Reach for the Sky: Story of Douglas Bader, D.S.O., D.F.C.

St James's Place, London: William Collins Sons & Co Ltd, 1980. 1980 Reprint . Hard Back. Fine/Fair. 5 3/4" x 8 1/2. 384 Pages Indexed. Blue boards with gold lettering to the spine. The only defect noted is on the front endpaper where the removal of label has left its evidence. The interior text pages are near flawless. The dust jacket has protected the book but has suffered from that. There is chipping across the top edge and bottom spine has two closed tears about an inch on each side and the flap price is clipped. Group Captain Sir Douglas Robert Steuart was a successful fighter pilot in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. Bader is upheld as an inspirational leader and hero of the era, not least because he fought despite having lost both legs in a pre-war flying accident. His brutally forthright, dogmatic and often highly opinionated views, especially against authority, coupled with his boundless energy and enthusiasm inspired adoration and frustration in equal measures with both his subordinates and peers. By sheer persistence he fought his way back to flying. He was given command first of a flight, then a squadron, then three squadrons, then five. His exuberance, his utter disregard for danger were contagious. But he was not only an inspiring leader of men; the fighter tactics he evolved contributed to victory in the Battle of Britain. When the R.A.F. went over to the offensive, Bader led one of the squadrons in the first sweep over France. When he was shot down it was ironically his lack of legs that saved his life. "For you the war is over," the Germans told him. But they didn't know Douglas Bader. Within a matter of days he made his first escape down a rope of sheets from the third floor of a hospital. He became the enfant terrible of a succession of prison camps. For his personal bravery and inspiring leadership during the war he has already been widely honoured; he holds that rare combination, the D.S.O. and D.F.C. as well as the Legion d'Honneur and the Croix de Guerre. But this book seeks to match the excitement and the inspiration of his war deeds with the story of his greater battle, the battle which he fought alone; it honours his more enduring achievement in the cause of humanity, the new horizons he has opened for the physically disabled by his personal example and by the triumph of his spirit over a cruel adversity. Above all, it reflects the strong sense of humour, another Bader characteristic, which makes his story the more memorable, and wins him not only the admiration but the affection of the reader.