The Battle of Britain

Nigel Cawthorne

May 2013 · Arcturus Publishing

About this ebook

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few" - Churchill on the RAF.

The fate of Britain was balanced on a knife edge after Hitler ordered the Luftwaffe to destroy the RAF. German aircraft outnumbered Britain's forces four to one, and the Luftwaffe was inexorably gaining the upper hand. It was touch and go whether the nation could survive.

This landscape-format book presents an incredible pictorial history of the Battle of Britain. Over 200 full-page photographs reveal the twists and turns of this momentous air battle and the men and women who fought for their nation.

Images feature:
• The courageous 'Few' who fought from the skies, including Douglas Bader and Johnnie Johnson.
• Local defence volunteers who prepared on the ground
• The various aircraft that defined this battle, featuring the iconic Spitfire, the Hurricane and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109.
• Scenes of tragedy and jubilation, including the London Blitz and final VE day celebrations in Trafalgar square.

These spectacular photographs are accompanied by fascinating captions and chapter text which narrates the action. Emphasising the human side to this battle, The Battle of Britain is a moving tribute to a men and women who pulled together in the face of overwhelming odds and pushed back against Adolf Hitler.

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne studied at University College, London, where he gained an Honours degree in Physics, before turning to writing as a career. He has been a writer and editor for over 25 years, the last 21 freelance. He has written, contributed to and edited more than sixty books, including Fighting Them On The Beaches: D-Day, 6 June 1944, The Battle of Britain, Vietnam: A War Lost and Won, Stalin, and The Story of the SS. His work has also appeared in over a hundred and fifty newspapers, magazines and partworks on both sides of the Atlantic - from the Sun to the Financial Times, and includes contributions to Nam, Eyewitness Nam and The Falklands War. Nigel also visited Vietnam with the legendary Tim Page, where he researched the material for Nam, Eyewitness Nam, and The Bamboo Cage. He is also the creator of websites on the Battle of Hastings, and Pearl Harbor.