{"title":"Dilip Sarkar","description":"\u003cp\u003eDelve into the meticulously researched historical works of Dilip Sarkar, a celebrated authority on aviation and military history. 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An amazing array of leaflets, books and manuals were issued by the War Office during the Second World War to aid pilots in flying the Supermarine Spitfire, here for the first time and using the original 1940s setting, they are collated into a single book. An introduction is supplied by expert aviation historian Dilip Sarkar. 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The Luftwaffe's intention was to destroy Fighter Command, domination of the skies being crucial to Hitler's invasion plan. During that fateful summer, young RAF fighter pilots, flying Spitfires and Hurricanes, were scrambled time and time again to face insuperable odds - and the Luftwaffe was, until that point, unbeaten. The enemy fighter pilots, in their brightly painted Messerschmitt 109s, were the most experienced in the world. But somehow the RAF pilots, fighting desperately in a spider's web of intricate vapour trails, and with sudden and violent death an ever present companion, prevailed. Afterwards, Churchill paid homage to them all: 'Never in the field of human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so few'. A legend had been born.Dilip Sarkar has been fascinated by the Battle of Britain since childhood and began seriously researching the subject in the 1970s. He wrote thousands of letters and travelled extensively over the UK interviewing the fabled 'Few'. 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Fighter Command faced this challenge against overwhelming odds with immeasurable courage and tenacity, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, immortalising these young Spitfire and Hurricane pilots as 'The Few'. Some 2,927 aircrew comprised the 'Few', 544 of whom made the ultimate sacrifice that fateful summer, now known as the Battle of Britain. A further 791 would perish before the war's end. Today, precious few indeed remain alive worldwide. Veteran aviation historian Dilip Sarkar, however, has spent a lifetime recording the stories of casualties and the memories of survivors. In this important book, Dilip brings us more original research and new interviews with 'The Final Few'. This is likely to be the last such work produced, as sadly but inevitably Churchill's 'Few' fade from living memory.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49539541958929,"sku":"GOR012862372","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49566856315153,"sku":"GOR007992200","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51256266424593,"sku":"GOR010952744","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445642360.jpg?v=1764065112"},{"product_id":"through-peril-to-the-stars-book-dilip-sarkar-9780955043192","title":"Through Peril to the Stars","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49540289429777,"sku":"GOR004779929","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0955043190.jpg?v=1751331694"},{"product_id":"douglas-bader-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445612768","title":"Douglas Bader","description":"The story of Douglas Bader, the RAF fighter pilot who shot down twenty enemy fighters during the Second World War despite having lost both his legs, defies fiction. A fighter ace and highly decorated war hero, he became a household name in the 1950s thanks to the bestselling book and blockbuster film Reach for the Sky which charted his wartime exploits. Indeed, his name remains the one the general public associate most with the Battle of Britain. That he overcame his disability and flew into battle  -  leading squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes in the epic air battle of summer 1940  -  is truly remarkable. Bader's first aerial victory  -  a Messerschmitt 109  -  was recorded over Dunkirk on 1 June 1940. During the subsequent Battle of Britain this remarkable airman claimed the destruction of seven more enemy aircraft: Me 110s, Do 17s, Ju 88s and another Me 109 falling to his guns. The legless airman was, of course, rich material for the propagandists, who lost no time in manipulating his exploits to increase Britain's morale. Newspaper reports and radio broadcasts of his aerial victories abounded.  Dilip Sarkar has spent over twenty years researching the life and times of Douglas Bader. 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In Spitfire Down he explores the stories of thirteen pilots who failed to return, all killed, either in action or flying accidents, whilst a fourteenth, Flying Officer Buck Casson, was brought down by a German ace over France and captured.  There is, for example, the virtually unknown story of  The Baby of the RAF', Sergeant Geoffrey Painting. Posted to fly Spitfires with 118 Squadron at RAF Ibsley in Hampshire, Painting was hit by flak during an attack on enemy shipping off Cherbourg on 30 September 1941. Still listed as missing, at just 17, he is believed to have been the youngest RAF pilot killed during the Second World War. The author has reconstructed Painting's short life with help from his family, and forensically deconstructed that last flight with the help of the now late Wing Commander Peter Howard-Williams DFC, who was flying with the teenage pilot that day.  The author also explores the heart-rending story of an American trainee fighter pilot, Pilot Officer  Jim Bob' Lee, whose Spitfire collided with a Wellington bomber over Gloucestershire - resulting in the loss of all airmen involved. Two Canadian pilots perished on Pen-y-Fan, the highest peak in South Wales. The multi-national effort that defeated Hitler is further emphasised, in fact, through the stories of both Wing Commander Piotr Laguna and Flying Officer Franek Surma. But perhaps most tragic of all is how lightning struck Joan Welch twice: her first fianc e, Flight Lieutenant Lester Sanders DFC, was killed test-flying Spitfires in 1942, and her second, Pilot Officer Ian Smith, was killed flying in Palestine in 1945.  Using correspondence, diaries and other personal papers of the pilots concerned, the author has reconstructed their all-too brief lives and provided a lasting and profusely illustrated record of these sacrifices.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49546514891025,"sku":"GOR012525117","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49743385133329,"sku":"NGR9781399089470","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399089471.jpg?v=1750890571"},{"product_id":"last-of-the-few-book-dilip-sarkar-9781848684355","title":"Last of the Few","description":"Spitfire and Hurricane fighter pilots recount their experiences of combat during the Battle of Britain. 2,927 aircrew of RAF Fighter Command fought and won the Battle of Britain in 1940, 544 lost their lives in action. They flew to battle in Spitfires and Hurricanes, Defiants and Blenheims, although it is the two former fighter types - single-seaters both - that still inspire and capture our imagination.  