Eagle Days | eBook

TELEGRAPH HISTORY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2025

By the summer of 1940, Great Britain watched as France succumbed to the might of Adolf Hitlers forces. Her forces driven off the continent, many rescued from capture at Dunkirk, only the Royal Air Force, supported by the countrys newly established radar system, now stood in the way of the country being invaded. Herman Goering had promised his Fuhrer his air force would sweep the British skies of all opposition to allow Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of southern England, to commence. The intense aerial combat over the coming months across the English Channel and the countryside of southeast England would not reflect the optimism of Nazi propaganda.

Researching and blending a diverse range of primary sources together (Luftwaffe air crews personal letters and diaries), with official combat reports, and contemporary German newspapers, Victoria Taylor weaves a rich, multifaceted tapestry of the military, political, social and cultural influences that shaped the German air forces mentality and morale during the Battle of Britain.

Eagle Days transforms the Luftwaffes historical role during the RAFs Finest Hour from a cartoonish antagonist to a multidimensional, flawed-yet-formidable opponent. The narrative contains not just the voices of the air crews who conducted the fighting, but uniquely never-before-translated primary source material of other contemporary eyewitnesses, (Luftwaffes paratroopers, anti-aircraft gunners and air signalmen). Eagle Days will offer all fans of this period a refreshing, comprehensive and exciting new account of the Luftwaffes real experiences during the Battle of Britain.