Len Deighton's "Fighter, The True Story of the Battle of Britain" is a fascinating study of the men and machines that fought in the air over Britain in the summer of 1940. As a history afficiando of WWII, I'd known a lot of information about the subject, but never had encountered such a drill down approach as Mr. Deighton takes in this effort. He does a fine job of giving the reader a great deal of background on the story behind each one of the significant aircraft, from either the British or the German side, and the men who created them. We learn why they are designed the way they are, their good points, and their bad ones, as well. Mr. Deighton keeps a very objective view throughout the book, especially when it comes to the strong points, and the fallibilities of the leaders, and the flyers. More fascinating, he combines intricate details of the strategies employed by both the Germans and the British. At times, this detail can be mind numbing, but then, the reader is being given all the information possible to provide the absolute clearest picture of the true facts behind the crucial periord of the war. My only criticism of Deighton's work, is that the book dehumanizes the horrific losses that were subjected to both the flyers and the innocents on the ground during the part of the battle known as the blitz. They seem to be only numbers. I was reminded of the nightly body counts reported on the Huntley Brinkley report during the Vietnam War. We never learned about the faces behind those numbers. I was always troubled by that seeming indifference to the human side.
I was also taken a bit aback by the abrupt ending of the book. It just seems to peter out at the end. Instead of finalizing the story, and bringing all the threads together, it just stops. Much like a band that forgot their notes, and just quits playing.
Those are minor quibbles, however, since Mr. Deighton accomplishes in fine form what he set out to do, which was to inform the reader in intricate detail all of the known facts behind that momentous summer in 1940.
I was also taken a bit aback by the abrupt ending of the book. It just seems to peter out at the end. Instead of finalizing the story, and bringing all the threads together, it just stops. Much like a band that forgot their notes, and just quits playing.
Those are minor quibbles, however, since Mr. Deighton accomplishes in fine form what he set out to do, which was to inform the reader in intricate detail all of the known facts behind that momentous summer in 1940.