The legendary legless fighter 'ace' Douglas Bader once said that the Battle of Britain was 'not won by a few aces, but by the average squadron pilot who collectively did their bit.' One of those men, Peter Fox, described himself and his fellows as mere 'also rans' - but clearly, without them, Fighter Command could not have prevailed. In this book, Dilip Sarkar relates their stories, researched through personal interviews, correspondence and contemporary archive material. Many of the pilots featured became 'aces' in the Battle of Britain, others achieved such status afterwards whilst others went into action only to be instantly blasted out of the sky without even having seen the enemy.  Their collective experience, however, is typical of those who flew Spitfires and Hurricanes in 1940.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49550540669201,"sku":"GOR006670123","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49649635229969,"sku":"GOR006406552","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50889432695057,"sku":"GOR012132915","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52110574387473,"sku":"GOR014475793","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848684355.jpg?v=1764065074"},{"product_id":"spitfire-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445605852","title":"Spitfire","description":"The elliptical shape and mighty roar of the Supermarine Spitfire continues to inspire people all over the world. 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As such it represents a unique collection and window through which, all these years later, we can glimpse the Spitfire in her element.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49558445621521,"sku":"GOR007920552","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":53509499814161,"sku":"CIN1445605856G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445605856.jpg?v=1751084656"},{"product_id":"spitfire-voices-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445606958","title":"Spitfire Voices","description":"Spitfire Voices represents an important oral history of the Spitfire from the fighter pilot's perspective. Drawing upon the personal letters, diaries and memories of their families and comrades, the author recounts the deeply moving stories of those who made the ultimate sacrifice. 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Copiously illustrated with photographs from the albums of the pilots concerned, Spitfire Voices represents exactly what it was like flying to war in a Spitfire  -  in the words of those who lived to tell their tales. includes 169 photographs","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49561222775057,"sku":"GOR005391464","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50433690894609,"sku":"GOR011777273","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52739171516689,"sku":"GOR009732063","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/144560695X.jpg?v=1777715534"},{"product_id":"spitfire-voices-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445600420","title":"Spitfire Voices","description":"Spitfire fighter pilots tell their extraordinary stories of combat during the Second World War.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49562053280017,"sku":"GOR003788391","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50224456007953,"sku":"GOR008058074","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445600420.jpg?v=1764065378"},{"product_id":"letters-from-the-few-book-dilip-sarkar-9781526775894","title":"Letters from the Few","description":"Fascinated by the Battle of Britain from an early age, as a young man Dilip Sarkar realised that recording and sharing the Few's memories was of paramount importance. At the time, back in the mid-1980s, membership of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association was well populated and the then Honorary Secretary, the now late Wing Commander Pat Hancock DFC, OBE, supported Dilip's research by forwarding letters to individual pilots of interest.  Those members of the Few included a wide-range of personalities, from famous airmen like Group Captain Peter Townsend and Air Marshal Sir Denis Crowley-Milling, to the  also rans', as Battle of Britain Hurricane pilot Peter Fox famously described himself and peers. Indeed, it was Peter's  also rans' that were of the greatest interest to Dilip, who recognised that whilst many famous and distinguished pilots had either published personal memoirs or had biographies written about them, lesser-lights had no platform to record and share their experiences. This Dilip became dedicated to resolving.  For many years, Dilip enjoyed prolific correspondence with the Few. These letters - hundreds of them - now represent a unique primary source, confirming the incredibly close relationship the author enjoyed with his heroes and high esteem in which they likewise held him. Over the years, Dilip's published work has enormously benefited from his unique knowledge of the people involved through this very personal association, the memories collated providing his books a real  human' touch. As the Few sadly fade away, it is only now that the significance of Dilip's correspondence, industry and archive arising are becoming truly apparent.  In _Letters From The Few_, Dilip shares with us, for the first time, a small selection of his correspondence with Battle of Britain fighter pilots, providing us an inspirational insight into the immeasurable value of this research and personalities involved.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49564380102929,"sku":"GOR010896142","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49739150459153,"sku":"NGR9781526775894","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1526775891.jpg?v=1751022144"},{"product_id":"battle-of-britain-on-the-big-screen-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399088237","title":"The Battle of Britain on the Big Screen","description":"During the Second World War, the British movie industry produced a number of films concerning the war, all of which were, by necessity, heavily myth-laden and propagandised. Foremost among these productions was The First of the Few, which was the biggest grossing film of 1942.  In the immediate post-war period, to start with there were no British aviation war films. The first to be released was Angels One Five in 1952. It was well-received, confirming that the Battle of Britain was a commercial commodity.  Over the next few years, many famous war heroes published their memoirs, or had books written about them, including the legless Group Captain Douglas Bader, whose story, Reach for the Sky, told by Paul Brickhill, became a best-seller in 1956. It was followed a year later by the film of the same name, which, starring Kenneth More, dominated that year's box office.  The early Battle of Britain films had tended to focus upon the story of individuals, not the bigger picture. That changed with the release of the star-studded epic Battle of Britain in 1969. Using real aircraft, the film, produced in colour and on a far larger scale than had been seen on film before, was notable for its spectacular flying sequences.  