
The Battle of Britain
Five Months That Changed History; May-October 1940
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Narrated by:
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Shaun Grindell
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By:
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James Holland
About this listen
The Battle of Britain paints a stirring picture of an extraordinary summer when the fate of the world hung by a thread. Historian James Holland has now written the definitive account of those months based on extensive new research from around the world, including thousands of new interviews with people on both sides of the battle.
If Britain's defenses collapsed, Hitler would have dominated all of Europe. With France facing defeat and British forces pressed back to the Channel, there were few who believed Britain could survive; but, thanks to a sophisticated defensive system and the combined efforts of the Royal Air Force, the Royal Navy, and the defiance of a new prime minister, Britain refused to give in.
From clashes between coastal convoys and Schnellboote in the Channel to astonishing last stands in Flanders, slaughter by U-boats in an icy Atlantic, and dramatic aerial battles over England, The Battle of Britain tells this epic World War II story in a fresh and compelling voice.
©2010 James Holland (P)2017 TantorListeners also enjoyed...
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Story
In December 1943, with the rising realization that the Allies are planning to invade Fortress Europe, Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is assigned the title of General Inspector for the Atlantic Wall. His mission is to assess their readiness. His superior, theater commander, crusty old Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, who had led the Reich to victory in the early years of the war, is now fed up with the whole Nazi regime. He lives comfortably in a plush villa in a quiet Paris suburb, waiting for the inevitable Allied invasion that will bring about their final defeat.
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Well worth the length
- By James McNamara Richmond on 02-02-21
By: Peter Margaritis
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Shattered Sword
- The Untold Story of the Battle of Midway
- By: Jonathan Parshall, Anthony Tully
- Narrated by: Tom Perkins
- Length: 24 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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Many consider the Battle of Midway to have turned the tide of the Pacific War. It is without question one of the most famous battles in history. Now, for the first time since Gordon W. Prange's best-selling Miracle at Midway, Jonathan Parshall and Anthony Tully offer a new interpretation of this great naval engagement. Shattered Sword makes extensive use of Japanese primary sources. It also corrects the many errors of Mitsuo Fuchida's Midway: The Battle That Doomed Japan It thus forces a major, potentially controversial reevaluation of the great battle.
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Shattered Myths - These authors got it right?
- By Ol'BlueEyes on 05-13-19
By: Jonathan Parshall, and others
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Admiral Bill Halsey
- A Naval Life
- By: Thomas Alexander Hughes
- Narrated by: David Drummond
- Length: 17 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
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William Halsey was the most famous naval officer of World War II. His fearlessness in carrier raids against Japan, his steely resolve at Guadalcanal, and his impulsive blunder at the Battle of Leyte Gulf made him the "Patton of the Pacific" and solidified his reputation as a decisive, aggressive fighter prone to impetuous errors of judgment in the heat of battle.
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Finally a fair assessment
- By Stephen Breen on 06-28-20
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Nimitz at War
- Command Leadership from Pearl Harbor to Tokyo Bay
- By: Craig L. Symonds
- Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
- Length: 14 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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Only days after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt tapped Chester W. Nimitz to assume command of the Pacific Fleet. Nimitz transformed the devastated and dispirited Pacific fleet into the most powerful and commanding naval force in history. Facing demands from Washington to mount an early offensive, he had first to revive the depressed morale of the thousands of sailors, soldiers, and Marines who served under him. And of course, he also confronted a formidable and implacable enemy in the Imperial Japanese Navy.
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Great
- By Jean on 12-14-22
By: Craig L. Symonds
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Defeat into Victory
- Battling Japan in Burma and India, 1942-1945
- By: Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, David W. Hogan Jr. - introduction
- Narrated by: Nigel Patterson
- Length: 23 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
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Field Marshal Viscount Slim (1891-1970) led shattered British forces from Burma to India in one of the lesser-known but more nightmarish retreats of World War II. He then restored his army's fighting capabilities and morale with virtually no support from home and counterattacked. His army's slaughter of Japanese troops ultimately liberated India and Burma.
