It is generally accepted that the Spitfire was not only a great fighter aircraft but was also a symbol of Britain's defiance of the Luftwaffe in the early years of WWII. Britain had been slow to react to German rearmament in the 1930s. Since WWI, the RAF's front-line aircraft were mainly used in the colonial policing role where their (mostly) 1920s technology was not an issue.
However, the political appeasement of Hitler's Germany and subsequent lack of realisation had left the RAF ill-equipped to combat the potential threat posed by the German build-up. Almost too late, the government started to modernise Britain's ageing fighter force, with orders for the Hurricane and Spitfire that were to prove invaluable in the defence of the country.
These aircraft, together with others to follow, began to replace the biplane fighters and bombers that would have been hopelessly outclassed in the forthcoming war. Weapons technology, radar and electronic countermeasures all played a part in Britain's ultimate victory. Without the aircraft and the courage of the crews who operated them, this outcome would not have been possible.
Some of the aircraft that served during that period are profiled in this illustrated book with archive photography. There are many familiar names featured such as the Supermarine Spitfire, Hawker Hurricane and Avro Lancaster, but also lesser-known types including the Boulton Paul Defiant, Fairey Battle and Westland Lysander.
