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Douglas Bader was born in 1910 just as humanity was learning to take flight. The newly discovered frontier beckoned to the brilliant and rambunctious Englishman, so as soon as he could, he joined the Royal Air Force College and took his fiercely competitive nature to the skies. He soon discovered that he was as good at racing planes in the clouds as he had been at racing motorcycles on the ground, so it didn’t take him long to qualify as a pilot.
Bader was a daredevil at heart, so not long after acquiring his wings, he began competing in air shows. His preferred plane was the newly-designed Bristol Bulldog, a bi-plane he could twist and turn in maneuvers that dazzled spectators all over England. However, during an air show in 1932, tragedy struck and Bader suffered a terrible crash while attempting a low-altitude stunt. He survived the ordeal, but both of his legs had to be amputated, one just above the knee and one just below. Doctors told him he’d never walk again without crutches…but Bader was determined to prove them wrong.
With the assistance of dual prosthetics – and a monumental amount of determination – Bader not only regained his ability to walk, but to drive, golf, dance, and fly! However, in spite of his inspiring recovery, he was discharged from the RAF in 1933 because of his “disability.” Upset, but unwilling to burn any bridges, he told his commanders he’d be ready to return should they ever need him.
He wouldn’t have to wait long. That same decade, World War II broke out in Europe, and the RAF invited Bader back to service. The double amputee eagerly answered the call, but when he learned that his position within the air force would be limited to administrative tasks on the ground, he hounded his superiors until they allowed him to apply for full operational status, something he achieved with ease…and flamboyance.
Bader’s reinstatement wasn’t a moment too soon. By the time he was cleared for combat, England was fully embroiled in war. Bader saw action over the European mainland and in the skies over Britain while his squadron did all they could to stop the Nazi advance.
However, many of his peers – and almost all of his superiors – doubted Bader’s combat readiness. After all, not only did he have artificial legs, he’d been out of practice for several years. More importantly, the aircraft now in use by the RAF were far more advanced than the old Bulldog he’d crashed years earlier. The new Spitfires could go faster, turn tighter, and fly higher than anything Bader had ever piloted.
And yet, Bader not only kept pace with the other pilots, he actually out-performed them! He became an ace during the Battle of Britain and then racked up 17 more enemy kills for a total of 22 confirmed kills. (This number didn’t include his many “shared” kills, his “probable” kills, and the aircraft he destroyed on the ground.) Bader’s abilities confused the RAF’s officers…and infuriated his fellow pilots.
How could a guy with only half his legs be this good?
As ironic as it might sound, Bader was such a great pilot because he only had half his legs!
See, in the break-neck speeds and tight turns of a dog fight, a pilot is subjected to tremendous amounts of G-Force which pulls blood away from the brain down into the legs and feet which can cause the pilot to black out and crash. However, because Bader’s “legs” were half-prosthetic, more of his blood could stay closer to his brain than was possible for the other pilots. This meant Bader could be more aggressive with his fighter than his fellow pilots could be with theirs! As crazy as it sounds, Douglas Bader was actually better suited for dogfighting because of his injury years earlier!
His “disability” had turned into a strategic advantage in the cockpit. What everyone saw as his weakness was actually his strength.
This reality caused some of Bader’s admirers to joke that he had “a leg up on the competition.”
Bader went on to survive the war – even though he was taken prisoner after having to bail out of his plane over enemy territory – and then made a profound impact during peacetime, as well. In June of 1976, he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, not only for his war efforts, but for his service to other people with disabilities.
Sir Douglas Bader was a living, breathing example of what the apostle Paul spoke of in 2 Corinthians 12. In that ancient passage, the weary Christian leader recounted the encouraging words Jesus shared with him at a particularly low and painful moment in his life.
He [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
He [Jesus] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamaties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
~2 Corinthians 12:9-10
Paul learned to welcome weakness because it gave him the opportunity to reveal Christ’s strength! Are you willing to do the same?
