Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain
Fighter: The True Story of the Battle of Britain (ISBN 0712674233) is a Second World War military history book by English author Len Deighton. Published in 1977, Fighter was Deighton's first history book, having made his name as a writer of spy fiction. Deighton was encouraged to write the book by British historian A.J.P. Taylor. Fighter covers the Battle of Britain and the build up to it, describing the war in the air at least as much from the German point of view as the British. Deighton explains both political and personal machinations and how they influenced technical decisions and affected the efforts of both countries. There are short biographies of the major "players." It covers the many stupid strategic, tactical and technical decisions made by both sides with remarkable objectivity. Many myths are punctured which leaves one with an uncomfortable feeling that, even if the RAF effort had been optimally organised, the war in the air could have turned out differently if the Nazis had "bungled" slightly less. Air Marshal Hugh Dowding is probably the hero of this book, being one of the few people who perceived the situation accurately. Deighton argues convincingly that his strategy prevented a German victory. In high office everyone wants their "turn at the controls" and lesser men stepped in after Dowding to try out their ideas. Fortunately for the free world the situation was less critical by that time.
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