Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Narrator: JULY 1940.
THE NAZIS ARE POISED TO MARCH INTO BRITAIN.
ONLY A THIN BLUE LINE OF R.A.F. PILOTS
STANDS BETWEEN HITLER AND HIS DREAM OF A THIRD REICH
STRETCHING FROM THE ATLANTIC TO THE RUSSIAN STEPPES.
THE OUTCOME OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
RAGING IN THE SKIES ABOVE ENGLAND
WILL DETERMINE THE FUTURE OF THE FREE WORLD.
THE BESIEGED ISLAND NATION NEEDS A HERO
AND FINDS HIM IN A MAN WITH NO LEGS,
FIGHTER ACE DOUGLAS BADER.
I COULDN'T DO THAT WITH THE LEGS THAT GOD GAVE ME,
AND HE COULD DO -- DO IT WITH TIN LEGS.
[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
HE'S PROBABLY WHAT WE WOULD NOW CALL AN ADRENALINE JUNKIE.
HE WAS SUCH A MAGNIFICENT PILOT.
-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com
CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS
Man: TRAUMA TO THE RIGHT KNEE.
LEFT LEG BROKEN IN TWO PLACES.
PLEASE KEEP CALM, MR. BADER.
HOW CAN YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN?
I'M BLOWN MYSELF TO BUGGERING BITS.
Narrator: EIGHT YEARS BEFORE THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN,
IT LOOKS LIKE DOUGLAS BADER WILL NEVER WALK AGAIN,
LET ALONE BECOME BRITAIN'S MOST ICONIC WAR HERO.
IT'S 1931.
BADER IS AN IMPULSIVE 21-YEAR-OLD R.A.F. PILOT
WITH A REPUTATION FOR AEROBATICS.
DOING ACROBATICS IS VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
IT'S VERY, VERY HIGHLY SKILLED.
TURNS,
BARREL ROLLS,
DANCING AROUND THE SKY.
THAT'S THE POINT OF BEING A PILOT
BECAUSE A BIPLANE IS ALL ABOUT MANEUVERABILITY.
IT'S NOT ABOUT SPEED.
AND AT THIS, BADER IS ABSOLUTELY
ONE OF THE VERY BEST,
MOST HIGHLY SKILLED PILOTS IN THE COUNTRY.
THE ACCIDENT COMES IN DECEMBER IN 1931,
AND HE'S PERFORMING A MOVE
THAT HE'S DONE MANY, MANY TIMES BEFORE,
BUT HE'S QUITE NEW TO THE BRISTOL BULLDOGS --
TOP OF THE RANGE FIGHTER THAT HAVE JUST COME INTO SERVICE.
CHRIST! WATCH WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
DOING THIS PRECISION, VERY CLOSE QUARTER FIGHTING
IS REALLY, REALLY HARD.
Narrator: ON A DARE, HE FLIES TOO LOW, TOO FAST.
Holland: AND YOU ONLY NEED TO MISJUDGE SOMETHING AT THAT LEVEL
BY A FOOT OR TWO AT THAT SPEED --
100 MILES AN HOUR -- IN A BIPLANE.
WING TOUCHES THE GROUND.
YOU TOTAL IT, AND IT'S JUST AS SIMPLE AS THAT.
HE ADMITS HIMSELF, "I JUST MADE A MISTAKE."
[ BREATHING HEAVILY ]
Lucas: THEY THOUGHT HE WAS ACTUALLY DYING.
HE HEARD TWO NURSES TALKING,
AND ONE SAID TO THE OTHER, "SHUSH.
THERE'S A BOY DYING IN THERE."
Narrator: DOCTORS FIND BADER'S RIGHT LEG
SHATTERED BEYOND REPAIR,
SO THEY AMPUTATE IT ABOVE THE KNEE.
WITH GANGRENE SETTING IN,
THEY HAVE LITTLE CHOICE BUT TO AMPUTATE HIS LEFT LEG, AS WELL.
[ GRUNTS ]
OH!
Lucas: OF COURSE, IT WAS TERRIBLE.
CAN YOU IMAGINE, THE AGE OF 21,
LOSING BOTH YOUR LEGS?
THIS IS WHERE THEY'LL MAKE YOU BETTER.
Narrator: TWO ARTIFICIAL LEGS ARE MADE FOR BADER
SO HE CAN BEGIN THE AGONIZING PROCESS OF REHABILITATION.
HIS DOCTOR SAYS TO HIM, "LOOK, YOU'VE GOT TO FACE FACTS.
YOU'RE NEVER GOING TO WALK AGAIN WITHOUT A STICK."
[ GRUNTS ]
NO!
NO, I'VE GOT IT.
YOU CAN TAKE THIS BLASTED THING WITH YOU.
[ PANTING ]
Holland: AND HE THINKS, "RIGHT,
I'M ABSOLUTELY NEVER, EVER GOING TO USE A STICK,"
AND HE NEVER DOES.
EVER.
HE ACCEPTS THAT THE ACCIDENT WAS HIS FAULT
AND ATTEMPTS TO LEAD AS NORMAL LIFE AS POSSIBLE.
BUT REMEMBER, THIS IS THE 1930s,
AND HE'D BE REGARDED AS A CRIPPLE,
AND THOSE PEOPLE WERE NOT EXPECTED TO LEAD A NORMAL LIFE,
BUT BADER DOESN'T GIVE UP.
Narrator: DURING HIS RECOVERY,
BADER ALSO FINDS TIME TO DATE A LOCAL WAITRESS,
JILL LUCAS'S OLDER SISTER, THELMA.
Lucas: THELMA ALWAYS THOUGHT THAT
HE WOULD BE SOMEBODY SPECIAL
BECAUSE, OF COURSE, MY MOTHER WASN'T AT ALL HAPPY
ABOUT THIS ENGAGEMENT.
YOU KNOW, MAN WITH NO JOB, NO MONEY, AND NO LEGS
WAS NOT EXACTLY THE PERSON YOU'D CHOOSE
FOR YOUR BEAUTIFUL DAUGHTER TO MARRY, WAS IT?
Narrator: DOUGLAS AND THELMA TIE THE KNOT,
BUT THE DISABLED PILOT STRUGGLES
TO ADJUST TO LIFE OUTSIDE THE R.A.F.
HE HAS SIX VERY LONG, MISERABLE YEARS IN THE 1930s
WHERE HE BECOMES A CLERK WITH THE SHELL COMPANY --
WHO ACTUALLY LOOK AFTER HIM VERY WELL, IT HAS TO BE SAID --
JUST ITCHING FOR HIS CHANCE TO FLY AGAIN.
Narrator: WITH GRITTY DETERMINATION,
BADER LEARNS TO DRIVE AGAIN.
AMAZINGLY, HE ALSO LEARNS TO FLY AGAIN,
WHICH WAS UNPRECEDENTED FOR THE TIME.
