Description
Writing primarily for educated general readers but also for serious students of military history, Cumming describes how the proponents of military air power convinced the British government to merge the air wings of the navy and army into a separate branch, the Royal Air Force, in 1918. Even then, he says, air power was used almost exclusively to support land and naval operations until 1940, when air power alone was given credit for stopping a Nazi invasion of Britain. Other Western powers began creating their own air forces shortly after. Annotation ©2015 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
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The Battle for Britain is a provocative reinterpretation of both British air and naval power from 1909 to 1940. Anthony Cumming challenges the view that the Battle of Britain was a decisive victory won solely by the Royal Air Force through independent airpower operations. By re-evaluating the early stage of the Mediterranean conflict and giving special emphasis to naval battles such as Calabria and Taranto, Cumming argues that the Royal Navy played an equally important role in defeating Hitler's early advances, buying critical time until the Americans could make a decisive contribution. His argument holds that the RAF's role as an independent arm has been exaggerated and that contemporary strategists can learn from investing too much confidence in independent airpower.
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