CONTENT: The Battle of Britain. Operations in the Middle East January - May 1941. Operations by the Allied Expeditionary Air Force in NW Europe November- September 1944 Operations in Greece 1940-1941. Liberation of Europe (Operation "Overlord"). Operations of Coastal Command, RAF, May - August 1944. Far East October 1940-December 1941. Report on the Air Operations During the Campaign in Malaya and Netherland East Indies December 1941- March 1942. Operations in Burma and Bay of Bengal January - May 1942. Operations by Fighter Command November 1940 - December 1941. Operations by Air Defence of Great Britain and Fighter Command in Connection with the German Flying and Rocket Offensives,1944-1945. Operations in South East Asia November 1943 - May 1944. Operations in South East Asia November 1943 - May 1944. Operations in South East Asia from June 1944 - to the Occupation of Rangoon May 1945. Operations in South East Asia May 1945 - September 1945. The Part Played by the Allied Air Forces in the Final Defeat of the Enemy in the Mediterranean Theatre March to May 1945.

In September 1946, the London Gazette published a despatch from Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh C T Dowding that was titled simply: The Battle of Britain. Written and submitted to the Air Ministry in 1941, this document became the very framework for the accepted Battle of Britain narrative which has been established across the following eighty years. Set out by the leader of the ‘Few’ himself, its authoritative tone could surely be considered a definitive outline of the battle, how it was fought and the eventual outcome. It even retrospectively set the dates for the commencement and conclusion of the campaign. In this work, Andy Saunders takes a critical look at Dowding’s despatch and analyses the facts and details contained in that important document. He also puts ‘flesh on the bones’ of the matters that the former commander-in-chief of RAF Fighter Command outlines, adding intriguing historical detail and perspective to the 1946 publication. Additionally, Andy looks at the behind-the-scenes machinations at the highest levels of government and Air Ministry before the despatch finally saw the light of day. As a historical document, Dowding’s London Gazette despatch is worthy of the critical analysis and factual expansion which the author provides in what is a uniquely different look at the Battle of Britain, with illustrations throughout.