Reach for the Sky

Reach For The Sky is the name of the biography of Douglas Bader, by Paul Brickhill, and also of a film of Bader's story released in 1956, starring Kenneth More and directed by Lewis Gilbert.

The film tells the story of Douglas Bader, a pilot who lost both legs in a flying accident in 1931. He persuaded the RAF to let him re-join the service at the start of the 2nd World War and fought in the Battle of Britain. He was taken prisoner in 1941 after being forced to bail out over France, and was later imprisoned in Colditz Castle.