On 18 June 1940 Churchill declared in the Commons - 'The Battle of France is over...the Battle for Britain is about to begin'. With the fall of France, Great Britain was Hitler's last remaining stepping-stone to European domination. In July Hitler told his commanders to prepare for the invasion of England. To do this they would have to destroy the RAF - Britain's last line of defence. As such the Battle of Britain was without doubt one of, if not the, most important victories in British history. At the end of it Hitler cancelled all plans to invade England and the Allies maintained a European stronghold from which to launch the eventual operation to recapture mainland Europe. This book is the story of that battle: the machines which took to the air; the tactics employed by each side; gripping accounts of the action; the people who took part from the Commanders, to the pilots to ground crew and plotters.

Series Introduction:
Published for the first time in digital format, André Deutsch’s ‘A World at War’ series presents a collection of authoritative and concise military histories written by some of the world’s most respected military and social historians. We launch with a series of 12 titles on the First and Second World Wars by authors including Gary Sheffield, Richard Overy, Juliet Gardiner and Richard Holmes. Future titles will cover subjects ranging from the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars, to the American Civil War and the Vietnam War, by authors such as Sir Alistair Horne and Major General Julian Thompson.