The Battle of Britain Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

James Holland (Author), Al Murray (Narrator), Penguin Audio (Publisher)

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This audio edition includes an exclusive Q&A between James Holland and Al Murray.

'If Hitler fails to invade or destroy Britain, he has lost the war,' Churchill said in the summer of 1940. He was right. The Battle of Britain was a crucial turning point in the history of the Second World War. Had Britain's defences collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe and been able to turn his full attention east to the Soviet Union.

The German invasion of France and the Low Countries in May 1940 was unlike any the world had ever seen. It hit with a force and aggression that no-one could counter and in just a few short weeks, all in their way crumbled under the force of the Nazi hammer blow. With France facing defeat and with British forces pressed back to the Channel, there were few who believed Britain could possibly survive. Soon, it seemed, Hitler would have all of Europe at his feet.

Yet Hitler's forces were not quite the Goliath they at first seemed, while her leadership lacked the single-minded purpose, vision and direction that had led to such success on land. Nor was Britain any David. Thanks to a sophisticated defensive system and the combined efforts of the RAF, Royal Navy as well as the mounting sense of collective defiance led by a new Prime Minister, Britain was not ready to roll over just yet.

From clashes between coastal convoys and Schnellboote in the Channel to astonishing last stands in Flanders and from the slaughter by the U-boats in the icy Atlantic to the dramatic aerial battles over England, The Battle of Britain tells this most epic of stories from all sides, drawing on extensive new research from around the world. In so doing, it paints a complete picture of that extraordinary summer - a time in which the fate of the world truly hung by a thread.

Listening Length

23 hours and 25 minutes
Author

James Holland
Narrator

Al Murray
Audible release date

30 April 2020
Language

English
Publisher

Penguin Audio
ASIN

B083FXNGJT
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Product details

Listening Length	23 hours and 25 minutes
Author	James Holland
Narrator	Al Murray
Whispersync for Voice	Ready
Audible.com.au Release Date	30 April 2020
Publisher	Penguin Audio
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B083FXNGJT
Best Sellers Rank	4,486 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals) 15 in Great Britain History 36 in History of Great Britain 47 in World History (Audible Books & Originals)

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Amazon Customer

A Great book for any fan of WW2 history

Reviewed in Australia on 28 January 2021

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A very well told narrative that that removes a lot of the legend that surrounds the Battle of Britain and the fall of France. The incompetence shown by France and German leaders, both civil and military, is hard to believe. It is fortunate that Britain and the RAF had Herman Goering working for them. Britain was never going to lose the contest because the German air force was totally unprepared for the task. However that does not take anything away from courage and dedication shown by the pilots and aircrew of both sides.
In the end I felt a little sorry for the German airman, they were given an impossible task.

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Silent K

The Battle of Britain

Reviewed in Australia on 3 January 2014

Comprehensive analysis of the battle from Dunkirk, from both sides. Along with The Wings of Eagles by Michael Korda, I think this must be close to the definitive history. James Holland's The Dam Busters is also excellent. When you thought you knew these stories, Holland and Korda take you further and change your thinking on the history.

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Telboy

Very misleading title

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 3 February 2020

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This is one of those occasions when I wished I had read some of the reviews before buying this book, since the title is very misleading. The first 2/3 of the book is about the fall of France and the evacuation from Dunkirk, with a few diversions thrown in about U-boats for good measure. The Battle of Britain section only starts very late in the book and, as one other reviewer has mentioned, comes across as very rushed and cursory, ending abruptly.

Some other reviewers have also mentioned some inaccuracies in this book , not least of which is the bizarre idea that engine torque has something to do with the propeller producing more airflow over one wing than another.

I don't think I've been this disappointed with a military history book in a very long time. I'm sure there are much better books about the Battle of Britain out there. Please read them before you read this.

