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Fighter
- Penguin Modern Classics
- Narrated by: John Sackville
- Length: 9 hrs and 43 mins
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Fighter
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Summary
Brought to you by Penguin
History is swamped by patriotic myths about the aerial combat fought between the RAF and the Luftwaffe over the summer of 1940. In his gripping history of the Battle of Britain, Len Deighton drew on a decade of research and his own wartime experiences to puncture these myths and point towards a more objective, and even more inspiring, truth.
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Critic reviews
"The most honest attempt yet to tell how the Battle of Britain really was." (Andrew Wilson, Observer)
"Revolutionised thinking about the Battle of Britain in a way that has not been seriously challenged since." (The Times)
What listeners say about Fighter
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Stuartm
- 27-05-23
Brilliant.
Absolutely fantastic listen. Well written and I found the narration perfect.
Certainly challenges my previous understanding and knowledge of the BoB
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Nick Himaras
- 20-01-23
Must Read, Battle of Britain Account
Very well researched and, accordingly, etremely informative. The writing style keeps the reader alert and frewuently surprised. A clssic, it would greatly benefit of a major update, based on available, new information. Great effort overall!
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 16-03-22
Deighton is a master writer
I tried to read this book when Len Deighton worked in Ireland in the 1970s. Len gave my mother a copy but I was only 17 and found it too much. Revisiting Spitfire all these years later I discovered the level of detail extraordinary and thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- Ian Smith
- 11-03-22
Really interesting
I enjoyed this slightly different "take" on the Battle of Britain, which gave an interesting change of perspective from the more conventional histories. I liked the way Len Deighton covered the pre-war developments which affected the battle - the key people, the organisation of the opposing forces, their strategies and tactics, and the equipment and technologies.
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story2 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 24-11-23
Fascinating & wryly observed
There is a lot of dry humour in this book which captures a lot of the British spirit behind the perpetration, eventual victory and the questionable behaviour and treatment of its architect Dowding.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Mark
- 20-01-24
Extraordinary Account
I recently read and enjoyed 'Bomber' by Len Deighton so I sought this out and I must say it makes a compelling companion piece. It is shorter but no less impressive in the detail and analysis. Deighton is scrupulously fair to both sides. I will now try to discover some of the personal stories of the pilots. They really were our greatest generation.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- FAB
- 28-08-22
Fascinating historical reference
An excellent historical record of the stories behind the air Battle for Britain.
Well researched written and read.
Stunned again how politics within the RAF ruined good mens legacies, although anyone who has studied the history know of the great roles played by Dowding and Park. Against the foolishness of leigh mallory and bader.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Richard Parker Smith
- 11-11-22
Brilliant!
Excellent research and content benefitting from a thriller writer's style. Sad when it was finished!
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-06-23
Easy to listen to & some new insights into the BOB
Well written and easy to listen to. Lots of new facts and insights I haven't heard before. Will definitely listen again soon and write some of them down.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Nigel Pigdon
- 28-07-24
Fantastic Detail
Love the level of facts and research that has been done. I have read a number of books on this topic and this is up with the best
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