The Battle of Britain tells the true, momentous story of one of the most crucial conflicts in British history. This book, by an authority on aviation and the Royal Air Force, gives a graphic day-to-day account of the classic battle, both in the air and on the ground. It considers events from many vantage points; from Churchill and Dowding – to The Few who fought. In the air it strikes a balance between an overview of the long-term combat strategy and first-hand accounts of individual encounters seen from the pilots-eye-view.
Many of the fighter aces are here: Peter Townsend, Bob Stanford Tuck, Richard Hillary, Cocky Dundas, Sailor Malan, Alan Deere, Douglas Bader, Ginger Lacey, James Nicolson and John Cunningham. But the focus is not only on Fighter Command’s 11 Group, which bore the brunt – it also encompasses 12 and 10 Groups with their vital contributions to the ultimate result. In fact, it is probably the first book on the battle to put the activities of 12 Group and its Duxford Wing into the broader perspective of the entire epic.
The valor of both RAF and WAAF ground staff is give long overdue recognition and countless other emergency services and civilians are not forgotten. The story is taken beyond the actual end of the battle to its logical conclusion after the Blitz. Threaded amidst the overall narrative are the emotions of The Few and the internecine conflicts between the groups.
Many of the fighter aces are here: Peter Townsend, Bob Stanford Tuck, Richard Hillary, Cocky Dundas, Sailor Malan, Alan Deere, Douglas Bader, Ginger Lacey, James Nicolson and John Cunningham. But the focus is not only on Fighter Command’s 11 Group, which bore the brunt – it also encompasses 12 and 10 Groups with their vital contributions to the ultimate result. In fact, it is probably the first book on the battle to put the activities of 12 Group and its Duxford Wing into the broader perspective of the entire epic.
The valor of both RAF and WAAF ground staff is give long overdue recognition and countless other emergency services and civilians are not forgotten. The story is taken beyond the actual end of the battle to its logical conclusion after the Blitz. Threaded amidst the overall narrative are the emotions of The Few and the internecine conflicts between the groups.
