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After being discharged from the RAF in 1933 after losing both his legs during a crash landing, Douglas Bader sought to re-join the service at the outbreak of the war. Fitted with artificial legs, Bader proved he could still fly operationally and joined No. 19 Squadron at RAF Duxford in 1940. A proponent of the “Big Wing” tactic, Bader was known to be a superb leader and an aggressive pilot during the frenetic days of the Battle of Britain. Shot down over German-occupied France, Bader was taken prisoner and remained a POW until the end of the war. (Getty Images)