The Hardest Day, 18 August 1940: Battle of Britain

This is Dr Alfred Price's masterwork on the Battle of Britain. Now more than twenty years old, the book retains it's vitality and is as easy to read and understand as any book on the subject could possibly be. For the uninitiated, the Battle of Britain is the most pivotal air campaign in history. For approximately ten weeks in 1940, the fate of Britain depended entirely on the Royal Air Force. With her army almost destroyed at Dunkirque, her allies in Europe defeated, Britain stood alone. German raids on RAF airfields almost crippled her ability to defend herself but with the tactics used by Air Chief-Marshall Dowding and Air Vice-Marshall Park, as well as a primitive form of radar (a British invention), a handfull of incredibly brave pilots saved the island nation from invasion.The book covers a single day; 18th August, 1940, in an easy-to-read narrative style with lucid observations by the people who were actually there. Civilians, Police officers, Telephone linesmen, RAF plotters and fighter pilots, as well as many of the combatants from the Luftwaffe, are quoted freely and eloquently without any apparent break in the pace of the book. The author's exhaustive research was indeed well timed as many of those people are no longer around to give their version of events and Dr Price gives us a good insight into just how this book came to be written in the first place. Unlike many similar books, this one does not get bogged down in detail, nor does it use overly-long quotes from the participants which could distract the reader. It seems to have been the first of it's kind in this regard and remains much-imitated but yet to be matched.The mere fact that he was able to get so many people from both sides, including several who actually faced each other that day and who subsequently became friends, gives this book a human touch which will give it unique appeal even to those who may not be specifically interested in military history. This book is an absolute gem. If the subject is your thing then don't miss it.

The entire book is devoted to telling the story of only one day during the battle of Britain. August the 18th is the date of the highest actual losses for both sides (not the highest claimed losses as was the case on september 15th). This book is so well written I can recommend it to anyone with even the most passing interest in WWII. Alfred Price, has a definite talent for distilling military operational detail into everyday language, and the historical detail is presented in a thoroughly engrossing way. I have read many books written almost exclusively from the historian's point of view and have enjoyed them very much, but for me there's no substitute for hearing from the participants in their own words. From top brass to civilians, from airfeild personnel to aircrews on both sides, this book creates, at times, a minute by minute experience of that day's events. My only complaint (and it's a small one) is the overall pacing. The first couple of chapters or so necesarily set the stage. The next chapters deal effectively with the attacks, but as the chapters progress, the action, and therefore the suspense, steadily dwindles. But while the book is hitting its stride it is just about impossible to put down! Highly recommended.