Douglas Bader
Douglas Bader joined the RAF in 1928 and became a very skilled pilot. He flew for several years with the RAF until 1931 when he crashed while trying to perform a stunt. His wounds were so severe that doctors had no choice but to amputate both of his legs. Despite the crash and his injury, Bader refused to be kept down. He was fitted with prosthetics and he focused on flying again. After months of therapy, he went back to the RAF where he passed his medical clearance and proved that even with his prosthetic legs he could still fly.
He joined the war effort and flew several successful missions. His time in the sky was short-lived, however, as he was shot down in August 1942 and captured by the Germans. He was taken to a hospital at a Luftwaffe camp in France. The Germans were fascinated by Bader and were very impressed that he was able to be a pilot without any legs. Their fascination meant that Bader was given plenty of special treatment by his captors.
In one instance the Germans were willing to provide safe passage for a British plane to airdrop a new prosthetic leg to replace one of Bader’s that had been damaged in his crash. The plane dropped the leg over the prisoner camp and then used their safe passage to complete a bombing run. Bader did attempt to escape from the hospital by climbing through a window and then hiding out at a nearby home. But his escape was short lived and he was returned to the camp.
Despite the good treatment by the Germans, Douglas Bader was always looking for way to escape. He made so many attempts that the German officers would threaten to take his legs away. Bader spent years as a POW and used them to sabotage the Germans every chance he could. He irritated his captors by attempting to escape constantly. Eventually he overstayed his welcome and was sent to the “escape proof” Colditz Castle in Germany where he remained until the end of the war. Bader returned to England after the war and died in London in 1982.