Between the release of Reach for the Sky and Battle of Britain, however, much had changed for modern Britain. For a variety of reasons many felt that the story of the nation's pivotal moment in the Second World War was something best buried and forgotten. Indeed, the overall box office reaction to Battle of Britain reinforced this view - all of which might explain why it was the last big screen treatment of this topic for many years.  It was during the Battle of Britain's seventieth anniversary year that the subject returned to the nation's screens when Matthew Wightman's docudrama First Light was first broadcast. Essentially a serialisation of Spitfire pilot Geoffrey Wellum's best-selling memoir of the same title, Wightman cleverly combined clips of Wellum as an old man talking about the past with his new drama footage. The series is, in the opinion of the author, the best portrayal of an individual's Battle of Britain experience to have been made.  In this fascinating exploration of the Battle of Britain on the big screen, renowned historian and author Dilip Sarkar examines the popular memory and myths of each of these productions and delves into the arguments between historians and the filmmakers. 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As Britain's wartime leader, Winston Churchill, rightly predicted,  the Battle of Britain is about to begin'.  Famously, Churchill mobilised the English language, emboldening the nation with rousing rhetoric. In this darkest of hours, Churchill told the people that this was, in fact, their  Finest Hour', a time of unprecedented courage and defiance which defined the British people. Connecting the crucial battle with Shakespeare's heroic Henry V and Agincourt, Churchill also immortalised Fighter Command's young aircrew as the  Few' - to whom so many owed everything.  The Few comprised nearly 3,000 aircrew, 544 of which gave their lives during the Battle of Britain's sixteen weeks of high drama. Arguably, however, the official dates of 10 July - 31 October 1940 are arbitrary, the fighting actually ongoing before and afterwards. 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Researched with the full cooperation of the families concerned, this work is a crucial contribution to the Battle of Britain's bibliography.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49574079824145,"sku":"GOR011523964","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49734858342673,"sku":"NGR9781526775931","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50913547419921,"sku":"GOR010893197","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/152677593X.jpg?v=1750829349"},{"product_id":"arnhem-1944-book-dilip-sarkar-9781526732736","title":"Arnhem 1944","description":"The airborne battle for the bridges across the Rhine at Arnhem ranks amongst the Second World War's most famous actions - inspiring innumerable books and the star-studded 1977 movie. This book, however, is unique: deeply moved, the author provides a fresh narrative and approach - concentrating on the tragic stories of individual casualties.  These men were killed at different junctures in the fighting, often requiring forensic analysis to ascertain their fates. Wider events contextualise the author's primary focus - effectively 'resurrecting' casualties through describing their backgrounds, previous experience, and tragic effect on their families. In particular, the emotive and unresolved issue of the many still 'missing' is explored.  During the course of his research, the author made numerous trips to Arnhem and Oosterbeek, travelled miles around the UK, and spent countless hours communicating with the relatives of casualties - achieving their enthusiastic support. This detailed work, conducted sensitively and with dignity, ensures that these moving stories are now recorded for posterity.  Included are the stories of Private Albert Willingham, who sacrificed his life to save civilians; Major Frank Tate, machine-gunned against the backdrop of blazing buildings around Arnhem Bridge; family man Sergeant George Thomas, whose anti-tank gun is displayed today outside the Airborne Museum 'Hartenstein', and Squadron Leader John Gilliard DFC, father of a baby son who perished flying his Stirling through a hail of shot and shell during an essential re-supply drop. Is Private Gilbert Anderson, who remains 'missing', actually buried as an 'unknown', the author asks? Representing the Poles is Lance-Corporal Czeslaw Gajewnik, who drowned whilst escaping the hell of Oosterbeek, and accounts by Dutch civilians emphasise the shared suffering - sharply focussed by the tragedy of Luuk Buist, killed protecting his family. The sensitivity still surrounding German casualties is also explained.  This raw, personal, side of war, the hopes and fears of ordinary men thrust into extraordinary circumstances, is both deeply moving and revealing: no longer are these just names carved on headstones or memorials in a distant land. Through this thorough investigative work, supported by those who remember them, the casualties live again, their silent voices heard through friends, relatives, comrades and unpublished letters.  So, let us return to the fateful autumn of 1944, and meet those fighting in the skies, on the landing grounds, in the streets and woods of Oosterbeek, and on the 'bridge too far' at Arnhem.  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Fighter Command faced this challenge against overwhelming odds with immeasurable courage and tenacity, the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, immortalising these young Spitfire and Hurricane pilots as The Few . Some 2,927 aircrew comprised the Few, 544 of whom made the ultimate sacrifice that fateful summer, now known as the Battle of Britain. A further 791 would perish before the war s end.Today, precious few indeed remain alive worldwide, the Battle of Britain Fighter Association now numbering twenty-seven. Veteran aviation historian Dilip Sarkar, however, has spent a lifetime recording the stories of casualties and the memories of survivors.In this important book commemorating the Battle of Britain s seventy-fifth anniversary, he brings us more original work and new interviews with The Final Few . 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Back in the dark days of 1940, however, when Britain alone defied Nazi Germany, Duxford was a crucial Sector Station in Fighter Command's front line.  Flying Hurricanes and Spitfires, Allied fighter pilots scrambled from Duxford's grass runway time and time again to engage the enemy. Indeed, from here that legendary airman Douglas Bader frequently sallied forth to drive back the Luftwaffe that fateful summer, alongside other 'aces' such as Brian Lane, George 'Grumpy' Unwin, and Alan 'Ace' Haines. Duxford's Station Commander was the flamboyant Group Captain 'Woody' Woodhall, who doubled as the fighter controller; the introduction to this book features his hitherto unpublished memoir on the Battle of Britain period, leading the reader perfectly into this unique collection of extremely rare photographs presented by well-known aviation historian Dilip Sarkar.  