HE THEN GOES UP INTO THE AIR,
AND HAVING NOT FLOWN FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS,
HAVING NOT FLOWN A 400-HORSEPOWER
SINGLE-SEATER MONOPLANE AIRCRAFT BEFORE,
AND IT'S JUST --
YOU KNOW, THE YEARS MELT AWAY,
AND HE'S A COMPLETE NATURAL.
IT ABSOLUTELY COMES STRAIGHT BACK TO HIM,
AND HE FLIES IT AROUND THE AIR ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFULLY.
Narrator: WHEN HITLER MARCHES INTO POLAND,
BADER IS MORE THAN READY TO PLAY HIS PART.
Lucas: HE WAS EXCITED.
HE KEPT RUSHING ABOUT SAYING, "THEY'LL HAVE TO HAVE ME NOW."
AND HE SAID, "YOU KNOW, YOU'RE TERRIBLY SHORT OF PILOTS,
"AND YOU KNOW THAT I'M AN EXPERIENCED PILOT,
AND I SUGGEST YOU LET ME JOIN UP IMMEDIATELY."
AND AFTER A PAUSE, THEY SAID, YES.
IT WAS LIKE A LIFE-SENTENCE PRISONER
SUDDENLY BEING TOLD HE WAS FREE.
I WAS 19 WHEN HE CAME BACK,
AND HE WAS, WHAT, 29, 30, OR THEREABOUT.
SO, HE CAME BACK WITH QUITE A REPUTATION
OF BEING A RATHER DIFFICULT MAN.
IN THE NICEST POSSIBLE WAY.
Narrator: SPITFIRE PILOT TOM NEIL
JOINED THE R.A.F. RESERVE IN 1938.
HE WAS TYPICAL OF THE YOUTH AND INEXPERIENCE
LINED UP TO FACE THE NAZIS.
YOU WERE TAKEN OUT TO THE AIRPLANE AND SAID,
"ALL RIGHT, WELL, NOW FLY IT."
AND SUDDENLY, YOU WERE FACED WITH AN AIRCRAFT
WHICH HAD A 1,030-HORSEPOWER ENGINE.
IT WENT AT 450 MILES AN HOUR.
Narrator: DOUGLAS BADER'S FIRST TASTE OF ACTION
COMES ON JUNE 1, 1940.
THE NAZIS HAVE STORMED ACROSS EUROPE,
AND BRITISH TROOPS ARE SURROUNDED AT DUNKIRK.
BADER'S SQUADRON IS TASKED WITH PROVIDING AIR COVER
WHILE THE RETREATING ALLIES MAKE THEIR ESCAPE
ACROSS THE CHANNEL.
Holland: BADER'S FIRST COMBAT,
HE ACTUALLY HAD A MASSIVE STROKE OF LUCK,
BECAUSE HE COMES UP AGAINST
A YOUNG, INEXPERIENCED GERMAN PILOT,
AND BADER JUST SWINGS IN BEHIND HIM AT ABOUT 3,000 FEET,
EXPECTING THIS GUY TO SUDDENLY DUCK OUT OF THE WAY,
DIVE OUT OF THE WAY, TAKE EVASIVE ACTION.
AND HE DOESN'T. HE JUST STAYS THERE.
SO BADER GOES RIGHT UP HIS BACKSIDE,
OPENS FIRE WITH HIS A-BROWNING
AND THE GUY GOES, PFFT,
STRAIGHT DOWN INTO THE SEA.
Narrator: BADER'S FIRST KILLS --
A MESSERSCHMITT 109 FIGHTER
AND HEINKEL 111 BOMBER.
IN MANY WAYS, HE HAS A FURTHER ADVANTAGE BY HAVING NO LEGS.
AND THAT IS, THE TIGHTER THE TURN YOU DO,
IT CAUSES NEGATIVE GRAVITY,
WHICH THEN CAUSES THE BLOOD TO DRAIN FROM YOUR HEAD
DOWN TO YOUR TOES.
AND THEN YOU ACTUALLY BLACK OUT.
BUT BECAUSE BADER DOESN'T HAVE ANY LEGS
FOR THE BLOOD TO FLOW TO,
HIS BLACKOUT POINT IS MUCH LESS
THAN YOUR ORDINARY PILOT.
Narrator: FOR BADER, IT'S A PERSONAL TRIUMPH
SET AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF BRITAIN'S DARKEST HOUR.
Wilkinson: WE'D BEEN KNOCKED OUT, NO ARMY,
NAVY SOMEWHERE UP IN SCOTLAND,
AND ONLY FIGHTER COMMAND,
BASICALLY, TO KEEP THE GERMANS AT BAY.
Narrator: BADER IS A BORN LEADER,
AND AT 29, MUCH OLDER THAN THE RAW RECRUITS
FLOODING INTO THE R.A.F.
HE QUICKLY BECOMES A SECTION LEADER,
THEN HE BECOMES A FLIGHT LIEUTENANT,
AND HE'S AN OBVIOUS CHOICE, POST-DUNKIRK,
TO BECOME A SQUADRON LEADER.
ABSOLUTELY OBVIOUS CHOICE.
I MEAN, IT'S BLINDINGLY CLEAR
THAT THIS IS WHERE HE NEEDS TO BE.
Narrator: HE'S MADE COMMANDING OFFICER
OF 242 HURRICANE SQUADRON
BASED AT DUXFORD NEAR CAMBRIDGE.
PROMOTION, HOWEVER, COMES WITH A STING.
242 SQUADRON, LIKE MANY OF THE SQUADRONS
THAT HAVE BEEN IN ACTION OVER DUNKIRK AND OVER FRANCE
IN THE DARK DAYS OF MAY AND EARLY JUNE --
YOU'VE GOT TO REMEMBER THAT A LOT OF THESE PILOTS
HAVE BEEN TOGETHER FOR A LONG TIME,
SO THEY'RE A VERY CLOSE-KNIT BUNCH,
AND SUDDENLY, A THIRD OF THEM HAVE GONE.
SO MORALE IS LOW.
Narrator: WORSE STILL,
HIS DEMORALIZED MEN AREN'T EVEN BRITISH.
THEY'RE WHAT MANY IN THE R.A.F. TOP BRASS REGARD AS
SECOND-RATE, UNDISCIPLINED, UNRELIABLE CANADIANS.
Lucas: 242 SQUADRON WAS A CANADIAN SQUADRON,
AND HE WALKED IN TO MEET THEM,
AND THEY SAID, "HUH, THAT'S ALL WE NEED NOW.
WE'VE GOT A MAN WITH NO LEGS."
Narrator: MANY OF THE BATTLE-WEARY, RAGGED CANADIAN PILOTS
ARE BARELY OUT OF SCHOOL.
