Sir Douglas Bader was a celebrated World War II pilot, who earned an array of decorations from the British Empire for his service in the war. On top of 22 aerial victories, he is credited with shared victories, nearly a dozen enemy aircraft damaged, and enough “probables” to make him an ace once over. He did it all in the early years of the war, and with an odd ace up his sleeve.
Bader flew with a handicap: he was missing both legs, both lost to an accident before the war. The British Air Ministry was apprehensive about allowing him on fully flying status, but their fears were not only unfounded, they were dead wrong. Missing his two legs gave Bader an advantage in aerial combat.
The celebrated pilot actually joined the Royal Air Force long before World War II broke out in Europe. He was an accomplished athlete, but didn’t show an early interest in being a pilot. But he joined the RAF in 1928 at age 18, becoming an officer cadet. When he finally went up in a biplane the next year, he was hooked.