Most photographs originate in the personal albums of Duxford survivors, and provide, therefore, an incredible window through which we are able to glimpse the life, and death, at Battle of Britain Duxford.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49581976027409,"sku":"GOR006761553","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49790266179857,"sku":"GOR010650393","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53444369088785,"sku":"GOR009645056","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848682131.jpg?v=1760521856"},{"product_id":"through-peril-to-the-stars-book-dilip-sarkar-9780951983218","title":"Through Peril to the Stars","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49586609488145,"sku":"GOR002897439","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52090922336529,"sku":"GOR006173795","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0951983210.jpg?v=1750820449"},{"product_id":"few-of-the-many-book-dilip-sarkar-9780951983232","title":"Few of the Many","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49594475151633,"sku":"GOR003790524","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49614647558417,"sku":"GOR002421591","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53610959864081,"sku":"GOR005255400","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0951983237.jpg?v=1751013250"},{"product_id":"battle-of-britain-the-breaking-storm-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399056410","title":"The Battle of Britain The Breaking Storm","description":"In Battle of Britain: The Gathering Storm, the first of Dilip Sarkar's unprecedented eight-volume series exploring the Battle of Britain, the events that led up to the outbreak of war in 1939, and which set the scene for the epic aerial conflict of summer 1940, were fully explored.  Continuing his examination of the events of the Spitfire Summer, in Battle of Britain: The Breaking Storm Dilip provides a day-by-day chronicle of the Battle of Britain's first phase - the so-called Kanalkampf - which was fought over the Channel-bound convoys between 10 July and 12 August 1940. This account, though, does not simply concern RAF Fighter Command, as the author recognises the operations and efforts of the RAF's Bomber and Coastal commands, the Royal Navy and mercantile marine - making this book part of what he calls 'the Big story'.  Hitler's actual policies and intentions towards the ongoing war with Britain are also explored. If the Battle of Britain was fought to deny Germany the aerial superiority required to launch a seaborne invasion of southern England, then, the author argues, the conflict could surely only have begun when the Germans committed to Operation Seeloewe - which was not, in fact, until 21 July 1940. It has previously been accepted that Hitler's War Directive of 16 July 1940 signalled the intention to invade, but the author proves that this was no more than another example of the 'brinkmanship' that Hitler was renowned for, and the air attacks at that time little more than 'Air Fleet Diplomacy', all of which was intended to frighten Britain into accepting the Fuhrer's 'last appeal to reason' of 19 July 1940.  In his broadcast of 22 July 1940, Lord Halifax made the nation's unbowed position quite clear. He called Hitler's bluff: previously reluctant to fight Britain, Hitler's preferred policy in the ongoing war had been blockade and diplomacy - but now he had no choice but to unleash the Luftwaffe against Britain. All of this is investigated in detail, aligning these wider events and high decisions with action in the air.  Through diligent research, combined with crucial official primary sources and personal papers, Dilip unravels many myths, often challenging the accepted narrative. This is not simply another dull record of combat losses and claims - far from it. Drawing upon unique first-hand accounts from a wide-range of combatants and eyewitnesses, along with Daily Home Intelligence Reports and numerous other primary sources, this book forms part of what is likely to be the first and last such comprehensively woven account of this epic air battle.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49597848650001,"sku":"GOR013755425","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49751641293073,"sku":"NGR9781399056410","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399056417.jpg?v=1750755972"},{"product_id":"johnnie-johnson-book-dilip-sarkar-9780953853946","title":"Johnnie Johnson","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49602207252753,"sku":"GOR006359425","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49928629125393,"sku":"GOR013816713","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0953853942.jpg?v=1750748491"},{"product_id":"sinking-of-hms-royal-oak-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445607436","title":"The Sinking of HMS Royal Oak","description":"HMS Royal Oak was a Revenge-class battleship of the British Royal Navy, infamously torpedoed at anchor by the German submarine U-47 on 14 October 1939. Royal Oak was anchored at Scapa Flow in Orkney, Scotland when she became the first of the five Royal Navy battleships and battle cruisers sunk in the Second World War. The loss of life was heavy: of Royal Oak's complement of 1,234 men and boys, 833 were killed that night or died later of their wounds. The raid made an immediate celebrity and war hero out of the German U-boat commander, Gunther Prien, who became the first submarine officer to be awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross. To the British, the raid demonstrated that the Germans were capable of bringing the naval war to their home waters, and the shock resulted in rapidly arranged changes to dockland security. Now lying upside-down in 30 m of water with her hull 5 m beneath the surface, Royal Oak is a designated war grave. 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Although there were many more Hawker Hurricanes than Supermarine Spitfires engaged in the epic conflict fought over southern England in summer 1940, the public's imagination was captured by the shapely and charismatic Spitfire. According to legend, however, the Hurricane executed far greater damage on the enemy than all other defenses combined, and was therefore the unsung hero of our 'Finest Hour'. New research, though, confirms that the Spitfire, although less in number, was in fact supreme, and destroyed an equal number of enemy machines to the more numerous Hurricane force.  Featuring interviews with pilots who flew to war in both Spitfires and Hurricanes, and following a detailed analysis of combat reports and casualty records, Dilip Sarkar shatters the myth and argues a persuasive case proving that the Hurricane was markedly inferior to the Spitfire during the Battle of Britain - which could have been won by Spitfires, but not Hurricanes, alone.  A controversial thesis likely to provoke lively debate, the evidence presented by this retired police detective and expert aviation historian is nonetheless indisputable.