Late Night Line-up | Douglas Bader

World War II fighter pilot ace Douglas Bader discusses his fame and why it is so important to mark anniversaries of major historical events such as the Battle of Britain. He defends the attitude of young people who protest against wars and talks about the 1956 film 'Reach for the Sky', which tells his story.

Douglas Bader got his RAF commission in 1930, but lost both his legs in a plane crash in 1931. However, within six months he was walking on artificial legs. He rejoined the RAF in 1939 and rose to command No 242 Squadron, the Canadian squadron based at Coltishall. He led this unit with great success throughout the Battle of Britain and by October 1940 had been awarded the DSO (Distinguished Service Order) and the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross). By the end of the war he had been mentioned in dispatches three times, had an official tally of 23 enemy aircraft shot down and had been a prisoner of war in Colditz, from where he made numerous attempts to escape.