Hi, my friends !!

 

Dave announced on his site "Hobby Master collector" (http://www.hobbymastercollector.com/index.html) a new diecast 1/48 plane model to be issued in April 2012 by HM (model ref HM HA7807):

 

This is Wing Commander (Flying) Douglas Bader's Spitfire Mk Va, coded D-B / W3185 (Douglas Bader initials, one of a WC's prerogatives. Bader's phony call was "Dog's Body".), from RAF Squ. 616, Tangmere, on who he was shot down in 1941. RAF Tangmere Wing consisted of Squ 145, 610 and 616.

 

 

Wooww! I absolutely WANT IT !! I got yet the 1/72 Corgi Warbirds series showing this plane (ref WB99617), though with incomplete markings (? : see next paragraph) and slightly inaccurate camo colours:

 

 

This Spitfire, though from Squ 616, still wears (?) under the left side exhaust pipes the Duxford Squ 242's (or Bader's personal ?) insignia: "Hitler being kicked" (I have to stay politically correct). The 242 was the precedent Bader's squadron, equipped with Hurricanes, indicative letters LE - x.

 

Dave wrote on his site that there's a doubt whether this port insignia was really worn or not on this Spit such as the starboard mention "Lord Lloyd I". So HM joins a decal leaflet with the involved markings so that the collector  can choose his version.

Well done !

 

 Is it possible that this emblem being only worn by Bader's Hurricane?

 

 

Douglas Bader's Squ.242 Hurricane LE-D 

 

Bader managed to rise the morale and discipline of this Canadian group, stricken by the France Campagne and eventually succeeded in its top operational come-back.

  

 

The Squ.242's insignia is shown here on this Hurricane Mk I nose (Bader's LE-D one?). 

 

You surely know that Douglas Bader (DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, 22 confirmed victories) was that English legless Ace (due to a precedent air crash in 1931) who, shot down over France in August 1941, succeeded bailing out his condamned plane, lost his artificial legs in this action, and was captured by German troops.

 

 CO Douglas Bader, RAF 242 Squ. so called "Canadian" squadron, standing on his LE-D Hurricane wing. Note the Squ.242's insignia partly visible under the exhaust pipes.

 

Yes, he could ! 

Douglas Bader in his Spit. Mk Va in 1941.

 

He was then received with honour by Oberstleutnant Adolf Galland (JG26 Geschwaderkommodore, 96 victories in Nov.41, who obtained for Sir Bader replacement prosthesis - care of the RAF Blenheim bombers - !!!) and his "Abbeville Boys" at Saint Omer airfield (North of France) before being kept as POW.

 Sept. 1940 - Major Adolf "Dolfo" Galland, JG 26 Geschwader Kommodore.

If there's any doubt wether or not Bader's reception was used as a propaganda media in German posts, it is to be noted that some other less known allied pilots, shot down by JG26, at least during the Battle of Britain, were received by Galland in the same way, in perpetuation of the purest WWI Fighters respect code (one could say: in perpetuation of the Middle Ages Knighthood code, as fighter pilots are frequently compared to modern Knights).

It is to be reminded too that, generally speaking, apart official ceremonies where authorities were present or real fanatic NSPD members, the nazi salute was not used by German pilots but the military one - another sign of the "fighter pilot spirit" they shared with their Allied adversaries. Several testimonies show too examples of fighters knighthood behavior among both sides pilots with their adversaries in difficulty*. Such examples were found too during WW1.

 

A kind of container (in fact, it was actually a simple parcel) and the prosthesis.

 

 

Wing Commander Douglas Bader between Adolf Galland (left) and another Luftwaffe officer.

 

He was freed in 1945 from the Colditz Fortress by the US 1st Army. 

The Colditz fortress. 

 

Yes, Colditz ! Because, despite his handicap, Bader tried to escape a lot of times, and Germans, after seizing his artificial legs, found that the only solution to keep him as a POW was to shut up him in this fortress from where it was quite impossible to go out... A fortress for a legless man !! !!

 

Group Captain Douglas Bader survived the WWII, was knighted in 1976 and died in 1982, aged 72. A real hero and headstrong figure. Among the many dignitaries and personalities at his funeral was Adolf Galland.

 

Luftwaffe's General Galland and RAF's Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader (such as Stanford "Lucky" Tuck- another English RAF ace who met Galland too in 1942 after being shot down over France -, Hans Ulrich Rudel- the Stuka ace-, Pierre Clostermann - France's 1st Fighter pilot - and some others...) had shared a friendship that spanned more than 42 years since their first meeting, a singular friendship born in the War and by the War between exceptional pilots who made their duty and respected their adversaries. General Adolf Galland died in 1996.

Honour and Respect to all these courageous men.

 

 

General Galland.

 

A movie was made by Lewis Gilbert about Bader's story ("Reach  for the Sky" - 1956) with Kenneth More. I got it, indeed !!

  

Have a look on these links :

http://www.elknet.pl/acestory/bader/bader.htm

http://www.acesofww2.com/UK/aces/bader.htm

http://clydemcdonnell.blogspot.com/2011/03/douglas-r-s-bader.html

(This last for a more complete and real view of Bader's life).

 

Portrait of Sir Douglas Bader.  

And this is the link to a BBC special "This is Your Life" dedicated to Douglas Bader, with many great heroes participating, including Adolf Galland. You'll see that their friendship was real:

https://youtu.be/4408_DJOu3I

Bye, mates and take care !

Jeff

* One of such cases: the Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident occurred on 20 (27?) December 1943, when, after a successful bomb run on Bremen, Charles 'Charlie' Brown's B17 Flying Fortress (named "Ye Olde Pub") was severely damaged by German fighters. Luftwaffe pilot and ace Franz Stigler had an opportunity to shoot down the crippled bomber (1 crew kia, 2 injured), but instead, for unknown personal (humanitarian, compassion, instant "guts" feeling, vision of war outcome or XMas spirit ?) reasons, decided to allow the crew to fly back to their airfield in England by escorting them a short time, then saluted them and returned base. The two pilots met each other 40 years later after the extensive search by Charlie Brown and the friendship that the two developed lasted until their deaths, both in 2008.

This spectacular event is illustrated by an "Aviation Archives" Corgi double model set: 1/72 Boeing B17F Flying Fortress Ye Olde Pub 379th Bomber Group 8th Air Force Kimbolton and Messerschmitt Bf109G-6 Franz Stigler Jg 27 December 1943 ref.:AA39915.