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49608468496657,"sku":"GOR004594594","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50218260267281,"sku":"GOR011493095","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1848688687.jpg?v=1764065186"},{"product_id":"fighter-ace-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445638195","title":"Fighter Ace","description":"THE FIRST BIOGRAPHY TO TRULY SEPARATE FACT FROM MYTH AND LEGEND.  The story of Douglas Bader, the RAF fighter pilot who shot down twenty enemy fighters during the Second World War despite having lost both his legs, defies fiction. A fighter ace and highly decorated war hero, he became a household name in the 1950s thanks to the bestselling book and blockbuster film Reach for the Sky which charted his wartime exploits. Indeed, his name remains the one the general public associate most with the Battle of Britain.  That he overcame his disability and flew into battle – leading squadrons of Spitfires and Hurricanes in the epic air battle of summer 1940 – is truly remarkable. Bader’s first aerial victory – a Messerschmitt 109 – was recorded over Dunkirk on 1 June 1940. During the subsequent Battle of Britain this remarkable airman claimed the destruction of seven more enemy aircraft: Me 110s, Do 17s, Ju 88s and another Me 109 falling to his guns. The legless airman was, of course, rich material for the propagandists, who lost no time in manipulating his exploits to increase Britain’s morale. Newspaper reports and radio broadcasts of his aerial victories abounded.  Dilip Sarkar has spent over twenty years researching the life and times of Douglas Bader. The result is this book, written in close co-operation with his fellow wartime pilots, which deconstructs the popular myth cemented by wartime propaganda and the 1950s book and film Reach for the Sky.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49609859760401,"sku":"GOR009632924","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49613580501265,"sku":"GOR007520861","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733266669841,"sku":"NGR9781445638195","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50000604922129,"sku":"GOR007287093","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50272703906065,"sku":"GOR013907588","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"US \/ GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50383467217169,"sku":"CIN1445638193G","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445638193.jpg?v=1777714673"},{"product_id":"spitfire-ace-of-aces-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445604756","title":"Spitfire Ace of Aces","description":"The biography of the RAF's top fighter pilot, Johnnie Johnson who shot down more enemy aircraft than any other RAF pilot during the Second World War. Johnnie Johnson is a character literally straight out of the pages of 'Boys Own'. By the end of the Second World War the RAF Spitfire pilot was a household name in Britain, feted by Churchill and Eisenhower. Although he missed the Battle of Britain when slow flying bombers were abundant and easy targets for fighters by 1945 he had notched up 38 enemy 'kills' - all fighters which took far more skill to shoot down - and officially the RAF's top-scoring fighter ace. One of his most impressive achievements was that despite over 1000 combat missions, he was never shot down. His Spitfire was damaged once and on his return to base he apologised to his fitter saying 'I was surrounded by six of them'. Aviation historian Dilip Sarkar spent many hours with Johnson in the final years of the great man's life, recording the last interviews Johnson would ever gave.  The book is infused with breath-taking first hand accounts from Johnnie himself and many of his fellow Spitfire pilots also interviewed by the author and profusely illustrated with photographs from Johnson's personal albums.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49618751160593,"sku":"GOR005166668","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51296007848209,"sku":"GOR006359403","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52413134635281,"sku":"GOR010197665","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445604752.jpg?v=1764064750"},{"product_id":"bader-s-duxford-fighters-book-dilip-sarkar-9780951983249","title":"Bader's Duxford Fighters","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49641161589009,"sku":"GOR009348843","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53196932481297,"sku":"GOR005742826","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":53473745699089,"sku":"GOR011178265","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0951983245.jpg?v=1751266081"},{"product_id":"johnnie-johnson-book-dilip-sarkar-9780955043123","title":"Johnnie Johnson","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49642129260817,"sku":"GOR010869253","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52397469499665,"sku":"GOR003668669","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0955043123.jpg?v=1751202897"},{"product_id":"bader-s-duxford-fighters-book-dilip-sarkar-9780955043130","title":"Bader's Duxford Fighters","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49649376985361,"sku":"GOR007008531","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ LIKE_NEW \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49994052829457,"sku":"GOR013830814","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0955043131.jpg?v=1750747927"},{"product_id":"battle-of-britain-book-dilip-sarkar-9780953853960","title":"Battle of Britain","description":null,"brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49656667734289,"sku":"GOR006454236","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49756852519185,"sku":"GOR003522948","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/0953853969.jpg?v=1751203260"},{"product_id":"last-of-the-few-book-dilip-sarkar-9781445602820","title":"Last of the Few","description":"Spitfire and Hurricane fighter pilots recount their experiences of combat during the Battle of Britain. 2,927 aircrew of RAF Fighter Command fought and won the Battle of Britain in 1940, 544 lost their lives in action. They flew to battle in Spitfires and Hurricanes, Defiants and Blenheims, although it is the two former fighter types - single-seaters both - that still inspire and capture our imagination. The legendary legless fighter 'ace' Douglas Bader once said that the Battle of Britain was 'not won by a few aces, but by the average squadron pilot who collectively did their bit.' One of those men, Peter Fox, described himself and his fellows as mere 'also rans' - but clearly, without them, Fighter Command could not have prevailed. Dilip Sarkar the stories of 18 pilots, researched through personal interviews, correspondence and contemporary archive material. Many of the pilots featured became 'aces' in the Battle of Britain, others achieved such status afterwards whilst others went into action only to be instantly blasted out of the sky without even having seen the enemy. 