Million word epic completed

A lifetime of research, a labour of love and a million words later, author and historian Dilip Sarkar MBE has completed his eight-volume official history of the Battle of Britain.

Dilip, who is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and of the Royal Aeronautical Society, described his comprehensive study of the aerial conflict that changed the course of World War Two as “a landmark history and an enormous personal achievement”.

The final book in the series, Battle of Britain Remembered, is now on sale in the Trust’s online shop, along with the other seven volumes.

It is a measure of the importance of the work, and the rigour with which it has been written, that the foreword to Battle of Britain Remembered has been contributed by HRH Princess Anne, who describes it as “the most detailed narrative ever likely to be produced on this epic air battle”.

The series has been published by Pen & Sword Books in association with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, which considers the eight books to be its official history of the 1940 battle for supremacy in the sky.

“The project arose from a lifetime of research, took two years to write, and reflects, beyond doubt, the latest empirical research published on the Battle of Britain - from both sides - not forgetting Bomber and Coastal Commands and the Home Front,” said Dilip.