Duel of Eagles

Duel of Eagles attempts to straddle a grand history of the Battle of Britain with individual pilot accounts, and doesn't quite manage to do justice to either of them. While a solid history, it's likely been supplanted by more recent works.

The story starts back in the First World War, with the initial Zeppelin bombing raids on England and the organization of the Royal Air Force, and then ambles through the 1920s and 30s as various pilots come of age and become obsessed with flying, everybody cuts defense budgets, Hitler rises to power, and Germany embarks on a genocidal war of conquest. The Fall of France happens about half of the way through, to give you an idea of the pacing.

The grand history is one of RAF commander Dowding against show more Goering's Luffwaffe. Britain had a just barely sufficient defensive system, with a small margin of modern fighters, but more importantly a chain of radars and observes integrated into central command posts such that Hurricane and Spitfire squadrons could be vectored on to incoming bombers. Dowding had internal enemies to match the Nazis; political superiors who had underinvested in defense for years, and insubordinate commanders who favored a "Big Wing" tactic of massed defense too slow to repel bombers. But the main enemy was Goering, who along with numerous personal weaknesses, addiction, emotional volatility, not being very smart, being a Nazi, etc., had to contend with an airforce operating at the end of its range, and constantly shifting strategic objectives. Townsend argues that attacks on airfields and radar very much had fighter command on the ropes, when an RAF bombing of Berlin caused retaliatory bombing of London and other "strategic" targets to prepare for the invasion of England. If the Luftwaffe had fought an air superiority campaign, they might have won!

This story is all very interesting, but handled better in Korda's With Wings Like Eagles (a much younger Korda is acknowledged by Townsend for help with the research). Where Townsend has unique insight is that he was an RAF fighter pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, and could tell the stories of his comrades and the enemy pilots as their peer. The personal narratives are fascinating, but there's not enough for a thorough oral history, and while Townsend is a serviceable writer, he's not quite up to the grandeur of flight and sudden death in the air.

While somewhat obsolete, this book is a still worth a look for the airpower buff. show less

Townsend makes a point of explaining how the RAF of 1940 came to be as it was, and highlights the shabby way in which Dowding and Park were treated in the aftermath of the BoB. His own experences and links to events are interjected into the story as a grounding personal touch.

Former RAF ace, Peter Townsend, chronicles the growth of the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe and their decisive engagements during the Battle of Britain in 1940. Group Captain Peter Wooldridge Townsend, CVO, DSO, DFC & Bar was a British Royal Air Force officer, flying ace, courtier and author. He was equerry to King George VI from 1944 to 1952 and held the same position for Queen Elizabeth II from 1952 to 1953. Wikipedia
A stirring survey--led by a pilot who himself took part in the conflict--traces the battle's background from the defeat and destruction of the Kaiser's air force to the long days of 1940 when Spitfires and Messerschmitts fought to the death over England. The colorful, dramatic, and evocative stories tell of dogfights show more in the sky, ruthless political maneuvers, legendary heroes (like the "Red Baron")--and then show how all this led to the furious air combat that saved Britain from German invasion.
Peter Townsend was a British fighter pilot during the Battle of Britain. As a side note, he was also the man Princess Margaret wanted to marry but was forbidden by her sister, the Queen.
The first 1/3rd of the book was tough going. The detailed description of the politics of the RAF vs RN and RA, then the development of the Luftwaffe in parallel were not well served by the style of interwoven descriptions. The short statements about different individual pilots' lives just interrupt the narrative that is uneven. show less

Excellent overview of the Battle of Britain, though Townsend spent a bit too much time on WWI and the years prior to WWII. The history was appreciated, but belabored half to death.