THE NAZIS ARE MASSING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE CHANNEL,
PREPARING FOR INVASION.
BADER HAS NO TIME TO LOSE
IN TURNING HIS SORRY EXCUSE FOR A SQUADRON AROUND.
GENTLEMEN.
I'M YOUR NEW SQUADRON LEADER.
HORSE...
SIR.
[ DOOR SLAMS ]
ON YOUR FEET, PLEASE.
LET'S GET THIS GIRL FLYING.
Narrator: SEEING RED,
BADER DECIDES TO SHOW WHO'S BOSS.
Holland: HIS NATURAL FLYING ABILITY,
HE SHOWS THAT THE LEGS DON'T MATTER AT ALL.
HIS FORCE OF CHARACTER.
HE DOESN'T MAKE A FUSS ABOUT IT. HE DOESN'T USE A STICK.
THE FACT THAT HE'S SO OBVIOUSLY
COMPETENT AND BRILLIANT IN THE AIR,
THE DISABILITY JUST MELTS AWAY.
AND VERY QUICKLY, PEOPLE WITHIN THE SQUADRON
FORGET THAT HE IS A MAN WITH NO LEGS.
I MEAN, IT WAS SO CLEVER OF HIM TO KNOW WHAT TO DO.
TO SHOW THEM THAT HE COULD FLY BETTER THAN THEY COULD.
[ CHUCKLES ]
Narrator: BADER HAS PROVED HIS CREDENTIALS.
NOW HE MUST LEAD 242 SQUADRON
AGAINST THE MASSED RANKS OF THE LUFTWAFFE,
HELL-BENT ON DESTROYING THE R.A.F.
Narrator: JULY 1940.
BRITAIN IS ON ITS KNEES.
ALL THAT STANDS BEFORE IMMINENT NAZI INVASION
IS A THIN BLUE LINE OF R.A.F. FIGHTER PILOTS
LIKE DOUGLAS BADER.
HIS FIRST TASK AS SQUADRON LEADER
IS TO SECURE NEW UNIFORMS
FOR THE DEMORALIZED MEN OF 242.
GET IN. HERE.
THEY WERE WEARING SWEATERS, AND SOME A PAIR OF TROUSERS,
AND DOUGLAS IS HORRIFIED.
CANADIANS ARE NOT SERVILE,
AND THEY FELT THEY'D BEEN VERY POORLY TREATED
ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.
HE WAS EXACTLY THE RIGHT PERSON.
THEY ADORED HIM.
Narrator: BADER ISN'T AFRAID OF RANK.
BREAKING PROTOCOL, THE SQUADRON LEADER GOES STRAIGHT TO THE TOP
TO GET DESPERATELY NEEDED PARTS FOR THEIR HURRICANES.
YES, PUT ME STRAIGHT THROUGH TO SIR HUGH.
ALAN SMITH FLEW WITH DOUGLAS BADER AND KNEW HIM WELL.
Smith: HE WOULD SAY TO ANY HIGH-RANKING OFFICER,
"LOOK, I'M NOT SENDING MY MEN OUT
UNLESS YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT WHATEVER THE PROBLEM WAS."
YES, BADER HERE, THE 242.
I WANT A MEETING...
HE WOULD CARE OF HIS MEN AND HIS GROUND PERSONNEL.
THE GROUND PEOPLE THOUGHT HE WAS GREAT.
PLANES NONOPERATIONAL.
MISSING VITAL PARTS.
GET ALL OF THAT?
Lucas: DOUGLAS SIMPLY GOT ON TO THE AIR MINISTRY
AND MADE SUCH A FUSS.
I CAN IMAGINE THEM SAYING, "OH, FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE.
LET'S SHUT HIM UP. SEND THE SPARES."
Narrator: BADER IS RELENTLESS IN HIS QUEST
TO TURN 242 INTO A FIGHTING-FIT FORCE.
HE HAS STRONG IDEAS ON THE BEST WAY TO SHOOT DOWN NAZIS.
[ BIG BAND MUSIC PLAYS ]
Lucas: HE WAS VERY KEEN ON THE FLYING AND THE TACTICS.
THEY USED TO LOAD UP WITH CRATES OF BEER
AND COME DOWN TO OUR HOUSE, HAVE A PARTY,
BUT ALL THEY DID WAS TALK ABOUT AIRPLANES.
THEY USED TO DISCUSS IT ENDLESSLY.
IN FACT, YOU SHOULD ALL LISTEN TO THIS.
ALWAYS COME FROM HIGH.
YOU'LL ALWAYS HAVE THE SUN BEHIND YOU.
I'LL SHOW YOU HERE WITH THE PIPE AND THE BULB.
INVISIBLE, SEE?
THAT'S IT, OLD BOY. UP IN THE SUN.
NOW, COME AND SETTLE IN NEXT TO ME.
GOOD MOVE, OLD MAN.
Holland: AND WHAT BADER CAN DO IS
HE CAN USE ALL HIS EXPERIENCE AS AN EARLY 1930s PILOT
AND THEN AS HIS TIME WITH 19th SQUADRON
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE WAR
AND TEACH THESE GUYS SOME TRICKS.
GET THEM IN THE AIR.
GET THEM DOGFIGHTING.
THANK YOU, SIR.
BADER HAS THESE THREE MANTRA
THAT HE RELIGIOUSLY BELIEVES IN.
GET AS CLOSE AS YOU POSSIBLY CAN --
NONE OF THIS 400 YARDS NONSENSE.
GET IN AT LEAST 250 YARDS, IF NOT 150.
ALWAYS HAVE THE SUN BEHIND YOU WHEREVER YOU POSSIBLY CAN.
AND ALWAYS HAVE THE HEIGHT ADVANTAGE.
BEWARE OF THE HUN IN THE SUN.
BECAUSE IF YOU'RE LOOKING IN THE SUN,
YOU CAN'T SEE ANYTHING.
CHRIST, I'M THE WRONG PLACE IN THE WRONG TIME.
Narrator: HITLER KNOWS HE MUST WIN THE AIR WAR
BEFORE HE CAN INVADE BRITAIN.
HIS LUFTWAFFE CHIEF, HERMANN GOERING,
BOASTS IT WILL TAKE JUST FOUR DAYS.
Man: GERMAN PLAN FOR INVASION OF ENGLAND.
PHASE ONE.
KNOCK OUT THE ROYAL AIR FORCE AND ITS BASES.
GET CONTROL OF THE AIR AND THE SEA LANES ACROSS THE CHANNEL.
DESTROY COMMUNICATION AND TRANSPORT LINES.
ABOVE ALL, GET COMMAND OF THE AIR.
Narrator: THE QUESTION ON EVERYONE'S LIPS --
WHEN WILL THE NAZIS MAKE THEIR MOVE?
