Strike From the Sky: The Battle of Britain Story

by Alexander McKee

The dramatic and definitive account of the Battle of Britain.

'Flak-by-flak dogfights ... as compulsively readable as The Last 100 Days ... intriguing, absorbing" New York Herald Tribune

‘Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.’ When Winston Churchill uttered these words in Parliament he was paying tribute to the monumental efforts made by the fighter pilots and bomber crews who fought a battle without precedent in the skies over England. There is no other battle in history that was not only militarily important, but also as psychologically important for the British people.

Alexander McKee realised how important this conflict was while it was occurring in the skies above his head, and so during the summer of 1940 he began keeping a detailed diary, visiting targets immediately after an attack, and interviewing eyewitnesses. In the years following the battle, he travelled thousands of miles across Europe to interview RAF Air Marshals and Luftwaffe Generals, as well as crews and pilots of both Allied and German aircraft, including Messerschmitts and Hurricanes, Spitfires and Stukas.

This is the breathtaking true account of Britain’s finest hour, which deserves to be read by all who wish to learn more about this unique battle.

‘In a fascinating account of The Battle of Britain, Alexander McKee combines in a telling manner the overall strategic value of the campaign with the intensely personal stories of the men who fought it.’ Walter J. Boyne, Captain, USAF, The Air Power Historian

‘Puts the struggle into perspective for the first time … an exciting story that at the same time is an authentic, fully-documented history.’ Reynolds News

Genres: History, War

324 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1967

About the author

Alexander McKee was no "yes-man", he dared to criticise many military, political, economic, media and academic icons and he always kept an open mind. He was fanatical about making his works as accurate as he possibly could. He was ever alert to plain-wrong, biased, distorted or sloppy reports and hidden agendas; wickedly delighting (the more so as a self-educated man) in criticising and exposing assertions that did not fit the evidence. Among his targets were those who tended to emphasise media-image-managment, the accumulation of personal wealth and career progression over both personal integrity and respect for other people's contributions. He gleefully highlighted all the many lapses of integrity that he found. Equally, many established experts, often highly educated people and indeed experts regarding the theoretical aspects of their disciplines, but whom he considered scandalously remiss when they complacently failed to complement such theoretical understanding with practical knowledge as a way to test their theories empirically. Consequently, some of them came in for some harsh criticism on occasion. One gets the impression from his work that some of them appeared reluctant to venture outside the academy at all; out into the "real world": let alone to mix with ordinary people. Implicitly, he urged them to converse with the fishermen, the builders, the soldiers, the doctors, the nurses, the shipwrights and the firemen to glean practical understanding from these practical people, who had to be willing and able to carry out the ultimate tests on their theories to provide demonstably working solutions in order to fulfill their typical working roles. Then he urges such experts in the theory to re-test their theories against the empirically derived knowledge gleaned from their excursions among the working classes, and to do so conjunction with their own senses, out in the "real world": rather than limiting themselves and risking their reputations on the results of thought experiments alone. He dug deep into eye-witness testimonies and spent countless hours searching libraries and museums for the documentary evidence surrounding each his-story. One may find this slightly comical that viewed against the background of established caricaturisations, when the elevated "pillars of wisdom", went "building castles in the air" around about the "ivory towers" and he found strong contradictory "real world" evidence he often lambasted them mercilessly, although it does sometimes seem to be overdone. In contrast, he made the point that some of the sloppy documentary historical works such as that of Sir Robert Davis, that temporarily led his own research astray (and much to his annoyance caused him to repeat untruths in public lectures) while causing the propagation of serious errors until he uncovered them, were nevertheless probably a consequence of the pressures of work, owing to the high quality of the rest of the publication.

Reviews

[Harry Barnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a well written book, an enjoyable read and of course it’s Mr McKee

[Charlotte Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another good read by A. McKee

Very readable and interesting narrative, some new aspects to a subject I have read about quite a bit. Highly recommend.

[Iain Maclean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was recommended to me with the statement "best book on Battle of Britain I've read", and now I think that description about covers it. It is certainly an eye-opener, and Churchill's reputation comes under a blitz of its own. Mckee's meticulous research into facts is well tempered by his sharp description of events. The battle was a was a close run thing and after reading McKee's narrative you may be excused for questioning our use of the word 'victory' - but his use of first accounts leaves the reader in no doubt of his accuracy.

[C.D.FLANAGAN · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the older books on the Battle of Britain but still holds up as one of the best.
It doesnt go much into the strategies or well known personalities of the battle but has many participants and eyewitness accounts of the raids and dogfights,and really brings home the desperate days Britain faced in the summer of 1940 (McKee was a 20 year old in Portsmouth who witnessed much of the action there)

[David Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I did wonder if it was worth reading another book about the Battle of Britain. I have read a few. However, this book includes many first hand accounts not available elsewhere. It also looks at the Battle from the German side which gives additional insight. I recommend picking up a second hand copy.