The Battle of Britain - A Retrospective

September 15, Battle of Britain Day

 

It is now 80 years since the Battle of Britain was fought -- and won. It was not, of course, a battle fought on a single day, but rather one that lasted the entire summer of 1940. Only in retrospect did the “Battle of Britain” become a discreet phase of the Second World War. 

Yet in a speech before the House of Commons on June 18, 1940, Sir Winston Churchill correctly noted its significance. Warning that "the Battle of Britain" was about to begin, Churchill soberly predicted that “the whole fury and might of the enemy must very soon be turned on us."  He presciently predicted: "Hitler knows that he will have to break us in this Island or lose the war. If we can stand up to him, all Europe may be free … but if we fail, then the whole world, including the United States … will sink into the abyss of a new Dark Age ….” 

The Battle of Britain did not win or end the war. It would take five more grim and grueling years of conflict before Hitler was finally defeated. The Second World War first spread across the entire northern hemisphere and consumed millions of lives. Yet the Battle of Britain was the imperative first step toward Allied victory. It brought Hitler’s aggression to a halt for the first time since he had come to power in Germany in 1933.

What is often forgotten nowadays is that it was a very near-run thing. The outcome teetered in the balance day after day. It was also a victory won by an extraordinarily limited number of combatants — Winston’s Churchill’s “Few.” Yet they were not entirely alone in this vital struggle. They were supported by ground crews and controllers, by medical, clerical and catering staff -- and by the women they loved.

Where Eagles Never Flew is a tribute to the men and women who were engaged in this crucial conflict. Based on first-hand accounts by pilots and other participants as well as retrospective historical analysis, this novel recreates the tense atmosphere of this dramatic summer. It allows the reader to see unfolding events through the eyes of characters involved both in the air and on the ground and on both sides of the Channel. 

See a video teaser of Where Eagles Never Flew 

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