Holland: WHAT YOU HAVE IS LONG DAYS OF BOREDOM,
WHERE YOU'RE KICKING AROUND THE DISPERSAL HUT.
YOU HAVE TO BE THERE BECAUSE
YOU MIGHT BE CALLED OUT AT ANY MINUTE,
BUT THERE'S NOT A LOT TO DO.
AND IF YOU'RE A MAN OF ACTION LIKE BADER,
YOU'RE NOT SOMEONE WHO CAN JUST SIT THERE
AND PLOW THROUGH "WAR AND PEACE."
YOU'RE RESTLESS.
YOU'RE PACING UP AND DOWN. YOU'RE PLAYING CARDS.
YOU'RE THINKING AND THINKING AND THINKING
AND THINKING MORE TACTICS.
PERHAPS YOU MIGHT EVEN BE THINKING TOO MUCH.
Narrator: FINALLY, ON FRIDAY THE 13th OF AUGUST,
THE NAZIS LAUNCH AN ALL-OUT AIR ATTACK.
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN IS ON.
TO BADER'S FRUSTRATION, HIS MEN ARE NOT
ONE OF THE 11 GROUP SQUADRONS STATIONED ON THE FRONT LINE.
242 BEGINS THE BATTLE STATIONED AT R.A.F. COLTISHALL,
120 MILES NORTHEAST OF LONDON --
A LONG WAY FROM THE ACTION.
GET US IN THE BLOODY AIR, ***.
WE NEED TO BE THERE. WE'RE READY!
Holland: OF COURSE, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY BADER
ISN'T POSTED TO 11 GROUP IS BECAUSE
HE CAN'T SCRAMBLE INTO THE AIR IN THREE MINUTES.
HE'S PRETTY GOOD ON HIS PEGS,
BUT HE CAN'T RUN TO HIS HURRICANE.
[ BELL CLANGING ]
THE ALARM WOULD SOUND. YOU'D HAVE TO DROP EVERYTHING AND RUN.
Narrator: TOM NEIL HAS CLEAR MEMORIES
OF LIFE AS A 20-YEAR-OLD SPITFIRE PILOT
FIGHTING GERMANS.
THE RULE SAID THAT YOU HAVE TO BE AIRBORNE
WITHIN THREE MINUTES.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE DID THEIR FIGHTING IN THEIR PAJAMAS.
AND IT WAS AN EMBARRASSING MOMENT
WHERE THEY'D BE SHOT DOWN, FORCE-LANDED,
AND THEY'D HAVE THEIR PAJAMAS ON.
Narrator: FOR TWO WEEKS, THE LUFTWAFFE
POUNDED THE R.A.F.'S AIR DEFENSES
IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND.
THE ODDS ARE STAGGERING.
GERMAN PLANES OUTNUMBER BRITISH THREE TO ONE.
[ PHONE RINGS ]
242 SQUADRON SCRAMBLE.
ANGELS 15 NORTH WEALD.
242, SCRAMBLE!
WHEN THE LUFTWAFFE STARTS RANGING DEEPER INTO BRITAIN,
BADER FINALLY GETS HIS MOMENT.
242 IS SCRAMBLED TO DEFEND AN AIRFIELD AT NORTH WEALD,
30 MILES NORTH OF LONDON.
USING THE SUN AS A SHIELD,
100 JUNKERS 88 BOMBERS
FLANKED BY M.E. 109 FIGHTERS
APPROACH FAST FROM THE WEST.
[ SPEAKING GERMAN ]
Interpreter: AS FIGHTER PILOTS,
WE OFTEN HAD TO ESCORT BOMBERS ON MISSIONS.
Narrator: LUFTWAFFE AIR ACE HANS-EKKEHARD BOB
FLEW THE FEARED MESSERSCHMITT 109 FIGHTER
DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
Bob: [ SPEAKING GERMAN ]
Interpreter: SO, IMAGINE,
ONE LAYER OF CLOUDS BENEATH US,
AND ONE LAYER ABOVE.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, ENGLISH FIGHTERS
CAME UPON OUR FORMATION DIRECTLY FROM BEHIND US
AND BEGAN THEIR ATTACK.
THAT WAS SUCH A SHOCKING EXPERIENCE FOR US
AND MADE US REALIZE THAT SOMETHING TECHNICAL
HAD TO HAVE MADE THAT POSSIBLE.
SOMETHING WE DIDN'T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT YET.
Narrator: THE R.A.F. MAY BE HUGELY OUTGUNNED,
BUT THEY HAVE A SECRET WEAPON IN THEIR ARSENAL.
BRITISH SCIENTISTS HAD DEVELOPED
THE WORLD'S FIRST EARLY-WARNING RADAR.
UNDERESTIMATING RADAR
IS THE LUFTWAFFE'S FIRST TACTICAL ERROR.
IT SAVES THE R.A.F. FROM DESTRUCTION
IN THESE FIRST WEEKS OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
MAN: Gentlemen.
AND IT'S RADAR THAT SENDS BADER
TO 18,000 FEET.
HE AND HIS FELLOW PILOTS ARE HEADING FOR
ONE OF THE MOST FEROCIOUS DOGFIGHTS
OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
VECTOR 270.
Angels 18.
ENEMY AIRCRAFT, 10:00.
BADER AND HIS MEN HAVE JUST NINE FIGHTER PLANES
RANGED AGAINST THE TIDAL WAVE OF APPROACHING GERMANS.
WHAT'S MORE, THE MEN FROM 242
ARE FLYING YESTERDAY'S TECHNOLOGY,
THE HAWKER HURRICANE.
[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
IT'S EASILY OUTCLASSED AND OUTRUN
BY THE MODERN, ALL-STEEL MESSERSCHMITT 109.
A BIPLANE CONVERTED INTO A SINGLE-WINGED FIGHTER,
THE HURRICANE'S STEEL AND WOOD FRAME
IS WRAPPED IN FLIMSY CANVAS.
[ SPEAKING GERMAN ]
Interpreter: AND WHILE THE BRITISH FIGHTERS
WERE ONLY EQUIPPED WITH MACHINE GUNS,
WE ALREADY CARRIED SMALL CANNONS.
THIS MEANS THAT, IF YOU WERE ABLE TO TAKE AIM,
THE GERMAN WEAPONS HAD THE ADVANTAGE
THAT A FIRED SHOT WAS DEADLY MOST OF THE TIME.
Narrator: THE HURRICANE DID HAVE ONE TACTICAL ADVANTAGE
OVER THE GERMANS' MESSERSCHMITT 109.
AS TONY PICKERING, A 19-YEAR-OLD PILOT
WHO FLEW WITH BADER, REMEMBERS.
Pickering: IT COULD OUTDIVE A HURRICANE,
AND IT COULD OUTCLIMB OVER THEM,
BUT WE COULD TURN INSIDE THEM.
