By the summer of 1940, Britain's government and citizens were braced for the worst. Classically, the Battle of Britain is said to have lasted from about 10th July to 15th September, beginning with minor bombing raids which gave the Luftwaffe initial operational insight into British air defences. Conversely, they also gave RAF Fighter Command experience of raid detection, interception and air combat tactics. It was a mere few weeks after the evacuation of Dunkirk and the air campaign rapidly escalated between July and September with bombing maritime, aviation and urban targets to draw RAF fighters into vast aerial dog fights. Soon it became apparent that the nation's survival turned on 'The Few', a new generation of fighter pilots flying single-seat monoplanes. Young, determined and fighting over home soil, their efforts rested upon the shoulders of tens of thousands of RAF ground personnel, delivering a spectrum of vital roles ranging from aircraft maintenance to catering. This pocket manual presents period documents, many never previously published, covering the organisation of both RAF and the opposing Luftwaffe in 1940, and how Britain was configured to defend itself, including not only its fighter aircraft and its pilot training, but also through observer posts, radar detection and anti-aircraft guns. Manuals and memos demonstrate the evolution of tactics on both sides over that long hot summer and the book provides an exceptional insight into a nation's fight for survival. Amazing archive photographs including one on page 81 directly over the Bibliophile office on the River Thames. Line art. 160pp.
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