By the summer of 1940, Great Britain watched as France succumbed to the might of Adolf Hitler’s forces. With her soldiers driven off the Continent, many rescued from capture at Dunkirk, only the Royal Air Force, supported by the country’s newly established radar system, now stood in the way of invasion.
Hermann Göring had promised the Führer that his air force would sweep the British skies of all opposition to allow Operation Sea Lion – the invasion of southern England – to commence. The intense aerial combat over the coming months across the English Channel and the countryside of south-east England would not reflect the optimism of Nazi propaganda.
Drawing on personal letters and diaries of Luftwaffe air crews, along with official combat reports and contemporary German newspapers, Victoria Taylor weaves a rich, multifaceted tapestry of the military, political, social and cultural influences that shaped the German air force’s mentality and morale during the Battle of Britain.
Victoria Taylor is an award-winning aviation historian. She has published in various mainstream publications, including ‘BBC History Extra’, ‘Britain at War’ and ‘Iron Cross’. Victoria has also served as an onscreen expert and off-screen consultant for a number of historical documentaries on BBC Two, Channel 5, History Hit, Sky History, National Geographic, and BBC Radio 4.