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Excellent account of a theatre of ww2 that many Americans know little about of
- By Thomas W White on 01-06-24
By: Field-Marshal Viscount William Slim, and others
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The Frozen Chosen
- The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir
- By: Thomas McKelvey Cleaver
- Narrated by: Norman Dietz
- Length: 15 hrs and 37 mins
- Unabridged
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The Frozen Chosen is an account of the breakout from the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea by the First Marine Division from November to December 1950, following the intervention of Red China in the Korean War. Fought during the worst blizzard in a century, it is considered by the US Marine Corps to be the Corps' finest hour. Fourteen Medals of Honor, a record for any American battle, and 85 Navy Crosses attest to the intensity of the battle.
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Fascinating story, very bad narration
- By Mat J Monk on 03-31-17
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Big Week
- The Biggest Air Battle of World War II
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Grover Gardner
- Length: 15 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
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During the third week of February 1944, the combined Allied air forces based in Britain and Italy launched their first round-the-clock bomber offensive against Germany. Their goal: to smash the main factories and production centers of the Luftwaffe while also drawing German planes into an aerial battle of attrition to neutralize the Luftwaffe as a fighting force prior to the cross-channel invasion, planned for a few months later. Officially called Operation ARGUMENT, this aerial offensive quickly became known as “Big Week,” and it was one of the turning-points of World War II.
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War in the Air: Sets stage with gripping narrative
- By Nashville Cat on 11-17-18
By: James Holland
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The Savage Storm
- The Battle for Italy 1943
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Al Murray
- Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
- Unabridged
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Following victory in Sicily, while the central command planned the spring 1944 invasion of France, Allied troops crossed into Southern Italy in September 1943, expecting to drive Axis forces north and liberate Rome by Christmas. Italy quickly surrendered but German divisions fiercely resisted, and the hoped-for quick victory descended into one of the most challenging and protracted battles of the entire war. James Holland’s The Savage Storm chronicles the dramatic opening months of the Italian Campaign in unflinching and insightful detail.
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Time Well Spent
- By E. Ronakov on 04-08-25
By: James Holland
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Kiev 1941
- Hitler's Battle for Supremacy in the East
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 14 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
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In just four weeks in the summer of 1941 the German Wehrmacht wrought unprecedented destruction on four Soviet armies, conquering central Ukraine and killing or capturing three quarters of a million men. This was the Battle of Kiev - one of the largest and most decisive battles of World War II and, for Hitler and Stalin, a battle of crucial importance. For the first time, David Stahel charts the battle's dramatic course and aftermath.
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The book you must read on Hitler's War with Russia
- By Kindle Customer on 05-28-19
By: David Stahel
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Pacific Carrier War
- Carrier Combat from Pearl Harbor to Okinawa
- By: Mark E. Stille
- Narrated by: Christopher Douyard
- Length: 9 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
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A detailed and comprehensive study of the carrier formations of the Pacific War, including their origins, development, and key battles from the Coral Sea, through Midway and Guadalcanal to the battle of the Philippine Sea.
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Great book, poor narration
- By Matt on 07-15-23
By: Mark E. Stille
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Sicily '43
- The First Assault on Fortress Europe
- By: James Holland
- Narrated by: Al Murray
- Length: 19 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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On July 10, 1943, the largest amphibious invasion ever mounted took place, larger even than the Normandy invasion 11 months later: 160,000 American, British, and Canadian troops came ashore or were parachuted onto Sicily, signaling the start of the campaign to defeat Nazi Germany on European soil. Operation HUSKY, as it was known, was enormously complex, involving dramatic battles on land, in the air, and at sea. Yet, despite its paramount importance to ultimate Allied victory, and its drama, very little has been written about the 38-day Battle for Sicily.
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Great writing, great narration, interesting topic
- By ItalCali on 08-02-21
By: James Holland
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Retreat from Moscow
- A New History of Germany’s Winter Campaign, 1941-1942
- By: David Stahel
- Narrated by: Matthew Waterson
- Length: 15 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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Germany's winter campaign of 1941-1942 has commonly been seen as its "first defeat". In Retreat from Moscow, David Stahel argues that, in fact, it was its first strategic success in the east. Though the Red Army managed to push the Wehrmacht back from Moscow, the Germans lost far fewer men (one to six), frustrated their enemy's strategic plan, and emerged in the spring unbroken and poised to recapture the initiative.
