The Battle of Britain (Classic Conflicts) [Paperback]

Richard Townsend Bickers (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1999 | Series: Classic Conflicts

An analysis of the events leading up to the assault on Britain and the history, structure, and equipment of the British reveals the full story of the air war that shaped the future of the free world.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Salamander Books Ltd; New ed. edition (April 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1840650818
• ISBN-13: 978-1840650815
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,445,724 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Enthralling, July 3, 2002

By 

Iona (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle of Britain (Hardcover)

This book is the best book on the Battle of Britain that I have ever come across. With small info on all the participating pilots in The Battle of Britain, the aircraft used by both the Luftwaffe and the RAF, and a day in the life of both RAF and Luftwaffe pilots... this book is deffinatly worth seeking out- regardless of the cost! It has a brilliant forward by Air Marshal Sir Denis Crowley-Milling (whom I greatly admire, along with Douglas Bader, Johnnie Johnson, and a few others), it is described in the best way possible. It is deffinatly a must get!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars No! This is a very good book!, May 22, 2002

By 

Kiersten (Garner, North Carolina United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Battle of Britain (Hardcover)

I found this book to be superb. It is not a day-by-day laundry list of actions. Rather, it gives an overview of the Battle, and then breaks it down into several components. For instance, there is a chapter about the RAF leading up to late 1940, and then a succeeding chapter that goes over the development history of four planes they used, the Hurricane, Spitfire, Defiant, and Blenheim; with cutaway draweings of the two main fighters. Next is a chapter on the Luftwaffe, followed by a breakdown of the Bf109, Bf110, He111, Do17, and Ju88. And so on. What I found most fascinating was a breakdown of the fighter and bomber tactics used by each side, with numerous illustrations. There are a number of sidebars listing things like codewords both sides used over the radio. There are several sections written by actual pilots who fought in the Battle.

This is not a detailed book meant for the historical researcher. It is an overview of the Battle, quite detailed in some areas, with lots of glossy photos, drawings, and maps. I learned a lot of minutiae (flaws in one plane's radios, pecularities of this or that engine, and so on), more than I've seen in any other book intended for a similar audience. I highly recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ENCYCLOPEDIC BOOK, February 21, 2009

By 

Kay's Husband (Virginia, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Battle of Britain (Hardcover)

This book published by Salamander was put together with the 60th anniversary of The Battle of Britain in mind. I haven't enjoyed a book on this subject so much since I came across Len Deighton's volume back in the 70's.

Most of the reviewers here give high marks to this volume and rightly so. To make a totally parabolic statement such as "if it isn't in this book, you don't need to know it" would be a bit much, but not by much. Seldom in a book on WWII have I seen so much various detail and information packed between the covers. This is not a book you will read in a day, possibly in not a few days. Encompassing 325 b/w and color photos and illustrations, it also boasts full-color 3D aerial battle maps, maps which help illustrate the tactics used by both sides.

I've had this oversize book in my home library since Summer, 2000, and still prize it greatly. Anyone having the slighted interest in this battle will no doubt have interest in this fine book as well.

Semper Fi.