The book covers a single day; 18th August, 1940, in an easy-to-read narrative style with lucid observations by the people who were actually there. Civilians, Police officers, Telephone linesmen, RAF plotters and fighter pilots, as well as many of the combatants from the Luftwaffe, are quoted freely and eloquently without any apparent break in the pace of the book. The author's exhaustive research was indeed well timed as many of those people are no longer around to give their version of events and Dr Price gives us a good insight into just how this book came to be written in the first place. Unlike many similar books, this one does not get bogged down in detail, nor does it use overly-long quotes from the participants which could distract the reader. It seems to have been the first of it's kind in this regard and remains much-imitated but yet to be matched.

The mere fact that he was able to get so many people from both sides, including several who actually faced each other that day and who subsequently became friends, gives this book a human touch which will give it unique appeal even to those who may not be specifically interested in military history. This book is an absolute gem. If the subject is your thing then don't miss it.


Remembering the Few   August 6, 2002
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I first read this book in 1993. Mr Price took a big chance writing this book. However, he totally convinced me with his meticulous attention to detail that the 18 August 1940 was the turning point of the Battle of Britain. Using accounts from the time, and veterans who spoke of their experiences, Alfred Price turned out a classic book. He will put you in the cockpit of a Spitfire or Messerschmitt, the gunner's position of a Dornier 17, or the RAF personnel on the ground. You will learn to experience what it was like to be in the middle of those terrible raids on the RAF stations of Southern England. It is also an hour by hour account of that Sunday in 1940. You will also see how, no matter what the Germans did, the Battle of Britain would have been won by the few from Fighter Command even if Goering had not changed his strategy and started bombing London. This is a definitive account of a day in 1940 that changed the course of WWII. If you want to know about this momentous battle you should read this book.