91Èȱ¬

Writer and historian James Holland presents a fresh analysis of the extraordinary events of the battle of Britain in the Summer 1940, focussing on the tactics, technologies and intelligence available to both sides.

As well as gaining analytical insight from veteran British fighter pilots, Holland travels to Germany where he meets some of the few surviving Battle of Britain Luftwaffe Aces, and gains access to diaries offering further striking, first-hand testimony from those who fought in the battle. He also uncovers transcripts of unmediated conversations between captured German airmen, secretly recorded by Air Intelligence at Trent Park, North London, in 1940.

Examining the way in which both Germany and Britain used their resources from air defence to firepower, Holland finally resolves a question debated in the fiercest terms for seven decades: which was the better fighter plane of the Battle of Britain, the Supermarine Spitfire Mk1 or the Messerschmitt 109E?

Arguing that the battle should be seen as starting much earlier, in May 1940, Holland charts the shift in power between the two countries across a crucial five-month period. By examining the events of that summer from both sides, and through a longer timeframe, Holland gets closer to understanding the real story of the Battle of Britain.

Battle Of Britain – The Real Story (91Èȱ¬ Two, 1x60 minutes), Maya Vision International Production. Executive producers are Rebecca Dobbs (Maya Vision) and Cassian Harrison (91Èȱ¬).

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