The first book in an unprecedented history of the Battle of Britain by renowned author and historian Dilip Sarkar MBE has now been published.

Battle of Britain – The Gathering Storm is the first volume of a planned eight-part work that looks set to top one million words as it tells the story of the 1940s aerial conflict from every possible angle.

The author has described the work as “an unprecedented narrative history of the Battle of Britain from as many perspectives as possible” and said seeing volume one in print made him “proud to see that the vision is becoming a reality”.

The series is being published in association with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, which looks after the National Memorial to the Few at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent and is committed to telling the story of the Battle that changed history while honouring the Few who fought it.

“Part of the motivation behind this book was to create a comprehensive work on the Battle of Britain that would reinforce the Trust’s position as a go-to place for information on the events of the summer and early autumn of 1940,” said Dilip.

“This book will be the culmination of a lifetime of research on the Battle of Britain, as well as including new and original material and taking a fresh look at much of the accepted narrative that no longer stands up to scrutiny.

“While the aim is that this will become a valuable work of reference, it is above all a lively and fascinating look at possibly the most important battle fought by this country in the whole of the 20th century. The stories I tell are fascinating, human tales of real people living out real lives in extraordinary times.”

Dilip’s detailed and comprehensive approach is highlighted by the fact that at the end of the 300-odd pages of Battle of Britain – The Gathering Storm, the Battle itself has not started. It takes, instead, a careful look at the background to the conflict, from the development of air power and political events at home through to the German invasion of Norway and the fall of France.

“I’ve never worked so hard on anything before,” Dilip commented. “As the work has progressed and evolved, so the breadth of the material and the number of threads that need to be brought together have become apparent. It’s a 360 degree look at the Battle of Britain and I’m increasingly sure that the eight volumes will total a million words.”

Order your copy of Battle of Britain The Gathering Storm here.