Sir Douglas Bader

The Influence Behind My Collection

Looking back as far as I can into my memory bank, it is evident that my fascination with WWII started with "Reach for the Sky" a film spanning the career of Douglas Steuart Bader in the Royal Air Force played by Kenneth More.

Recommended Viewing;

the original film I received on VHS & a newer DVD release.

For those of you that aren't familiar with the name, Sir Douglas Bader was a young British Pilot Officer in the RAF who lost both legs in a flying accident in 1931. When war broke out in 1939 and after much perseverance Bader was reinstated as a fighter pilot. During the Battle of Britain he held the title of Squadron Leader of No. 242 Squadron, a mainly Canadian outfit that flew Hawker Hurricanes. 242 Squadron claimed 62 kills during the battle and Bader was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Image: Sqd. Leader Bader on the wing of his Hurricane.

In March 1941 Bader was promoted to Wing Commander and had 3 Squadrons of Supermarine Spitfires under his command (Sqd. 145, 610 & 616). The commander obtained his personal identification markings "D-B" on his Spitfire giving rise to the famous radio call sign "Dogsbody". Bader was shot down in August 1941 and imprisoned in the infamous Colditz Castle after making numerous escape attempts. The Castle was liberated in by US forces in 1945. At the end of the war Bader was given the honour of leading a fly-past of 300 aircraft in victory over London. Bader's final score was 20 and 4 shared enemy aircraft destroyed, 6 and 1 shared destroyed and 11 damaged.

 

Image: My 1/72 scale Corgi die-cast model Spitfire MKIIA

 baring identification markings "D-B"

The movie is relatively old at this stage and is shot in black and white but the story is so inspiring and has had a big impact on my life and view on things. In hindsight this film and the story of Douglas Bader has been the inspiration behind my attempts to join the Army and he is one of my hero's. In the words of the legend himself - 

"Don't listen to anyone who tells you that you can't do this or that. That's nonsense. Make up your mind, you'll never use crutches or a stick, then have a go at everything. Go to school, join in all the games you can. Go anywhere you want to. But never, never let them persuade you that things are too difficult or impossible."  

Click here to visit - The Douglas Bader Foundation

My Story

From some of my earliest and happiest childhood memories I remember setting up large scale battles with my plastic troops.

It all started at about the age of 6 or 7, I remember my Gramps telling me the story of Douglas Bader, RAF Battle of Britain Ace and his escapades after which he presented me with the feature film "Reach For The Sky". Fascinated by his story, my interest in this part of history grew. Some time later I visited the RAF museum at Hendon, London and as a gift received a pack of 1/32 scale German Whermacht Matchbox remoulds of which I still have today. From this pack of about 10 soldiers, I grew a collection which stands at about 2,000  figures today.

Click here to visit the London RAF Museum

It wasn't long after this that I realised I wanted to be a fighter pilot in the RAF and set my targets high. As the years went on I had realised that it might be a bridge too far and settled with the idea of joining the army. When I reached 10 years of age, I fell ill with Type 1 Diabetes and my dreams were dashed but I still had hope that I might be accepted. In 2005 aged 17, I applied to join the Royal Marines where I was required to undergo a medical in Belfast. This was never to be and I didn't even make it to the medical as I was informed over the phone that Type 1 Diabetes automatically barred me from entry to HM Armed Forces.

Anyway back to the soldiers. As a kid you don't seem to have much appreciation for detail or scale but from early memories I remember noticing scale.  I received a Vietnam battle set which came in a cardboard box containing a plastic battleground map with approximately 60 x 1/32 soldiers, tanks, trucks, cannons and small Jeeps. The Vietnamese soldiers were actually British 8th Army, Airfix remoulds in tan. The American's were US Paratrooper, Airfix remoulds in dark green. However the US troops were noticeably smaller than the "Vietnamese" counterparts, perhaps 1/38 scale and a much poorer mould. This is possibly where my fascination stemmed with scale and indeed accuracy of figures, tanks and vehicles.

Throughout this blog, I will be examining and discussing the many 1/32 scale soldiers available, whether they be branded figures such as Airfix, Matchbox or Britains or the cheap remoulds found in different shops. I'll take an in depth look into tanks and vehicles used by various armies throughout the Second World War as I try to blend them into my armies.

Along with this, there will be reviews and recommendations on great WW2 movies, documentaries, books, computer games and war-gaming rules (one of which I am currently developing).

Please feel free to comment and make contact if you have interest in the subject and most of all, enjoy!

Image: British Paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division with their Horsa glider prior to being dropped into occupied France as part of Operation Deadstick, D-Day 1944.

Click here to see a post about the "Vietnam Battle Set" - Skirmish between G.I's & the NVA.

Click here to read a post about RAF ace Douglas Bader.