THE LEGLESS PILOT

If I would tell you that there was a pilot who participated in World War II and he was with no legs, you will consider me as a wrongheaded. But now again if I tell you that he was credited with 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, six probable’s, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged, then you will be going to suggest some kind of treatment. But Douglas Bader was no less than an exception. There is a quote in Hindi,

मन के हारे हार है, मन के जीते जीत

i.e. Those who think they'll lose, they lose but the ones who think they'll win, wins and Douglas Bader proved it.

Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart Bader, was a fighter ace in the Royal Air Force. He was the kind of man who could never resist a challenge. While attempting a low-level aerobatic display in 1931, he crashed. Luckily, he survived but both legs were amputated below knees. Born in London, Bader was full of aggressive energy and he was also a man of sports. He was so fond of sports that he played cricket in a German prisoner of war camp after his capture in 1941, despite his later disability.

Sir Bader joined RAF in 1928 as an officer cadet at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell. He was actively indulged in banned activities such as speeding, pillion racing at Cranwell. He was caught often and was near expulsion primarily because he came 19th of 21 in his class examination. But later he competed for the prestigious “Sword of Honour” but unfortunately losing very closely. He was a kind of learner who flew solo sortie just after 11 hrs and 15 minutes of flight time and this was exceptional.

In July 1930, he was commissioned as a pilot officer in Royal Air Force. While doing squadron training, he became daredevil often flying illegal and dangerous stunts. Bader continued with his instinct of keeping rules and regulations at brisk keeping his and his colleague’s life at risk.

Bader’s squadron had won the “Hendon Air Show” pairs event in 1929 and 1930 which Bader defended in 1931 along with the Commanding Officer of his squadron. He also undertook training for 1932 “Hendon Air Show” but before that unfortunate accident took place on 14th December 1931 when he was visiting Reading Aero club while doing low-flying aerobatics which probably was again his response to a dare.

After the accident, He fought hard to regain his former abilities after he was given a new pair of artificial legs. His determined efforts paid off, and he was able to drive a specially modified car, play golf, and even dance. He proved that he can still fly when in 1932 he flew Avro 504 competently. A subsequent medical examination proved him fit for active service, but in April 1933 he was notified that the RAF had decided to reverse the decision because this situation was not covered by King's Regulations.

Amidst increasing tensions in 1937-39, Bader repeatedly requested the Air Ministry to accept him back into the RAF and he was finally invited to a selection board meeting at Adastral House in London's Kingsway. Bader was disappointed to know that only "ground jobs" that were being offered to him. It appeared that he would be refused a flying position but Air Vice-Marshal Halahan, the commandant of RAF Cranwell in Bader's days there, personally recommended him and asked the Central Flying School to assess his capabilities. His persistent efforts paid off and Bader regained a medical categorization for operational flying at the end of November 1939 and was posted to the Central Flying School for a refresher course on modern types of aircraft. On 27 November, eight years after his accident, Bader flew solo again.

After training both modern and formation and tactics training, he gets into his first battle in the Battle of France. Later on, he claimed 22 aerial victories, four shared victories, and six probable, one shared probable and 11 enemy aircraft damaged.

On 9th August 1941, Bader had a mid-air collision with German’s Bf 109. His fuselage, tail, and fin were gone from behind him, and he lost height rapidly at an estimate of 400 mph (640 km/hr) in a slow spin. He jettisoned the cockpit canopy, released his harness pin, and the air rushing past the open cockpit started to suck him out, but his prosthetic leg was trapped. Partway out of the cockpit and still attached to his aircraft, Bader fell for some time before he released his parachute, at which point the leg's retaining strap snapped under the strain and he was pulled free.                    ----🡪 from Wikipedia

He was taken as a prisoner of war by Germans. Germans treated Bader with great respect. Bader had lost a prosthetic leg while escaping from his disabled aircraft. Colonel Adolf Galland notified the British’s about Bader’s damaged leg and offered them safe passage to drop off a replacement responding to which RAF carried out an operation named “Leg Operation”. Bader tried to escape from the hospital by climbing through a window but his escape was short-lived and he was returned to the camp.

Bader tried so many escape attempts that German officers threaten him to take his legs away. He often practiced goon-baiting. He tried so many escaping attempts that Germans got irritated and thus he was sent to the “escape-proof” Colditz Castle in Germany where he remained until the end of the war.

Many thought that Bader's success as a fighter pilot was partly because he was having no legs; pilots pulling high G’s in combat turns often blacked out as the flow of blood from the brain drained to other parts of the body, usually the legs. As Bader had no legs he could remain conscious longer and thus had an advantage over more able-bodied opponents.

Despite having no legs, Bader was not only able to fly planes but also participated in combat missions. Not only this, having so many unsuccessful attempts to escape, but he was also freed in 1945. After this, he also worked for disabled people. This story of Sir Douglas Bader gives us many life lessons. The message his story conveys is, that you are a loser only if you choose to be one. If you dream something then don't stop until you grab hold of it.

Image(s) Source: Google

Divyansh Anand

(Dayatva Team Member)