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The gripping and heroic story of fighter pilots defending the skies over Britain from unprecedented Nazi attackFor 113 terrifying days in 1940, Nazi Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, threw everything it had at Great Britain in hopes of early victory in World War II. The task of defending southern England from airborne attack fell to pilots in the Royal Air Force, supplemented in their darkest hour by more than 100 flyers from Canada. These Canadians, some from famous families, some straight off the farm, served in forty-seven different Battle of Britain squadrons.
Now, for the first time, bestselling military historian Ted Barris’s tells the riveting story of their crucial role in this do-or-die-battle: how they accounted for 130 German aircraft destroyed, another thirty probably destroyed and more than seventy damaged, with twenty pilots dying in action and twelve awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses.
Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in their Finest Hour is a must for enthusiasts of military and aviation history.
About the author
Ted Barris is an accomplished author, journalist and broadcaster. As well as hosting stints on CBC Radio and regular contributions to
The Globe and Mail, the
National Post, and various national magazines, he is a full-time professor of journalism at Centennial College in Toronto. Barris has authored 17 non-fiction books, including the national bestsellers
Victory at Vimy and
Juno. He currently lives in Toronto.
Summary
The gripping and heroic story of fighter pilots defending the skies over Britain from unprecedented Nazi attack
For 113 terrifying days in 1940, Nazi Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe, threw everything it had at Great Britain in hopes of early victory in World War II. The task of defending southern England from airborne attack fell to pilots in the Royal Air Force, supplemented in their darkest hour by more than 100 flyers from Canada. These Canadians, some from famous families, some straight off the farm, served in forty-seven different Battle of Britain squadrons.
Now, for the first time, bestselling military historian Ted Barris’s tells the riveting story of their crucial role in this do-or-die-battle: how they accounted for 130 German aircraft destroyed, another thirty probably destroyed and more than seventy damaged, with twenty pilots dying in action and twelve awarded Distinguished Flying Crosses. Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in their Finest Hour is a must for enthusiasts of military and aviation history.
