Duel of Eagles

The Classic Account of the Battle of Britain

De: Peter Townsend

Narrado por: Jonathan Cowley

In May 1940, Group Captain Peter Townsend took command of 85 Squadron, tasked with preparing it for the defense of Great Britain against German bombers.

It was the beginning of the long, hot, lethal summer in which the RAF and the Luftwaffe fought to the death over England in the furious conflict which ultimately saved Britain from Nazi invasion.

Peter Townsend's epic Duel of Eagles is widely acknowledged as the classic account of the Battle of Britain—the desperate, defining clash which would become one of the greatest triumphs in British military history.

©2021 The Heirs of Peter Townsend (P)2022 Tantor

The best coverage of the Battle of Britain

WW2 aviation fans will recognize Peter Townsend as an RAF pilot who fought during the Battle of Britain. In DUEL OF EAGLES he covers the battle in more depth than any other version that I've read (and I've read quite a few).

The book actually starts in World War I and charts the courses of the German and British air forces from that point forward. Townsend goes from WW1 through the 20s and 30s, following the major leaders and trends as well as following the lives of some of the airmen who would fight in the battle. Frankly, there was so much of this prelude that I thought I might be listening to the wrong book. But, the background becomes useful when Mr. Townsend covers the actual battle.

He covers almost every day in the battle, detailing how and why it played out as it did. He looks at the strategic level, the tactical level, and the perspective of pilots as they flew missions.

My only disappointment was with the narrator, who certainly enunciated well but had a fairly boring, monotonous way of speaking. Nonetheless, mispronunciations were minimal, and once you got used to his style, the narration was acceptable.

All in all, it's a very worthwhile listen for military aviation enthusiasts as well as WW2 enthusiasts.

Excellent book, sing-song delivery

The book itself is an excellent and detailed account of the Battle of Britain and the lead up to WW2. The performance itself is easy to understand, but the delivery itself is a repetitive and continuous “da-DAH-da-da-DAH-da-da-daDAH!” That becomes irritating after 10 minutes. The story is worth sitting through the performance, though. I just wish the performance was not as repetitive.