The Royal Navy and the Battle of Britain

Front Cover
Naval Institute Press, 2010 - History - 207 pages
From the dust jacket. This persuasive study attacks the key myths surrounding the Battle of Britain to revise the relative status of the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force fighter pilots, Anthony Cumming challenges the effectivess of the air force an argues that the Royal Navy deserves much greater prominence in winning the battle. To make his case, Cumming gives more attention to the views of the German soldiers, sailors, and airmen than had been previously done and vigorously asserts the success of British warships in countering the plans for Operation Sea Lion and in repelling air attacks by the Luftwaffe. He also notes the dashing figure of RAF Fighter Command's leader, Air Marshal Sir High Dowding, in comparison with the greatly maligned and relatively unknown naval commander, Admiral of the Fleet Sir Charles Forbes. Because of its heroic status, Cumming contends that the British opinion makers gave the RAF the lion's share of the glory because its colorful image could more easily be used to manipulate American opinion in support of the British cause. This ground-breaking book is one of the few academic studies to assert the primacy of the Royal Navy over the Royal Air Force in the defense of Great Britain in 1940. Cumming contends that the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain should celebrate the contributions of the many rather than focusing on the pilot elite.

From inside the book

Contents

We Cant Simply Swim Over
8
Bombers versus Battleships
28
Who Won the Battle of Britain?
51
Copyright

5 other sections not shown

Other editions - View all

Common terms and phrases

About the author (2010)

Following a career in the British civil service, Anthony J. Cumming earned his PhD in history at the University of Plymouth and won the University of London's Julian Corbett Prize for Research in Modern Naval History. He is the author of The Battle of Britain and lives in Devon, United Kingdom with his wife and pet greyhound.

Bibliographic information