24 people found this helpful

A. Callow

Excellent Narrative of the Battle that expands the usual envelope

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 January 2018

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I seem to be reading a lot of James Holland this year; this is the 3rd of his books I have read in 2017 and the 2nd book on this topic for the year though it is very different not only to Len Deighton’s ‘Fighter’ but also to many of the other books I have read on the topic over the years. I like James Holland as a writer as, despite annoying editing errors (the Beaufighter was developed from the Beaufort not the Blenheim; Roland Beamont was a leading ace at shooting down V1s only not V1s and V2 rockets, furthermore V1s were not rockets but ramjets! – these are minor points but errors like these do crop up commonly in his writing) he tells history like a thriller writer (a trait shared with Deighton) which, to be fair, is his other career. He also has a knack of synthesizing multiple written and diary sources into a story with a grand sweep.
Unlike most writers on this subject, Holland does not skim over the Battle of France as a prelude to the Battle of Britain but makes it central to the story. Indeed, Holland dates the beginning of the Battle of Britain from the 1st engagement of Fighter Command aircraft, operating from Britain (unlike the Hurricanes of the BEF’s Air Component) over France in early May 1940 rather than the more usual date of July. This makes sense since the Luftwaffe suffered heavy casualties across the whole summer, and the mauling in France explains why it then took so long to get around to raiding Britain in strength in August - by 16 May the Luftwaffe had already suffered 621 aircraft destroyed slate and 1,450 aircrew dead or captured – just over a sixth of its strength on 10 May. Particularly heavy losses had been suffered by the air transport fleet, probably making any possibility of effective air drops almost impossible over Britain later in the year.
There is very little new to be told about the Battle as a whole but Holland does knit together a full, if conventional, history that moves away from the legend of the ‘Few’ that most accounts recall in describing the actions of Fighter Command, Dowding, the tensions between Park and Leigh-Mallory et al on the British side and the actions of Luftflotte’s 2, 3 and 5; Milch; Udet and Goering on the German side. Holland’s approach is to not view the Battle of Britain in isolation as RAF Fighter Command versus the Luftwaffe. It was a far more collective effort that saved Britain in 1940 so Holland ably brings in the Grand Strategic political elements. He dismisses the position that Hitler never intended to invade Britain at all and highlights Hitler’s view that ‘England’ was Germany’s most dangerous enemy and needed to be removed from the war, either by negotiation or defeat before he could attack Russia.
Holland’s key thesis is that whilst Fighter Command’s young pilots were indeed the frontline in the Battle, there were equally dangerous and vital roles fought by Bomber Command and by the Royal Navy whilst the ‘Many’ of British industry, especially the aircraft industry, were equally important in keeping Britain in the war. Whilst Flt Lt J B Nicolson of 249 squadron is acknowledged as Fighter Command’s only VC for actions in the battle, the RAF Museum’s own podcast acknowledges 2 further VCs awarded in the Battle (and recorded also by Holland) – those awarded the AB Jack Mantle for remaining at his post on an AA gun whilst mortally wounded, and to Flt Lt Learoyd, a Hampden pilot of Bomber Commend whose actions closed the Dortmund Ems Canal.
The role of the Royal Navy in not only deterring the Kriegsmarine’s surface fleet from invading is discussed as is its overly cautious approach in this defence. Admiral Forbes’ (C-in-C Home Fleet) position was that that it made far more sense for the Germans to try and sever the transatlantic lifelines than attempt an invasion. In any case, he was certain that until the RAF had been destroyed, no invasion attempt could possibly be made without Britain knowing about it at least twenty-four hours earlier, and if that were the case then the RN had already demonstrated it could react in time. Sadly, Forbes was over-ruled by the First Sea Lord Dudley Pound. In retrospect Forbes appear correct though Pound’s position is surely defensible given a robust risk assessment. In any case the Battle of the Atlantic continued throughout the summer of 1940 with British losses increasing as poorly defended convoys ran the U Boat Gauntlet.
Bomber Command’s attacks on invasion barges, German Industry and towns and even on Luftwaffe airfield s in France throughout the summer, often at horrific cost, are usually omitted from the picture but are given their due place here. In fact Bomber Command was often sending more bombers to Germany at night than the Luftwaffe was putting over Britain.
Of course all of the usual milestones are here also – the Kanalkampf, Adler Tag , the switch to London as primary target and 15 September - are all recorded as are the technical development of RDF and the Chain Home system, the Luftwaffe’s woeful intelligence that not only led it to massively underestimate Fighter Command’s strength but to attack targets of little relevance to the defence of the UK. Most egregiously the German tendency to believe their own reports whilst Dowding remained more concerned with his own losses rather than those imposed on the enemy.
On 12 October 1940 Hitler postponed the invasion of Britain indefinitely. The Battle of Britain was over, though the Blitz would continue until May 1941. Holland isn’t the only author to claim that the Battle was strategically decisive, he is in good company and on firm ground. Some German veterans would claim long afterwards that the Battle had either never existed or at worst had been a draw but given that Germany had never been ready for war and her economy could just about cope with a few short, sharp conflicts such as Poland, and Norway, and as the western campaign had proved to be she could not win a war of attrition that was the inevitable outcome of her failure to remove Britain from the game of Risk. Even by the bare numbers Britain was the clear winner - by the end of October 1940, the Luftwaffe had lost 3,701 aircraft destroyed, yet it had begun the summer with 3,578. In other words, it had losses of more than 100 per cent. Certainly, it had had replacements, but because production was not keeping up with losses, its combat strength by the end of October 1940 was somewhere in the region of 75 per cent less than it had been before the western campaign. By contrast British industries expanding capacity had provided Fighter Command with more aircraft by the end of the Battle than it had at the start. Yes, British merchant shipping losses had been awful but not decisive.
As I said, there is little new here in facts provided but his treatment is better than most in setting the context of the battle in its entirety by the inclusion of the Battle of France on of the RAF as a whole not just Fighter Command. The telling of the story is fine and Holland has provided a rounded view of this decisive battle. As ever, Holland has made extensive use of first-hand sources from both sides and from across the various services, these have been woven into and enjoyable and flowing narrative that was a joy to read.