Narrator: BADER AND THE HURRICANE PILOTS
PUT THEIR ADVANTAGE TO WORK.
LEVEL FLIGHT, IT WOULD BE, I WOULD SAY,
30, 40 MILES AN HOUR FASTER THAN WE WERE.
BUT IF HE CAME BEHIND US,
ALL WE'D NEED TO DO WAS DO A QUICK TURN AROUND.
IT COULDN'T KEEP WITH US THEN.
IT COULDN'T TURN INSIDE US.
AND YOU COULD BRING A HURRICANE AROUND
PROBABLY A LITTLE BIT MORE CLUMSILY,
BUT IT WOULD COME 'ROUND AND BE
ON THE TAIL OF A MESSERSCHMITT 109
BEFORE THEY KNEW WHAT TO DO.
[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
Narrator: BADER AND HIS HURRICANES
HAVE CLIMBED 3,000 FEET ABOVE THE ENEMY.
HIS TACTICS -- USE HEIGHT AS AN ADVANTAGE.
USE THE SUN AS A SHIELD.
GET LETHALLY CLOSE.
ONE BY ONE,
242 PICKS OFF THE STRAGGLERS.
OUR TACTICS WERE TO GET SLIGHTLY ABOVE THEM,
COME DOWN ON THEM AT FULL THROTTLE.
THERE'D BE THREE OF US IN LINE ABREAST,
AND ANOTHER THREE PROBABLY 50 YARDS AWAY IN LINE ABREAST,
AND GO STRAIGHT INTO THE BOMBERS.
YOU SHOULD HAVE FIRED ACTUALLY FROM ABOUT 300 YARDS.
I DON'T DOUBT WE WERE FIRING AT 400 YARDS,
AND BY THE TIME WE GOT TO WITHIN ABOUT 100 YARDS OF THE BOMBERS,
DOWN WE WENT UNDERNEATH THEM
BEFORE THE 109s COULD PICK US OFF.
BLOODY ***!
THIS IS OUR BLOODY SKY!
[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
Narrator: BY DAY'S END, BADER AND HIS MEN
HAVE CLAIMED 12 SCALPS WITH NO LOSSES,
A REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENT FOR A SQUADRON
THAT, WEEKS AGO, WAS IN TATTERS,
NOW LICKED INTO SHAPE
BY A MAN WITH ARTIFICIAL LEGS.
Narrator: THE TIDE IS TURNING IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
WAVE AFTER WAVE OF NAZI BOMBERS
ATTEMPT TO BLAST BRITAIN INTO SUBMISSION.
BUT THE R.A.F. IS HOLDING FAST.
[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
[ MAN SHOUTS ]
Men: ♪ DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN ♪
♪ DO YOU KNOW THE MUFFIN MAN ♪
Narrator: DOUGLAS BADER AND HIS MEN ARE CELEBRATING
THEIR TALLY OF A DOZEN KILLS IN A SINGLE DAY.
IN JUST A FEW WEEKS, THE DOUBLE-AMPUTEE
HAS TURNED HIS RAGTAG BAND OF UNRULY CANADIANS
INTO AN ELITE FIGHTING FORCE.
Men: ♪ YOU WERE THE ONLY GIRL... ♪
Narrator: FLUSHED WITH SUCCESS,
BADER STARTS PUSHING HIS BIG, TACTICAL IDEA --
BIG WING.
Ashcroft: AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN,
IT WAS USUAL FOR R.A.F. SQUADRONS
TO ATTACK GERMAN BOMBER FORMATIONS SINGLY.
IT WAS BADER'S IDEA TO ATTACK
WITH MULTIPLE FORMATIONS.
Pickering: DOUGLAS'S IDEA WAS
THAT HE WOULD TAKE A LARGER GROUP OF AIRCRAFT
AND GET INTO THE HUNS, YOU KNOW,
A LITTLE BIT LATER THAN WE DID.
WE'VE DONE A BLOODY GOOD JOB HERE, BOYS.
BLOODY GOOD JOB.
IT'S TIME WE WERE ON THE OFFENSE.
Narrator: THE R.A.F.'S PROVEN TACTIC IS TO
REPEL GERMAN RAIDS WITH SHORT, SHARP GUERRILLA ATTACKS.
BADER'S BOLD, BUT CONTROVERSIAL, VISION
IS TO DO THE OPPOSITE.
SEND UP HUNDREDS OF FIGHTERS TO MEET THE GERMANS HEAD-ON.
Holland: HE STARTS TO CONVINCE HIMSELF THAT, ACTUALLY,
WHAT IS REQUIRED IS ATTACKS BY MASSED FORMATIONS OF FIGHTERS.
NOT WILLY NILLY LITTLE BITS OF SQUADRONS ATTACKING,
PECKING AT THE LUFTWAFFE AS THEY COME OVER.
FAR BETTER TO HAVE A MASS OF
THREE TO FIVE SQUADRONS TOGETHER,
SOME 50 AIRCRAFT, IN THE AIR AT ONE TIME
ATTACKING A BIG FORMATION.
Narrator: BIG WING HAS THE ADDED PERSONAL ADVANTAGE
OF ENSURING HE AND HIS MEN ARE IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION,
NOT STUCK ON THE GROUND AT THE REAR.
IT'LL BE A MOMENT WHERE WE STOP THEM.
BADER'S PHILOSOPHY WAS,
"ME FIRST, I'M NEXT. ANYTHING LEFT, I'LL HAVE."
AND THAT EQUATED TO
BEING AROUND IN BIG FORMATIONS.
YOU KNOW, IT'S ALL PART OF HIM.
AND HE WAS A GALLANT MAN IN MANY WAYS,
AND YOU NEED THEM IN WAR TIME,
BUT NOT TOO MANY OF THEM.
AND HE WAS ONE OF THOSE CHAPS.
Narrator: BY CHANCE, PILOT TONY PICKERING
OVERHEARS A FURIOUS FIGHT BETWEEN
TWO OF THE ALLIES' GREATEST FIGHTER PILOTS,
DOUGLAS BADER AND SOUTH AFRICAN ACE SAILOR MALAN.
Malan: ...BEFORE THEY REACH THE TARGET.
Bader: YOU'RE NOT LISTENING TO WHAT I'M SAYING.
Pickering: I COULD HEAR THOSE TWO
ARGUING LIKE MAD ABOUT THIS BIG WING MARK.
YOU SEE, BADER WAS A BIG WING MAN,
AND SAILOR MALAN WAS SINGLE SQUADRONS.
IT TAKES YOU LONGER TO GET TO KENT THAN IT DOES THE GERMANS.
YES, BUT IF WE'RE ABLE TO RENDEZVOUS IN THE...
NOW, MOST OF US, WE ALWAYS THOUGHT TO OURSELVES,
"WELL, THERE ARE OTHER PEOPLE WHO KNOW MORE THAN I DO.