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According to legend, however, the Hurricane executed far greater damage on the enemy than all other defenses combined, and was therefore the unsung hero of our 'Finest Hour'. New research, analysed and interpreted by Dilip Sarkar however, confirms that the Spitfire, although less in number, was in fact supreme, and destroyed an equal number of enemy machines to the more numerous Hurricane force.  Featuring interviews with pilots who flew to war in both Spitfires and Hurricanes, and following a detailed analysis of combat reports and casualty records, Dilip Sarkar shatters the myth surrounding the Hurricane and argues that the Battle of Britain could have been won by Spitfires, but not Hurricanes, alone. A controversial thesis likely to provoke lively debate, the evidence presented by this retired police detective and expert aviation historian is nonetheless indisputable.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49733397184785,"sku":"NGR9781445615042","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50183749992721,"sku":"GOR005343633","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51413001306385,"sku":"GOR006322693","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1445615045.jpg?v=1777715276"},{"product_id":"bader-s-spitfire-wing-tangmere-1941-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399017053","title":"Bader's Spitfire Wing: Tangmere 1941","description":"On 30 August 1940, at the height of the Battle of Britain, the pilots of RAF Fighter Command's No.12 Group were requested to reinforce 11 Group and intercept a Luftwaffe raid on an aircraft factory at Hatfield. The events that day led the swashbuckling, legless, fighter pilot Douglas Bader to submit a report arguing that the more fighters he had at his disposal, the greater would be the execution of the enemy that could be achieved.  It was a concept that received support from 12 Group's Air Officer Commanding, Air Vice-Marshal Leigh-Mallory. In Bader's proposal, Leigh-Mallory saw an opportunity for 12 Group to play a greater part in what was clearly an historic battle. Leigh-Mallory authorised Bader to lead three, then five, squadrons - a controversial formation that came to be known as the 'Duxford Wing' or 'Big Wing'.  For the rest of 1940, Bader and the 'Big Wing', then based at Duxford, played its part in the defence of Britain's skies. Then, in March 1941, the role of 'Wing Commander (Flying)' was created. This was the fighter pilot's dream appointment because the Wing Leader's sole responsibility was leading his wing in action, unfettered by tedious administration and logistical matters.  Needless to say, Douglas Bader was amongst the first wing leaders. He was even given the choice of which Wing he preferred. He chose to take command of that based at Tangmere on the South Coast - right at the fore of the RAF's battle against the Luftwaffe.  In Bader's Spitfire Wing, Dilip Sarkar not only explores the full story of the men and machines of the Tangmere Wing in 1941, as well as the controversy that surrounds their use, he also fully investigates the part that they played in the RAF's efforts to take the offensive to the Luftwaffe on the opposite side of the English Channel. It was in one such sortie in August 1941 that the Tangmere Wing lost its famous leader. Bader went on to spend the rest of the war in captivity.   AUTHOR: A prolific author, DILIP SARKAR has been obsessed with the Second World War for a lifetime. An MBE for 'services to aviation history', and Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, unsurprisingly, for a retired police detective with a First in Modern History, his work has always been evidence-based - often challenging long-accepted myths. Firmly focussed on the 'human' experience of war, his many previous works include the authorized biographies of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader and Air Vice-Marshal 'Johnnie' Johnson, the best-selling Spitfire Manual and The Few. Dilip has presented at such prestigious venues as Oxford University, the Imperial War and RAF Museums, and National Memorial Arboretum; he works on TV documentaries, both on and off screen.   32 b\/w illustrations","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49741082820881,"sku":"NGR9781399017053","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399017055.jpg?v=1751271679"},{"product_id":"i-had-a-row-with-a-german-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399072731","title":"I Had a Row With a German","description":"Thomas Percy Gleave began his RAF career in 1930, three years later becoming a member of the RAF aerobatic team. He joined Bomber Command on 1 January 1939, but at the outbreak of war Gleave requested a return to Fighter Command. He took command of 253 Squadron just in time for the start of the Battle of Britain, acquiring fame for claiming five Messerschmitt Bf 109s in a single day.  Tom Gleave, however, is remembered more for the misfortune which befell him on 31 August 1940. On that day he was shot down and badly burned when his Hurricane caught fire. In his memoir Tom Gleave tells of the early days of his encounters with the German aircraft in dramatic detail and, particularly of that dreadful day when he escaped his dying aircraft with severe burns to much of his body and his face.  After being taken to Orpington Hospital, Gleave was transferred to Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead where he was one of the first pilots to undergo plastic surgery by Archie, later Sir Archibald, Mclndoe and his brilliant colleague, Percy Jayes.  Gleave received leg and facial grafts, and his nose was reconstructed. The Guinea Pig Club was formed at Queen Victoria Hospital on 20 July 1941, with Mclndoe as President and Gleave as Vice-President and a Founder Member, being the club's first and only Chief Guinea Pig until his death in 1993.  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Whilst the technical details of the aircraft and weapons involved are, of course, crucial to our understanding of the events that summer, the Battle was fought by human beings - and it is that human experience and contribution, to this author, is the most important thing to acknowledge, record and share.  Nearly 3,000 Fighter Command aircrew fought in the Battle of Britain, immortalised by Churchill as  The Few'. Of these, 544 lost their lives that blood-stained summer, and 700 more would die before the Second World War ended - a victory very likely impossible had The Few not held out in 1940.  The names of some of these young men, aces such as Douglas Bader,  Sailor' Malan and Eric Lock, were well-known to the free world at the time - and certainly the legless Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader remains, even today, the best-known British fighter pilot of the war. However, the vast majority of The Few remained anonymous, owing partially to Air Ministry policy and equally a desire to play down their august achievements. Since the Second World War, the memoirs of a number of the Few have been published, privately and commercially, and books have been written about others.  