The Battle of Britain

The ground-breaking and definitive account of the Battle of Britain from one of this country's most acclaimed young historians'A notable account of an epic human experience' Max Hastings, Sunday Times'Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this island or lose the war' Sir Winston Churchill, speech to the House of Commons, 18 June 1940The Nazi Blitzkrieg was unlike any invasion the world had ever seen. It hit Europe with a force and aggression that no-one could counter. Within weeks the German armies were at the French coast and looking across at Britain. It seemed impossible that she would be able to resist invasion.Between the Nazis and glory stood an apparently fragile defence, but the men and women of Fighter, Bomber and Coastal Commands and the Royal Navy would not be cowed. Their heroics that summer would go down in history.In The Battle of Britain for the first time, James Holland tells this most epic of stories from a 360 perspective - when the fate of the world truly hung by a thread.

“"Holland is a narrative historian par excellence who believes that people should be at the heart of any story and brings the characters of the age to life... [an] excellent, highly-readable volume." - Navy News”

Holland is excellent on telling detail... This is a notable account of an epic human experience, told with the informality and enthusiasm that distinguish Holland's work... If the story is familiar, Holland tells it with authority and exuberant panache -- Max Hastings The Sunday Times
Holland is one of a new generation of historians who were born long after the war but who bring to the subject a freshness and proper spirit of enquiry. A great achievement -- John Sergeant Sunday Express
Excellent on all the technicalities of the conflict... full of lively pen portraits and unusual insights Spectator
Stuffed with personal accounts that drive the narrative along at a cracking pace -- Patrick Bishop Mail on Sunday
Ambitious and comprehensive... the pace never flags as the narrative ranges effortlessly from the cockpit of the Spitfire to the gallery of the House of Commons -- Saul David Daily Telegraph

James Holland is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning historian, writer, and broadcaster. The author of a number of best-selling histories including most recently Brothers In Arms and Normandy '44, he is also the author of nine works of fiction and a dozen Ladybird Experts.He is the co-founder of the annual Chalke Valley History Festival which is now in its twelfth year, and he has presented - and written - many television programmes and series for the BBC, Channel 4, National Geographic and the History and Discovery channels.With Al Murray, he has a successful Second World War podcast, We Have Ways of Making You Talk, which also has its own festival, and is a research fellow at St Andrew's University and a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He can be found on Twitter as @James1940 and on Instagram as @jamesholland1940.

The Nazi Blitzkrieg was unlike any invasion the world had ever seen. It hit Europe with a force and aggression that no-one could counter. Within weeks the German armies were at the French coast and looking across at Britain, a country still reeling from the opening salvoes of the war. It seemed impossible that she would be able to resist invasion. But between the Nazis and glory stood more than just the pilots of Fighter Command. There was Bomber and Coastal Command, the Royal Navy and the incredible Auxiliary Patrol Service. In this darkest hour, Britain's defence was truly a national effort, and one that had been considerably better prepared for than the German attack. For the first time, The Battle of Britain tells this most epic of stories from a 360 perspective, drawing on extensive new research from around the world that challenges some of the long-held myths about the battle. Holland paints a complete picture of that extraordinary summer - a time in which the fate of the world truly hung by a thread.

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