war broke out, Bader returned to the RAF. England was badly in need of trained pilots, so Bader was taken on, artificial legs or not.
In May of 1940, during the Dunkirk evacuation, the RAF supported the operation.Bader shot down his first German planes.
Great Britain’s Finest Hour
Following Dunkirk, the war continued to deteriorate for the Allies. On June 22,1940, France signed an armistice with Hitler (Number l). England stood alone. In the middle of July, the Führer offered to negotiate, saying, “I am not the vanquished seeking favors, but the victor speaking in the name of reason.” Churchill scorned the offer. His defiance infuriated Hitler, who ordered a massive bombing campaign.
Thus began the Battle of Britain. Hitler intended for the campaign to soften up British defenses prior to an invasion. He expected Germany to begin by taking command of the air over Britain. To do that, it would have to destroy the Royal Air Force.
The Germans had thousands of planes available to do the job, including bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance aircraft. England had only a fraction of that number. Hitler believed the air campaign could be accomplished in a matter of weeks, but he did not count on the mettle of RAF pilots such as Douglas Bader. Nor did Hitler know yet of the role that radar would play in warning England of oncoming air strikes. In fact, he never found out that the British had broken his military code and knew in advance what was coming before his generals did. A combination of radar, a cracked code, and the RAF was about to tip the balance in the war.
In mid-August of 1940, the Luftwaffe sent a thousand planes to hit airfields and port installations. By the end of September, the RAF had destroyed more than 600 planes of that mighty German armada. Hitler decided to break the spirit of Britons by destroying their cities. But the RAF inflicted such heavy losses on his air armada the Führer decided to discontinue the massive raids. Thousands of civilians would die, but England never flinched.
An Ace Pilot
During the Battle of Britain, Bader had been put in charge of a Canadian air group, which he whipped into shape. He was as tough a fighter on the ground as he was in the air, demanding whatever technical support and administrative changes were necessary to get the job done. And he kept on flying combat missions.
By August 1941, Bader was ranked fifth among RAF aces, with 23 kills. That month, he went down over France. The war was over for him. Except for a brief time when he escaped, Bader spent the rest of the war in a prison camp.
A year after the war ended, Bader retired from the RAF. He went back into private industry and died in 1982.
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