Sarkar, Dilip Battle of Britain. Band 4: Airfields under Attack. 19 August - 6 September 1940

In the Battle of Britain series, historian Dilip Sarkar explores the big story of the Battle of Britain, shedding light on the wider context and intimate details of the air campaign in the summer of 1940 from all sides. This narrative draws on a lifetime of research, as the author has maintained a long relationship with survivors and relatives of casualties; his countless interviews and first-hand accounts, as well as privileged access to personal papers, lend an essential human interest to this inspiring story. In this fourth volume, Dilip continues the investigation of the fighting from 19 August to 6 September 1940, day by day, battle by battle. During this period, the Luftwaffe's bombing of Group 11 airfields intensified, culminating on 18 August 1940, the 'hardest day', when both sides lost more aircraft than on any other day in the entire Battle of Britain, and tensions and problems between Fighter Command Groups 11 and 12 also increased. It was a situation that eventually led to Squadron Leader Douglas Bader criticising Fighter Command's tactics and suggesting the use of 'Big Wings', which was at odds with the system of air defence and associated strategy, and gained the support of his Group 12 commander, Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory. Through painstaking research, combined with key official primary sources and personal papers, Dilip unravels many myths and often challenges the accepted narrative. This is not just another boring record of combat losses and aerial victories - quite the opposite. Drawing on unique first-hand accounts from a wide range of combatants and eyewitnesses, as well as daily domestic intelligence reports and numerous other primary sources, this book is part of what is likely to be the first and last comprehensive account of this air battle.