Dowding’s Despatch: The Leader of the Few’s 1941 Battle of Britain Narrative Examined
Andy Saunders
Dec 2021 · Tantor Media Inc · Narrated by Jonathan Cowley
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7 hr 46 min
Unabridged
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About this audiobook
In September 1946, the London Gazette published a dispatch from Air Chief Marshal Sir Hugh C T Dowding that was titled simply: The Battle of Britain. Written and submitted to the Air Ministry in 1941, this document became the very framework for the accepted Battle of Britain narrative which has been established across the following eighty years. Set out by the leader of the "Few" himself, its authoritative tone could surely be considered a definitive outline of the battle, how it was fought and the eventual outcome. It even retrospectively set the dates for the commencement and conclusion of the campaign. In this work, Andy Saunders takes a critical look at Dowding's dispatch and analyzes the facts and details contained in that important document. He also puts "flesh on the bones" of the matters that the former commander-in-chief of RAF Fighter Command outlines, adding intriguing historical detail and perspective to the 1946 publication. Additionally, Andy looks at the behind-the-scenes machinations at the highest levels of government and Air Ministry before the dispatch finally saw the light of day. As a historical document, Dowding's London Gazette dispatch is worthy of the critical analysis and factual expansion which the author provides in what is a uniquely different look at the Battle of Britain.
About the author
Andy Saunders is a freelance writer and researcher specializing in military aviation history with particular emphasis on the Battle of Britain and the air war over north-west Europe from 1939-1945.
Jonathan Cowley is a British voice actor who calls Los Angeles home. He has received AudioFile Earphones Awards for his narration of The Science of Evil by Simon Baron-Cohen, The Tower, the Zoo and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart, and The Angry Chef's Guide to Spotting Bullsh*t in the World of Food by Anthony Warner.
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