On 9th August 1941, one of the greatest icons of the Second World War, Douglas Bader, was shot down, captured and later incarcerated. But by whom, and how? Was it by one of his deadly German opponents, as Douglas Bader himself maintained, or was it by one of his own side? There has been much debate and controversy among historians and in 2003 the author of this book revealed for the first time that Bader may have been victim to 'friendly fire'. That revelation was followed by interest in the national press and later by a TV documentary screened on Channel 4 in August 2006. In this book, aviation historian Andy Saunders develops his hypothesis, backed up by strong evidence and a wealth of statistics, and separates fact from fiction. He expertly dissects all the material relating to the day itself, and subsequent events. He has also continued the quest to find the legendary fighter pilot's aircraft, which holds vital clues. And he has startling new material to divulge here also. This book will fascinate all who read it and will be seen by most observers to be the final word on one of the great mysteries of the entire war.

Author Biography

Andy Saunders has been involved with historic aviation for over thirty-five years and is well known in the aircraft preservation and restoration field. His specialist area of interest is in the air war over Europe, 1939-1945. One of the co-founders of Tangmere Aviation Museum, and its first curator, Andy is also respected as a serious researcher, author, and editor and is a prolific contributor to the aviation press. He is passionate about flying and history, regularly travelling in search of historic aircraft and artefacts. He also acts as adviser or consultant to film and television companies and was past editor of Britain at War.