The record is a rich legacy, overall - and yet, if we investigate the Battle of Britain further, we find many forgotten heroes, no less-deserving of recognition. This book, therefore, seeks to explore the lives and contribution made by certain of these men, to give currency back to their brave deeds. In truth, the list of deserving subjects is virtually endless; those included in this book are individuals whose stories have crossed the author's path at some stage during his long career - and which he feels are truly  Forgotten Heroes'. 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Though Mouchotte returned to civilian life, he was called up at the outbreak of war in 1939, becoming a Sergeant-Pilot instructor in North Africa. When France capitulated in June 1940, Mouchotte and fellow pilot Charles Guerin decided to make their way to the United Kingdom. Along with four other French pilots, Mouchotte made the short flight to Gibraltar on the morning of 30 June. From there he travelled on to Britain, being accepted into the RAF soon after their arrival.  The Battle of Britain was already several weeks old when Mouchotte was posted to 245 Squadron, then based at Aldergrove, on 11 September 1940. A week later he transferred to 615 (County of Surrey) Squadron at Prestwick. Flying Hurricanes, it was with 615 Squadron that Mouchotte became a flight commander, shot down a Junkers Ju 88, and earned a Croix de Guerre. He moved to Turnhouse as Deputy  A' Flight Commander with 340 (Free French) Squadron. He was promoted to captain in March 1942 and awarded the DFC.  On 18 January 1943, Mouchotte returned to Turnhouse to form and command 341 Squadron, which transferred to Biggin Hill. On 15 May 1943, Mouchette and Squadron Leader E.F.J Charles shared the sector's 1000th victory. Two days later, Mouchotte destroyed a Me 109.  Mouchotte failed to return from a bomber escort to the proposed V2 launch site at Eperlecques, near St. Omer, on 27 August 1943. He was reported  Missing'. Later evidence emerged that his body had been washed up on the beach at Middelkerke, Belgium, on 3 September and that he was buried in the town's cemetery.  Commandant Ren  Gaston Octave Jean Mouchotte DFC, CdeG - one of  The Few' of the Battle of Britain - became one of the most famous Free French pilots of the Second World War, during which he served alongside such notables as the legendary Group Captain  Sailor' Malan and the Wing Commander Al Deere. It is Commandant Mouchotte's diaries, written between 1940 and 1943, that form the basis of this book. The diaries are introduced and contextualized by the renowned aviation historian Dilip Sarkar, who also forensically examines the story behind Biggin Hill's 1000th  kill' and the circumstances of Ren 's last flight, adding new detail to both events.  The TV presenter and newsreader Jan Leeming also reveals her journey into Mouchotte's courageous and inspirational story - one that began with leaving a letter in the Mouchotte Family Tomb in the famous P re Lachaise Cemetery in Paris; a meeting with Ren 's 101 year old Sister Jacqueline; the realisation that his Battle of Britain Medals had never been forwarded to his family - an omission which was happily rectified. Jacqueline lived long enough to receive the medals which, after her death were presented to the Mouchotte family by the British Ambassador Sir (Lord) Peter Ricketts at the Ambassador's Residence in Paris. Finally after many years of research and perseverance, Jan had a documentary about her Search for Ren  Mouchotte broadcast in 2013 on BBC South East; BBC South and BBC North. 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Through much of his RAF service the diminutive Gleed was known as  Widge', short for  Wizard Midget' on account of his excessive use of the word  wizard' to describe something  topper', and his short stature. Rising from Flight to Squadron Commander in short order, and later taking over the Ibsley Spitfire Wing in 1941, Gleed was enormously popular with his peers. Indeed, Wing Commander  Bunny' Currant once described Gleed as a  pocket-sized man with care for others and courage beyond compare'.  Having been decorated with the coveted  double' of both DSO and DFC, Wing Commander Gleed went out to lead a wing in Tunisia. It was there that he was shot down and killed on 16 April 1943. By this time, he had achieved the status of being a fighter Ace, having been credited with the destruction of thirteen enemy aircraft.  The previous year, Gleed's wartime memoir, Arise to Conquer, was published by Victor Gollancz. Eloquently written and detailed, this book is a superb first-hand account of one man's life and times as a fighter pilot - mainly flying the Hawker Hurricane - during the Fall of France, the Battle of Britain and beyond into the night Blitz.  Reprinted here in its entirety, and extensively introduced by the renowned aviation historian Dilip Sarkar MBE, FRHistS, this edition of Arise to Conquer is supported by a remarkable set of wartime images. Among Gleed's Hurricane pilots on 87 Squadron during the Battle of Britain and beyond was Sergeant Laurence  Rubber' Thorogood, a keen photographer who is often mentioned in this book. 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Unlike today, when photography is a huge part of people's daily lives, not least because of mobile phone cameras and the sharing of images via social media, back then photography involved comparatively primitive and expensive items of equipment and was not, therefore, as accessible as it is today. Furthermore, unofficial photography on service installations in Britain was strictly prohibited for security reasons, and consequently such photographs, often taken surreptitiously, are comparatively rare (although, interestingly, amateur photography was much more popular in Germany, and German servicemen took countless photographs, especially during the Blitzkrieg years).  The author's personal relationships and friendships with many of The Few, however, enabled him to unlock their personal archives, photograph albums and personal snapshots. The result of this research represents a substantial and unique archive. These photographs are not, in the main, posed official pictures, but those snapped by air and groundcrews who were keen amateur photographers, their images often shared around their squadron mates.  The photographs presented here, some for the first time, provide the reader with a fascinating window on the past, through which we get an authentic glimpse of the summer of 1940 and The Few themselves. Indeed, in some cases, these are the only known images of certain individuals, whilst the likeness of others has been lost to history. That fact, therefore, emphasises the importance of this photographic record.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49746908872977,"sku":"NGR9781399065368","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50780059533585,"sku":"GOR013084590","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/139906536X.jpg?v=1751083041"},{"product_id":"spitfire-faces-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399065313","title":"Spitfire Faces","description":"The Supermarine Spitfire arguably remains the most iconic fighter aircraft ever produced. Unsurprisingly, it has become a symbol of British excellence and national pride.  