I'LL LISTEN TO WHAT THEY'RE SAYING, AND ON THINK THAT."
I'M NOT TOO SURE AS DOUGLAS BADER
LISTENED TOO MUCH TO WHAT OTHER PEOPLE SAID.
WE PROBABLY THOUGHT HE WAS A LITTLE BIT OVER THE TOP.
ARE YOU JOKING?!
THEY'D BE TELLING EACH OTHER
THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT.
NO, DON'T TAKE THAT TONE WITH ME.
"YOU WITH YOUR SQUADRON, WHAT DO YOU DO?
"YOU DON'T DO ANYTHING.
"ALL YOU'VE GOT IS 12 PILOTS,
AND WHAT GOOD DO YOU DO?"
WHAT YOU WANT TO DO IS SCARE THEM OFF
WITH SOME STUPID BLOODY --
ALL YOU'VE GOT IS 12 BLOODY PILOTS!
GENTLEMEN! PLEASE.
Pickering: QUITE FRANKLY, IT FRIGHTENED ME,
LET'S PUT IT THAT WAY.
BUT THEY WERE GOOD OFFICERS,
AND THEY WERE GOOD BOTH DOING THEIR JOB.
ONE WAS LEADING A LARGE WING.
THE OTHER ONE WAS USUALLY LEADING A SQUADRON.
Narrator: BADER DIDN'T ORIGINATE THE IDEA,
BUT HE BECOMES ITS BIGGEST CHEERLEADER,
AND 242 SQUADRON JOINS IN A NUMBER OF BIG WING SWEEPS.
EVEN TODAY, THE TACTIC REMAINS CONTROVERSIAL
WITH SOME OF THE YOUNG MEN WHO TOOK PART.
Neil: ON THE 15th OF SEPTEMBER, 1940,
THERE WERE 2,000 AIRCRAFT IN THE SKY AT ONCE,
AND WE WOULD BE COMING BACK TO --
TO NORTH WEALD, YOU KNOW, OUR TONGUES HANGING OUT.
LOST HALF YOUR PEOPLE.
AND THERE WAS THE DUXFORD WING, 60 STRONG,
SAYING, "MY GOODNESS, WHERE ARE THE ENEMY NOW?"
THE ENEMY HAD LONG SINCE GONE HOME.
WE KNEW IT WAS FIGHTING PEOPLE FURTHER SOUTH.
FLEXIBILITY IN BATTLE WAS THE BEST THING,
AND WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN FLEXIBLE
AND NOT GOING AROUND IN HUGE FORMATIONS.
DID IT WORK?
SOME PEOPLE SAID IT TOOK TOO LONG TO FORM UP
TO BE EFFECTIVE.
BUT IT HAS TO BE SAID THAT, LATER IN THE WAR,
THE BIG WING STRATEGY WAS COPIED BY THE GERMANS.
Narrator: DESPITE WAVE AFTER WAVE
OF GERMAN BOMBERS POUNDING BRITAIN,
THE ALLIES ARE GAINING THE UPPER HAND.
THE R.A.F. SHOOTS DOWN TWO LUFTWAFFE PLANES
FOR EVERY PLANE LOST.
BY OCTOBER 1940, THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN IS WON.
THE NAZIS' FIRST SIGNIFICANT TASTE OF DEFEAT.
WHEN PRIME MINISTER WINSTON CHURCHILL
THANKS THE FEW FOR THEIR SACRIFICE,
HE'S TALKING ABOUT MEN LIKE DOUGLAS BADER
AND FELLOW FIGHTER PILOT TOM NEIL.
Neil: DURING THE 16 WEEKS OF THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN,
I FLEW 141 TIMES.
THAT'S A LOT OF TIMES.
SOMETIMES FIVE TIMES A DAY.
I FLEW MORE INTENSIVELY THAN ALMOST
ANY PERSON JOINED AT THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN.
THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF FLIGHTS FLOWN IS ABOUT 50.
SOME OF THEM WERE SHOT DOWN THE FIRST GO.
SOME OF THEM LASTED SOMETHING LONGER THAN THAT,
BUT IT'S VERY RARE THAT SOMEONE WOULD GET TO 140.
I PUT THIS DOWN TO THE FACT THAT
I WAS VERY GOOD AT DUCKING AND WEAVING.
Narrator: IN MARCH 1941,
BADER WINS PROMOTION TO WING COMMANDER
AND A POSTING TO TANGMERE ON ENGLAND'S SOUTH COAST.
THE MAN WITH TWO FALSE LEGS IS NOW
ON THE FRONT LINE IN THE THICK OF THE ACTION
FACING HIS BIGGEST BATTLE YET.
Narrator: SPRING 1941.
WING COMMANDER DOUGLAS BADER FLIES TO HIS NEW POSTING
ON ENGLAND'S SOUTH COAST.
HE SWAPPED HIS WORKHORSE HAWKER HURRICANE
FOR THE STATE-OF-THE-ART SUPER MARINE SPITFIRE.
HIS MEN REMEMBER THEIR NEW BOSS MAKING A DRAMATIC ENTRANCE.
Smith: THIS SINGLE SPITFIRE CAME ACROSS THE SKY,
AND HE DID TWO SLOW ROLLS,
ONE FLIP ROLL,
AND THEN SLIDE SLIP
TO LOSE HEIGHT.
HE WAS SUCH A MAGNIFICENT PILOT.
THERE'S NO WAY YOU CAN EXPLAIN IT,
AND WHY A PARTICULAR PERSON
CAN MAKE A PARTICULAR PIECE OF MACHINERY
DO THINGS THAT NOBODY ELSE CAN.
Wilkinson: AND I SAID TO THE CHAP
AT THE GUARD ROOM, "WHO'S THAT?"
AND HE SAID, "THAT'S MR. BADER."
I SAID, "I COULDN'T DO THAT
WITH THE LEGS THAT GOD GAVE ME,
AND HE COULD DO IT WITH TIN LEGS."
AND THEN DOUGLAS WOULD PUT IT DOWN
AS GENTLE AS A DAISY.
WHEREAS MOST OF US WENT -- CRASH! [ CHUCKLES ]
HE TAXIED IN,
SWITCHED IT OFF, AND...
THE LITTLE SIDE PANEL FOR GETTING OUT.
UNDID THE SIDE PANEL
AND OUT CAME THE LEG.
AND HE JUST SAID, "WHO ARE YOU?"
"SMITH, SIR. SERGEANT SMITH, SIR."
HE SAID, "YOU'LL DO."
HE CHOSE ME TO FLY WITH HIM, AND, YOU KNOW,
IT'S LIKE JESUS SAYING, "COME NOW."
[ CHUCKLES ]
RIGHT THEN, GENTLEMEN, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT HERE
IS FAIRLY STRAIGHTFORWARD, SO PAY ATTENTION.
