The Most Dangerous Enemy: A History of the Battle of Britain [Paperback]

'The most exhaustive and detailed account of the Battle of Britain that has yet appeared'- Times Lietrary Supplement; 'A fascinating case history in illusion and reality. He dispels the myths and kills the cliches... Admirable'- Godfrey Smith, Sunday Times

This is the most exhaustive and detailed account of the Battle of Britain that has yet appeared.

Bungay sets out to reassess the Battle of Britain without the mythology and to reflect on the values it embodies...

Stephen Bungay delves into new ground. These threads have been brought together to form an eloquent and informative tapestry.

'...a serious work of scholarship which sheds new light on what has become over the years a battle (or series of battles) distorted by myth and inaccuracies...n o serious bookshelf should be without a copy.' --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

This history of the Battle of Britain provides an encyclopaedic academic rigour: the author went back to original sources both in the Public Record Office and the German archives. Challenging virtually every time-honoured myth and assumption about Britain's victory, the book questions the traditional myth of an amateurish, honourable British "Few" up against a pitiless and regimented German war machine. It actually asserts exactly the opposite: that it was Britain's pilots who were the ruthless combatants and its aircraft production that was the well-oiled machine, and the Germans who never quite recovered from their amateurish underestimation of their "most dangerous enemy".

A compelling read for the military scholar and general reader alike, this is a classic of military history. Stephen Bungay's magisterial account of the Battle of Britain questions the truth behind the myths and his investigation affords some surprising revelations about the battle for the skies. `The Most Dangerous Enemy' provides a comprehensive and thoughtful insight into one of the most important events in our country's past.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Stephen Bungay studied Modern Languages and Philosophy at Oxford and subsequently at the University of Tubingen in Germany. He lives in Kent.