The Battle of Britain, 1945-1965: The Air Ministry and the Few

ISBN-13: 9780230284548 / Angielski / Twarda / 2015 / 366 str.

Garry Campion

Opis

How did the Battle of Britain as it is celebrated today, acquire its hallowed status in British popular memory? Officially recognized as a decisive event in March 1941 by Britain's Air Ministry, Hitler's decision in September 1940 to postpone the invasion of Britain was credited to Churchill's 'Few' alone. A separate campaign waged by RAF Bomber and Coastal Commands against invasion preparations was also significant in Operation Sea Lion's postponement, but was quickly eclipsed despite contemporary British propaganda attention. Beginning in 1940 with both German and British air war propaganda, then later-war coverage, this book additionally explores the commemorative, cultural and historiographic representation of this famous aerial conflict from 1945 through to the advent of the modern age with Churchill's death in 1965. It reveals that several senior Air Ministry officers were strikingly successful in shaping the Battle as a moment of British exceptionalism, misleadingly achieved only by Fighter Command.

Recenzje

"Given the various commemorative activities that accompanied the recent seventy-fifth anniversary of the Battle of Britain, this is a timely volume by Garry Campion, one which develops further some of the issues and ideas he had previously explored in his widely (and rightly) praised 2009 work ... . this is a fine contribution to Battle of Britain scholarship, and an important addition to on-going work examining the Second World War's pervasive and persistent cultural legacy." (Sam Edwards, War in History, Vol. 24 (4), 2017)

"This book provides a fascinating story and the various circumstances surrounding the famous Battle of Britain. ... It also presents background materials in eight appendices to give readers a broader view. ... This book is an interesting read. It contains many details, circumstances and backgrounds on various decisions, actions, influences, and postponements that have previously not been looked at, so it is valuable for those interested in British history." (Sonu Chandiram, Biz India Reviews, bizindia.net, December 2015)

O autorze

Garry Campion teaches architectural conservation and history at the University of Northampton, UK, and has previously published The Good Fight: Battle of Britain Propaganda and the Few, also with Palgrave Macmillan in 2008, and again in paperback in 2010. He is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society.