The Many Not The Few
The Stolen History of the Battle of Britain
1st Edition
Published on 8. March 2012
456 pages
978-1-4411-8551-8 (ISBN)
Description
Immortalised in Churchill's often quoted assertion that never before "was so much owed by so many to so few", the top-down narrative of the Battle of Britain has been firmly established in British legend. Britain was saved from German invasion by the gallant band of Fighter Command Pilots in their Spitfires and Hurricanes, and the public owed them their freedom.
Richard North's radical re-evaluation of the Battle of Britain dismantles this mythical retelling of events. Taking a wider perspective than the much-discussed air war, North takes a fresh look at the conflict as a whole to show that the civilian experience, far from being separate and distinct, was integral to the Battle. This recovery of the people's stolen history demonstrates that Hitler's aim was not the military conquest of England, and that his unattained target was the hearts and minds of British people.
Richard North's radical re-evaluation of the Battle of Britain dismantles this mythical retelling of events. Taking a wider perspective than the much-discussed air war, North takes a fresh look at the conflict as a whole to show that the civilian experience, far from being separate and distinct, was integral to the Battle. This recovery of the people's stolen history demonstrates that Hitler's aim was not the military conquest of England, and that his unattained target was the hearts and minds of British people.
Reviews / Votes
[The book] is brilliantly bold in its overview and rigorously forenstic in its analysis... I do urge you to read North's book, because it's riveting and devastating... What North has achieved here is admirable. He has set out to reclaim for the people of Britain the credit for a glorious victory which was stolen from them by the political Establishment. [I]t will make you examine your own opinions about a ground-breaking example of 20th century warfare and the author has done a sound job in assembling his material and presenting it. * Royal Air Force Historical Society Journal * The Many, Not the Few is an important work for those interested in the Battle of Britain or the war in the aftermath of the Fall of France. * The NYMAS Review *More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
New York
United States
Target group
College/higher education
ISBN-13
978-1-4411-8551-8 (9781441185518)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Book
03/2012
Continuum Publishing Corporation
€57.14
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Person
Richard North has in recent years won a reputation as one of Britain's most expert defence analysts, through his Defence of the Realm blog. Formerly a research director in the European Parliament, North is also a political analyst through his EU Referendum blog, which examines Britain's place in the world with particular reference to its membership of the European Union. He has co-authored four bestselling books with the Sunday Telegraph columnist Christopher Booker, including Scared To Death: From BSE To Global Warming, How Scares Are Costing Us The Earth (2007) and The Great Deception (2005), a comprehensive history of the European Union. He is the author of Ministry of Defeat (2009).
Content
Acknowledgements \ Foreword by Christopher Booker \ Introduction \ 1. Battle Lines \ 2. Let Battle Begin \ 3. War of the People \ 4. War and Peace \ 5. Closing the Door \ 6. War Drums \ 7. Eagle Attack \ 8. Redefining the War \ 9. Countdown to the Blitz \ 10. Start of the Blitz \ 11. Rebellion \ 12. Consequences \ 13. Widening the War \ 14. The Battle Won? \ 15. To the Victor the Spoils \ Epilogue \ Bibliography \ Index