Interest in the Spitfire remains undiminished as time goes on, and its bibliography is virtually infinite. Whilst many of these books feature the technical and operational history of the Spitfire, this book features the human element of the story, concentrating on the stories of not only those who flew the Spitfire into battle, but also the men and women who maintained and built it.  By the summer of 1941, the Spitfire had replaced the Hurricane as the RAF's front-line fighter, seeing service in every theatre of war, from north-west Europe to the Far East, and operating in many roles never envisaged by its gifted, yet tragic, designer, R.J. Mitchell. Although intended as a short-range daylight interceptor, Spitfires became dive-bombers, offensive escort fighters, night-fighters, photographic reconnaissance mounts - and more.  R.J. Mitchell, however, was always very conscious that a human being would risk his or her life flying his creation - and this book concentrates on that human story.  Covering the Spitfire's design, development and wartime operational history, Spitfire Faces features photographs from the personal collections of survivors, collated as the result of the author's close personal relationships and friendships with so many of them.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49747309756689,"sku":"NGR9781399065313","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51833673515281,"sku":"GOR014417891","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399065319.jpg?v=1750713401"},{"product_id":"faces-of-hms-royal-oak-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399062329","title":"Faces of HMS Royal Oak","description":"On 14 October each year, a White Ensign is placed on the stern of an upturned warship by Royal Navy divers. This act commemorates the 835 men of HMS Royal Oak who died in 1939 when the battleship was sunk at anchor in Scapa Flow by the German U-boat U-47.  The sinking of the veteran First World War Revenge-class Royal Oak shocked not only the Admiralty, but the whole nation. Though Scapa Flow was far from being impregnable as a base for the Royal Navy's Home Fleet, it was surrounded by a ring of islands separated by shallow channels subject to fast-racing tides. While it was recognised that it was not impervious to enemy submarines, measures had been put in place to minimise any such threat. Blockships had been sunk at potentially vulnerable points and anti-submarine booms deployed across the wider channels. The outbreak of war in September 1939 saw additional anti-submarine measures put in hand.  Despite these increased precautions, German aerial reconnaissance had spotted weaknesses which were exploited on the night of 13\/14 October 1939, by Kapit nleutnant G nther Prien in U-47. The German submarine was able to slip into Scapa Flow undetected and fire three torpedoes towards Royal Oak. Only one torpedo found its mark. A second salvo was fired and this time all three hit the battleship, igniting a magazine causing massive damage. Within thirteen minutes, HMS Royal Oak had turned over and sank.  In Faces of HMS Royal Oak, Dilip Sarkar not only reveals the tragic and moving stories of many of those who died, but also some of the 399 who survived the sinking of the first Royal Navy battleship lost in the Second World War.  Through their photographs, and in some cases words, the horrors of those fateful few minutes as Royal Oak rolled and slid into the cold, dark waters of Scapa Flow, are relived in startling clarity.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49750199992593,"sku":"NGR9781399062329","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":51540029931793,"sku":"GOR013614402","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399062328.jpg?v=1751429584"},{"product_id":"battle-of-britain-the-gathering-storm-book-dilip-sarkar-9781399056366","title":"The Battle of Britain The Gathering Storm","description":"Dilip Sarkar has studied the Battle of Britain period for a lifetime and is renowned for his meticulous research and evidence-based approach, setting events within the broadest possible context. In doing so, he has helped enrich our appreciation and understanding of the past.  In this, the first of a new eight volume series on the Battle of Britain, we have the background to the aerial conflict of the summer of 1940 revealed in great detail and told comprehensively as never before. No stone has been left unturned, no angle unexplored. This meticulous approach the research, combined with the human stories and events, many revealed for the first time, tells what Dilip calls 'the Big Story'. The development of air power, the creation of Britain's defences, the German side, the Home Front and political events are all covered - and much more.  After considering the background threads prior to the outbreak of war in 1939, this book then describes the developing conflict on land, sea and in the air. The German invasion of Norway, the Fall of France and the air fighting over Dunkirk are all explored, along with Hitler's actual preferred policy towards Britain, which at first was one of blockade - not invasion.  The author, with justification, questions the validity of the Battle of Britain's official start-date being 10 July 1940, evidencing the fact that the fighting actually began eight days earlier. From that date onwards, a day-by-day, hour-by-hour, account of the fighting is provided, giving due recognition to those aircrew lost or wounded before 10 July 1940, and whose names are not, therefore, found amongst 'The Few'. Due accord is also given to the Royal Navy, and efforts of both Bomber and Coastal commands, emphasising just what a 'big' story this actually is - far from simply concerning a handful of Spitfire and Hurricane pilots.  Through diligent research with crucial official primary sources and personal papers, Dilip unravels many myths, often challenging the accepted narrative. This is not, however, simply another dull record of combat losses and claims, far from it. Drawing upon unique first-hand accounts from a wide-range of combatants and eyewitnesses, along with the daily Home Intelligence Reports and the papers of politicians such as Italian Foreign Minister Count Ciano, this really is an unprecedented approach to understanding the build-up to and times of the Battle of Britain.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ NEW \/ GARDNERS","offer_id":49750705701137,"sku":"NGR9781399056366","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50585789759761,"sku":"GOR013426958","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52973744783633,"sku":"GOR014674292","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1399056360.jpg?v=1751336993"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/collections\/author-books-by-dilip-sarkar.oembed?page=3","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}