50 people found this helpful

Colin Carron

Great history writing - clear-eyed and revealing.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 July 2019

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I grew up with the legend of the Battle of Britain where The Few stood against the massed forces of darkness - and won. Later I read that the Battle of Britain was pretty much a sideshow. James Holland's book rises above these two skewed views and presents the battle in its context of the preceding Fall of France and the evacuation from Dunkirk. About half the book is about those events leading up to the Battle of Britain. At first I wondered if this was necessary but once one meets the soldiers fighting in France, or the politicians taking crucial decisions or the ordinary people trying to go about their normal lives, then one sees the Battle of Britain as it was seen in 1940, with all the possibilities of defeat and conquest still open.

The Battle of Britain itself is presented with a wider perspective than is usual. Not only do we follow the fighter pilots into action but also the bomber crews, the generals, the politicians, the boffins like RV Jones, the minesweeping and merchant navy crews and of course the ordinary people.

All in all this is a very clear-eyed and revealing book. I really dislike history which just rehashes what has been said before and tells you nothing new. Here I felt I got a glimpse of what it would have felt like to live through those times but with the added level of seeing the mechanics of the sometimes inexplicable decisions taken by the various leaders.

James Holland in his postscript recommends standing on the second floor balcony of London's Imperial War Museum and looking across at the Spitfire suspended there. As it happens I did that a couple of years ago and I admired the plane's elegant lines and took a photo. James Holland points out that this Spitfire was flown by John Dundas during the Battle of Britain - who we have met already in the pages of the book. That comment helps me see that plane with a new understanding and appreciation. And the same can be said of this book. It gave me a deeper and clearer understanding of the Battle of Britain and the lives of those who lived through these extraordinary times.

5 people found this helpful

Dikidido

James Holland - a More Balanced View of WW2 Prior to the USA Entry.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 15 September 2017

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Appears to be a much more balanced view of how Britain, the Empire and Dominions held out against the supposedly,~'invincible" Wehrmacht and Luftwaffe and managed to hold on before the USA joined the fray. This is done with research rather than simple reviosionism for the sake of thea different interpretation of available, "fact". I think history bears James out. Incidentally ( I am an Englishman ) I am still very grateful to the USA who together with the other Allies saved democracy in a large swathe of Europe. The colonies ( he stresses their massive contribution as part of the Allies) would have to wait until after the War was concluded. Of course huge blunders were made but he also writes about our considerable strengths - the Royal Navy, modern, motorised, well-equipped army and of course the RAF. Neville Chamberlain also, at last gets a more favourable recognition of his contribution to the modernisation of our armed forces. After reading certain WW2 historians over the last 20 years I am left wondering how could we have possibly held out against the Nazis and not lost the War. James Holland outlines how and the fact that the struggle was not as one-sided as a lot of historians have painted that period and I am in fact left wondering why France and Britain did not smash the Nazis whilst the Nazis were occupied with Poland.

12 people found this helpful

S Riaz

The Battle of Britain

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 23 December 2021

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This is the first book I have read by James Holland, but I am certain that I will be reading more by him in future. This is a well written, and very thorough account, of the events that led up to the Battle of Britain, as well as an account of those five months and the aftermath.

It begins in May, 1940, with a young pilot enjoying flying a spitfire. Along the way, Holland uses personal accounts, from both sides of the Channel, to explain how those involved witnessed events. In this case, a young man, obsessed by flying, was simply exulting in being able to fly a new aircraft, which responded so well. War, although declared, still seemed far away and slightly unreal.

While Hitler planned to attack, Chamberlain was replaced by Churchill. The first Christmas of the war saw Germany suffering harsher rationing, and regulations, than the British. As France fell, Dunkirk unfolded, and Britain stood alone, the threat of invasion was very well. If Britain crumbled under aerial attack, Operation Sea Lion would go ahead. If not, the invasion plans would be put on hold...

Of course, the reader is aware of the outcome, but, for those involved, the threat was very well. However, after the initial shock of bombs falling, people literally did get up and carry on. A young German pilot was worried about crash landing in enemy territory. After being shuttled around and receiving breakfast at every location he ended up in, he felt he might suffer more from over-eating than interrogations.

This is a really thorough account of this momentous event in the early days of WWII. The author gives an excellent historical overview and yet never loses sight of the personal cost involved, which makes this a very readable account of a turning point in the Second World War, when invasion seemed likely, but was thwarted.

One person found this helpful

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