War Heroes: Douglas Bader Part 1

By SUSAN BROCKER, Illustrator W.H. Anderson

It was 1940 and the Battle of Britain was raging in the skies over England. The Royal Air Force (RAF) was struggling to defend Britain from german air attack. Waves of enemy planes were swooping across the country, dropping bombs on the ports and cities.

Scanning the skies for enemy bombers, Douglas Bader saw a bright glint of metal below. He flew his fighter plane higher and higher into the sky. Then he dived down, straight for a gaggle of German bombers headed for London, blasting them with machine-gun fire.

Only nine years before, this same pilot had been told he would never fly again. Douglas Bader had been stunt flying when the wing tip of his plane caught the ground. The plane cartwheeled and crashed. To save his life, the doctors had to amputate both his legs. The RAF said it was the end of his flying career.

But Douglas Bader did not give up. Slowly, painfully, he taught himself to walk on artificial legs. Once he could walk, he was back in a plane. Soon, he was stunt flying again, but the RAF wouldn't allow him to return to service.

Publisher: Shortland Publications, $8.95

Age: 10-12 years