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    The Battle of Britain: Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
    The Battle of Britain: Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
    The Battle of Britain: Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
    Audiobook26 hours

    The Battle of Britain: Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940

    Written by James Holland

    Narrated by Shaun Grindell

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world, including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle.

    If Britain's defenses collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe. With France facing defeat and British forces pressed back to the Channel, there were few who believed Britain could survive; but, thanks to a sophisticated defensive system and the combined efforts of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, and the defiance of a new Prime Minister, Britain refused to give in.

    From clashes between coastal convoys and Schnellboote in the Channel to astonishing last stands in Flanders, slaughter by U-boats in an icy Atlantic, and dramatic aerial battles over England, The Battle of Britain tells this epic World War II story in a fresh and compelling voice.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 26, 2017
    ISBN9781541478428
    Author

    James Holland

    James Holland was born in Salisbury, Wiltshire, and studied history at Durham University. A member of the British Commission for Military History and the Guild of Battlefield Guides, he also regularly contributes reviews and articles in national newspapers and magazines. He is the author of Italy's Sorrow: A Year of War, 1944-1945; Fortress Malta: An Island Under Siege, 1940-1943; Together We Stand: North Africa 1942-1943 – Turning the Tide in the West; and Heroes: The Greatest Generation and the Second World War. His many interviews with veterans of the Second World War are available at the Imperial War Museum. James Holland is married with two children and lives in Wiltshire.

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    Reviews for The Battle of Britain

    4.5/5

    54 ratings9 reviews

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    • 4/5
      More detailed study than others. This may be the definitive study. This book points out what I had not considered that Churchill almost blundered severely by committing too many airplanes to a doomed France. Also it shows what a bad manager Goreing was and his reliance on the wrong airplanes and the wrong strategy. The wrong strategy was the commitment of German fighters to protecting bombers. The right strategy was shooting down British fighters. Of course, I was familiar with Hitler's decision to switch from bombing airfields to bombing cities. In retrospect this was a mistake but terror bombing did eventually win as illustrated by Hiroshmia.
    • 4/5
      A detailed and balanced history of the Second World War in Western Europe and Britain from May until October 1940. Germany’s invasion of the Netherlands, Belgium and France, the battle of Dunkirk and the subsequent evacuation, Churchill’s becoming prime minister, and some information on U-boat and S-boat warfare are all included, so the title might be misleading depending on what you think the Battle of Britain means. For me, it was at first a mild irritation and then a welcome bonus. I don’t think you can read this quickly, but what’s the rush? The history includes multiple individual pilot accounts on both sides, many photographs, maps, and diagrams.
    • 4/5
      If you think about the Battle of Britain most people may recall the air battle fought between the RAF and the Luftwaffe during the summer of 1940. I usually think of the classic war film from 1969, which has some wonderful shots of the air battle. What I love about James Holland's book is that he expanded my understanding of what "The Battle of Britain" means. Yes, the air battle was important and a critical part of the battle, but Holland's history focuses on many other elements - the German U-boats and convoy war, the politics, and the impact the battle had on the civilians in both England and Germany. Holland gives a much more detailed and in depth account of the battle from both sides of the battle, starting in May with Germany's attack on France and the Low Countries, and through the decision to postpone (and ultimately cancel) Germany's planned invasion of England. The details of the battle are well presented, and following individuals involved in the battle from both sides of the conflict is engaging and brings the realities and horrors of the war into focus. Recommend for anybody interested in World War 2 history, and specifically the critical period of the summer of 1940 when Britain was the last country in Europe to stand up to Hitler's Germany.
    • 4/5
      Very thorough history of the "Battle of Britain" and the events leading up to it. A bit long and dry but full of really good info on the air power of both sides of the conflict.
    • 5/5
      What can I say other than James Holland cuts some very good an readable books?

      This time I was told how close Great Britain was to defeat in the summer and autumn of 1940, why she was not due to the clever set up and management of British defence assets and resources by Sir Huge Dowding. And of Churchill's 'clever hand' in choosing the right persons to the right posts in a time of utter urgency. (Like Lord Beaverbrook in charge of aircraft production)

      And of the poor management of German resources by the Nazi top leaders, and a lack of a clear strategy from same as well as the, for Hitler, negative impact of the 'divide and rule' leadership he practiced towards his top leaders.

      As an - for me -'extra' Holland relates the thoughts and experiences of the time from 'ordinary people' too. Like the young woman working at Siemens in Berlin, the British housewife from London and so on. I like when authors do that, it adds another perspective/and extra dimension to it.

      Finally I almost always learn something new reading good books. Like - in this case - that Chamberlain did not fade into oblivion but stayed as a important member of Churchill's government. I did not know that, now I do ;-)

      Fortunately Great Brittain was not defeatetd in the summer/autum 1940. If she had, the future of Europe whould have been very sinister and dark
    • 5/5
      i cannot imagine a more complete history of this battle. Sir Hugh Dowding claimed that the Battle of Britain started in September, 1939 and Holland seems to prove that. He starts his narrative with the rise of the Nazis and the non militarism of the England and France describing how Germany developed their air force, army and navy. We are given a complete blow by blow description of the German sweep through the Low Countries and France to the expulsion of the British Expeditionary Force.Siting diaries of individuals who experienced the War as military participants or as civilians caught up in it, he gives us the thoughts of these people on their experiences. Of special interest are the views of Germans living in Berlin when the RAF first started bombing it in 1940. Holland does point out that the efforts of Bomber Command during the Battle of Britain are usually ignored or played down, but he quotes German pilots who found the constant harassment of RAF bombers attacking their air fields very damaging.Tremendous read.
    • 4/5
      Keeps up the suspense even though of course I know how it all turned out.
    • 4/5
      Excellent so far apart from some of the maps are incomplete and sometimes it can be difficult to pinpoint specific units. Nice use of primary evidence in the narrative, adds authenticity and also a feel of desparation in what were desparate times...Main criticisms from me would include that although the narrative drive is maintained all the way through, it is very difficult to get an idea of the passage of time, which becomes blurred in the recollections of the various personalities that Holland has interviewed for this. There's a sense that this is another "dogfight" that has been described and not a grip of time passing. There is no timeline of major events and although the whole campaign in retrospect did appear to be nebulous to those involved, Eagle Day etc did happen and marked major stages in the battle. This was not really described. Overall, recommended for any one with an interest and very readable history.
    • 4/5
      A good account and excellent use of primary source material, which was included in the text, making a very human side to the story. Little in the way of chronology and this made the sequence of events hard to follow at times and at others, I found the maps incomplete. These two quibbles are why I have not awarded this 5 stars