WHAT WE'RE PLANNING ON DOING IS SENDING TWO SWEEPER MISSIONS
TO HERE AND HERE.
Narrator: WING COMMANDER BADER
IS NOW IN CHARGE OF FOUR SQUADRONS,
THE TANGMERE WING.
...ARE COMPLETELY LOADED WITH 109s.
Narrator: THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN IS OVER,
AND THE R.A.F. IS ON THE OFFENSIVE.
BADER'S JOB WAS TO LEAD SEARCH-AND-DESTROY RAIDS
OVER ENEMY TERRITORY.
Bader: WE CAN DO WHAT THEY DO, BUT EVEN BETTER.
AND WHAT THEY DECIDED IS THAT, ACTUALLY WHAT THEY'RE GONNA DO
IS BIG FIGHTER SWEEPS
OVER THE CHANNEL BACK INTO NORTHERN FRANCE
AND TRY AND DESTROY THE LUFTWAFFE ON THE GROUND.
WHICH IS EXACTLY, OF COURSE, WHAT THE LUFTWAFFE
ARE TRYING TO DO IN 1940
AND WHICH THEY FAIL AT.
THESE ARE CALLED RHUBARBS, THESE BIG, FIGHTER SWEEPS
WHERE YOU WOULD HAVE MASSES OF MULTIPLE SQUADRONS,
CERTAINLY, WINGS OF THREE SQUADRONS.
AND SOMETIMES YOU WOULD HAVE AS MANY AS SIX SQUADRONS
IN THE AIR AT ONE TIME, 50 TO 100 FIGHTERS.
Narrator: DESPITE HIS NEW RANK AND RESPONSIBILITY,
BADER REMAINS THE SAME DAREDEVIL PILOT OF HIS YOUTH.
HE SPLITS OPINION RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.
Neil: I FLEW WITH HIM VERY OFTEN,
BUT HE VERY OFTEN PUT US IN DANGER'S WAY.
OUR FIRST INVASION OF AIR SPACE IN FRANCE,
HE LED US AS A FORMATION,
AND WE WERE SUPPOSED TO GO ACROSS AT 7,000 FEET.
WE SUDDENLY FOUND OURSELVES GOING ACROSS AT 5,000 FEET,
AT 2,000 FEET, AND AT 800 FEET,
AND BEING SHOT AT LIKE MAD FROM THE GROUND.
ALL BECAUSE OF DOUGLAS BADER.
AND WE LOST ONE OR TWO PEOPLE ON THAT PARTICULAR "DO"
BECAUSE HE DIDN'T OBEY THE RULES.
AND THIS WAS TYPICALLY DOUGLAS BADER.
HE WAS A WILD ONE HIMSELF
BECAUSE HE WAS JUST DOUGLAS BADER.
HE JUST WANTED TO DO IT HIS WAY.
AND, OF COURSE, YOU ALL HAD TO FOLLOW.
HEY HO.
SOMEONE CAN CALL THEMSELVES A FIGHTER ACE
IF THEY'VE SCORED FIVE CONFIRMED AERIAL VICTORIES.
NOW, BADER DOES ACHIEVE THAT IN THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN,
BUT MOST OF HIS SUCCESSES -- HIS FIGHTER SUCCESSES --
COME IN 1941, WHEN HE'S LEADING HIS WING OVER TO FRANCE
ON THOSE RHUBARBS, THOSE SWEEPS OVER FRANCE.
THAT'S WHERE HIS SCORE ESCALATES.
Narrator: TYPICALLY,
BADER FLIES INTO BATTLE LEADING FROM THE FRONT.
HIS LOYAL WINGMAN, ALAN SMITH,
FLIES TO THE RIGHT AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND.
ALWAYS WATCHING BADER'S BACK.
Smith: IN THE MIDDLE OF A BATTLE OVER FRANCE,
WHICH WERE FREQUENT AND SEVERAL TIMES A DAY,
YOU HAD WHAT WAS CALLED A BEEHIVE, WHICH WAS
MESSERSCHMITTS AND SPITFIRES AND HURRICANES
ALL -- LITERALLY A BEEHIVE.
IT'S A GOOD WORD TO DESCRIBE THEM.
PSH! PSH! PSH!
YOU WERE SWEATING BECAUSE THERE WAS BULLETS FLYING AROUND
AND PARACHUTES AND CASINGS.
AND THEN SUDDENLY,
THIS CALM VOICE OVER THE AIR SAYS --
BADER: ***?
YES, I QUITE FORGOT TO BOOK THE SQUASH COURT FOR 7:00 THIS EVENING.
Would you mind doing it for me?
A bit indisposed at the moment, old chap.
FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, IF ALL HE'S WORRIED ABOUT,
WHY WERE WE WORRYIN ABOUT ALL THESE BLOODY GERMANS
[ Chuckling ] ALL OVER THE PLACE?
YOU IMMEDIATELY FELT CALM.
TO HELL WITH THE GERMANS.
WE'D PLAY SQUASH...
...AT 7:00 TONIGHT.
Narrator: BADER IS RELENTLESS,
WORKING HIMSELF AND HIS PILOTS INTO THE GROUND.
IN ONE FRENZIED, EIGHT-DAY SPELL,
HE CLAIMS 12 KILLS.
THE PACE TAKES ITS TOLL.
Lucas: HE HAD TO TAKE PAINKILLERS
ALL THE TIME.
BUT, YOU SEE, THAT WAS JUST PART OF IT.
HE NEVER ADMITTED THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG IN ANY WAY.
WHEN HE WAS WALKING,
AND ALL HIS WEIGHT
WAS ON THESE TIN LEGS,
IT WAS PAINFUL AND RESTRICTING.
BUT WHEN HE WAS SITTING IN THE COCKPIT,
HE COULD DO THAT WITHOUT ANY DIFFICULTY AT ALL.
AND ALL HE WAS THINKING ABOUT WAS
GETTING BACK TO IT, SOMEHOW.
HELLO THERE, BOYS.
Narrator: BADER HAS BEEN IN THE HEART OF THE ACTION
FOR MORE THAN A YEAR.
I THOUGHT YOU WOULD LIKE TO KNOW, SIR,
THE CANNON ON THE SPITS ARE GETTING RUSTY.
THE BOYS ARE FED UP.
HE HIDES IT FROM HIS MEN,
BUT BADER IS BURNING OUT.
WELL, MORE FIGHTER SWEEPS, THAT'S WHAT WE WANT.
THANK YOU, SIR. GOOD NIGHT.
DID YOU GET SOME SLEEP?
Smith: DOUGLAS WAS NEVER RECKLESS,
AND HE WOULD NEVER PUT ME OR HIS WINGMAN
OR ANYBODY ELSE IN DANGER.