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Nothing new on the Eastern front basically!
- By philippe jacob on 03-28-20
By: David Stahel
What listeners say about The Battle of Britain
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- David
- 10-04-18
Good History
I had read one of the reviews and almost turned me off from getting the book.
But I have always found the author's others books informing and beside the Battle for Britain fascinating. So I went forward.
I found the book unbelievably through.
I really enjoyed learning the build up to the battle and all of the steps leaning to the famous period of time.
I still cant understand how that negative review was written. OBVIOUSLY, that person just wasnt interested in history.
I felt this book is a must to read as much as, The Guns of August.
Spacestationark
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- Mike
- 05-28-18
I Thought That I Already Knew The Story
Before this listen I considered myself familiar and knowledgeable on the subject of the summer of 1940 and thought the story of the Battle of Britain mostly focused on The Few. Was I wrong. This is a comprehensive study of all aspects contributing to and leading up to the Battle FOR Britain. What I found incredibly interesting was the especially fair (not undeservedly) treatment of Chamberalin's contributions both as PM and as a trusted adviser to Churchill. This is an example of the depth and consideration you can expect from this audio book. Lot's of personal accounts and just enough action to keep it all tied together and interesting. This is history presented in context. Five stars.
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- M.Garman
- 02-19-18
Britain's finest hour,what you may not Know.
It is easy to look back at history with hindsight.But Imagine if you and everybody you knew as well as the leaders of your country expected to shortly be invaded by a country that by far outnumbered your country in both men and equipment. Would you want to fight or reach an agreement that, while it might prevent war, would make you subject to that country ??
Well as you know the Brits decided to fight. This book gives you both the story and the story behind the story from France to the turning point.....what happened ,How it happened,what the Brits did and how they did it.
It is full of facts that I didn't know or only knew in the most general of terms. For example I vaguely remember that Joe Kennedy,father of JFK,Bobby and Ted was the American Ambassador to Britain.
I didn't know he continually reported to Roosevelt that Britain had no chance to survive and it was best for the U.S. to stay out of it.
Well the Brits fought on by themselves ,and if you like WW II History you will find The Battle Of Britain both fascinating and informative, a great History lesson and an inspiring story.
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- Toby Everett
- 09-02-24
Best book on the subject
James Holland gives a detailed description of the preparations on all sides of the war and makes clear that the Battle of Britain was more than just the air war. I very much appreciated his descriptions of the individual personnel on both sides of the conflict. The narration by Shaun Grindell is exceptional. I enjoyed this book so much that I might revisit it again in a year or two. Very much recommended by someone that has read most of the important books on WW2.
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- Aldy
- 10-02-24
Awesome Story, Narration Subpar
This is a high quality Holland product. No complaints there. But the narration has this highly irritating staccato rhythm, with a breathless lilt that really detracts from the story. Not a fan.
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- Alan Rasmussen
- 05-23-19
Story behind the story.
Good preparation for WWII historical films and movies. I watched Into the Storm and must admit listening to this first gave me added depth.
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- The Browns
- 06-28-20
awesome
great book. the stories were interesting and personal. listened at work through the app.
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- jeffrey
- 08-13-22
Battle of Britain from a different perspective.
loved it. a few mispronounced names, places, etc but otherwise a great job. if you are looking for a day by day blow this isn't really the book, but if you are looking for a bigger picture this is it.
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- Erl Gould Purnell
- 05-29-20
The Complete Story
James Holland has written a very complete history of the Battle of Britain starting in May 1940 and going through November out that year.
The genius of his book is that much of it is written through the eyes and experiences of the combatants, both Allied and Axis. It takes into account the air war but also the seas and the home front in the overall context of this epic time in the history of Great Britain.
The presentation is excellent. A really good listen.
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- Steven
- 01-10-23
Amazing to hear in their own words!
The personal cost of war is expressed so eloquently in this book. The human beings that fought in the Battle of Britain should be forever remembered for their sacrifice, courage and commitment to duty.
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