Overview

Britain was an island under siege. The march of the Nazi war machine had been unrelenting. France and Belgium had quickly fallen and now she stood alone to counter this gravest ever threat to her sovereignty in almost a thousand years of history. However, her fate would not be decided by armies of millions but by a unique band of fighter pilots. It was on their shoulders that Britain's only chances of survival rested. Today it seems almost unimaginable. Yet in the summer of 1940 it was all too real. Above the villages and cities, playing fields and market towns, the skies of southern England were the scene of countless dogfights as the fledgling Fighter Command duelled daily against the might of the Luftwaffe. It was an unforgiving test of combat, that measured men and machine ruthlessly. Lavishly illustrated with photographs, contemporary art and posters, and accompanied by numerous first-hand accounts, this is a volume that captures the reality and the romance of a defining chapter in British history.

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9781846034749

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Appropriately released in time for the 70th anniversary of the onslaught, the book provides not only the history of the BoB, but also an analysis of events from both sides of the conflict. In here you'll find the aircraft, the airmen, the commanders, and other personalities with the RAF and the Luftwaffe. It is a superbly written book that brings everything to life. It is a book that I can easily recommend to you as one that you'll be going to over and over again. - Scott Van Aken, Modeling Madness <br> Offer[s] a lavish display packed with modern art, photos, propaganda posters, and first-hand accounts. Any collection strong in British military history must have this! - The Midwest Book Review <br> Photos, wartime posters and drawings, and even a pilot's handwritten diary - mostly culled from the Imperial War Museum's vast archives - makes this one of the most attractive illustrated treatments to appear. The brief, authoritative text is a match for the graphics. - Aviati

Author Information

Kate Moore studied Modern History at the University of Cape Town and completed a Masters in the same subject at Oxford University, where her final thesis was on the Battle of Britain. She has an interest in all periods of history but her first love will always be the key events of 1940. Based in the Osprey editorial office, she works on a variety of titles, but this is the first book she has written for Osprey.

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