DOUGLAS ALWAYS TOOK IT ON THE CHIN, AS WELL.
HE NEVER PASSED THE BUCK.
AND THAT'S WHY HE WAS NOT TOO POPULAR
WITH VARIOUS SENIOR OFFICERS
WHO HAD AN INFLATED OPINION OF THEMSELVES.
Narrator: AUGUST 9, 1941.
BADER TAKES TO THE SKY WITH A FLIGHT OF FOUR SPITFIRES,
INTENT ON HUNTING DOWN GERMAN PLANES OVER FRANCE.
BADER: Control, come in. This is Bader.
FROM THE START, THINGS GO WRONG.
BADER'S RADIO FAILS,
AND HIS AIRSPEED INDICATOR IS BROKEN.
DOGSBODY FROM BEETLE.
THERE ARE 20-PLUS FIVE MILES TO THE EAST OF YOU.
WHAT GROUND CONTROL IS TRYING TO TELL BADER
IS 12 MESSERSCHMITT 109s HAVE BEEN SPOTTED ON RADAR.
HE'S FLYING INTO A TRAP.
Narrator: IT'S THE SUMMER OF 1941,
AND DOUGLAS BADER AND HIS MEN
ARE FLYING INTO TROUBLE.
WITH NO WORKING RADIO,
BY THE TIME HE SPIES A FORMATION OF ENEMY FIGHTERS,
IT'S TOO LATE.
HE DIVES TOO FAST, TOO STEEPLY.
BLAST.
ALL OF A SUDDEN, WING COMMANDER BADER
IS ALONE IN A HOSTILE SKY.
BADER CLOCKS SIX MORE 109s.
HE GIVES CHASE, TAKING DOWN TWO.
[ RAPID GUNFIRE ]
MOMENTS LATER, TWO 109s ARE ON HIS TAIL,
CLOSING IN FOR THE KILL.
[ GROANS ]
WHEN I CAME BACK,
EVERYBODY'S FACE.
DOUGLAS HASN'T COME BACK.
OHH.
THE SHOCK OF IT WAS SIMPLY AWFUL.
I MEAN, ONE WAS ABSOLUTELY SORT OF FROZEN WITH HORROR.
THIS KIND OF THING COULDN'T HAPPEN TO A MAN LIKE BADER.
SO, BUT, OF COURSE, IT CAN.
IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYBODY.
AND, OF COURSE, THEY COULDN'T TELL US THEN
WHETHER HE WAS DEAD OR ALIVE.
ALMOST PHYSICAL FEELING OF SADNESS
AND SORT OF, "THIS CAN'T HAPPEN.
IT CAN'T HAPPEN."
AFTER FIVE DAYS, THE GERMANS
PUT OUT ON THE RADIOS THAT THEY'D GOT HIM,
SO, THEN, WE HAD A BIG CELEBRATION.
Narrator: BADER IS LOCKED UP IN A GERMAN PRISON HOSPITAL.
ONE OF HIS FALSE LEGS WENT DOWN WITH HIS SPITFIRE.
HE WANTS A REPLACEMENT.
[ SPEAKING GERMAN ]
Interpreter: IN GERMANY, WE DIDN'T REALLY HAVE
ANY FACILITIES TO MANUFACTURE WOODEN LEGS.
Narrator: IN AN EXTRAORDINARY ACCORD,
LUFTWAFFE LEADER HERMANN GOERING GREEN LIGHTS
AN R.A.F. OPERATION TO AIR DROP A NEW LEG.
[ SPEAKING GERMAN ]
Interpreter: SO, IT WAS AGREED.
AT A SPECIFIC TIME,
AND AT A SPECIFIC AIRFIELD,
AN ENGLISH PLANE WOULD FLY OVER
AND THROW DOWN THE WOODEN LEG FOR BADER.
Smith: IT WAS JUST A PACKAGE.
A PARACHUTE FLOATING DOWN
WITH A BROWN-PAPER PARCEL SWINGING ON IT.
IT WAS DOUGLAS'S LEGS.
Narrator: THE GERMANS HAVE NO IDEA
THE TROUBLE THEY'VE UNLEASHED.
I THINK IT WAS THE SECOND FOLLOWING NIGHT.
WHO WAS CLIMBING OUT OF THE HOSPITAL WINDOW UPSTAIRS?
DOUGLAS.
NOW, THAT'S THE TYPE OF MAN I'M TALKING ABOUT.
Narrator: IT'S THE FIRST OF MANY ESCAPE ATTEMPTS.
HIS CAPTORS BECOME SO EXASPERATED,
THEY THREATENED TO CONFISCATE HIS FALSE LEGS.
FINALLY, THEY THROW HIM INTO THE SUPPOSEDLY ESCAPE-PROOF COLDITZ,
WHERE HE LANGUISHES UNTIL THE WAR'S END.
IN 1945, HE RETURNS TO HIS WIFE, THELMA,
AND BRITAIN, A HERO.
HE WAS NEVER SPOILED BY ALL THAT FAME.
THAT WAS THE EXTRAORDINARY THING.
Narrator: SOME HISTORIANS ARGUE BADER EXAGGERATED HIS KILLS
AND EMBELLISHED HIS LIFE STORY,
BUT THERE'S NO DOUBTING HIS REMARKABLE ACHIEVEMENTS.
DOUGLAS BADER, THE ULTIMATE SYMBOL OF THE BULLDOG SPIRIT,
A MAN WITH ARTIFICIAL LEGS
COMING TO THE RESCUE OF A NATION ON ITS KNEES.
HE EPITOMIZED THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
JUST AS MUCH AS CHURCHILL DID.
HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON EVER
TO LEAD A MORE OR LESS NORMAL LIFE
SO BADLY DISABLED AS THAT.
THAT'S WHAT WAS SO MARVELOUS ABOUT HIM.
HE WAS AN INSPIRATION TO THE WORLD, REALLY.
THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN
WAS NOT WON BY THE ROYAL AIR FORCE.
IT WAS WON BY EVERYONE IN THIS COUNTRY,
BY THE PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WHO TOOK THE BOMBING,
THE FIRE SERVICES, AND ALL THESE AUXILIARY SERVICES
WHO FOUGHT THE FLAMES, WHO DIDN'T GIVE UP.
I MEAN, ANYBODY CAN -- IT'S MUCH EASIER, PUT IT THAT WAY.
IT'S MUCH EASIER TO GO INTO THE BATTLE AND FIGHT
THAN IT IS TO SIT ON THE GROUND AND TAKE IT
AND WATCH YOU AND ME DOING THE FIGHTING.
YOU SEE WHAT I MEAN?
SO, DON'T MAKE ANY MISTAKE.
THIS BATTLE OF BRITAIN IS THE LOT OF US.
IT'S NOT JUST THE ROYAL AIR FORCE.