In May 1940, Group Captain Peter Townsend took command of 85 Squadron, tasked with preparing it for the defence 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.
DUEL OF EAGLES, Townsend's gripping account of the Battle of Britain, is widely acknowledged as the classic account of this desperate, defining clash.
Townsend tells the story of dogfights in the sky from the perspectives of pilots on both sides - including his own - and traces the background of the conflict, from the years of secret preparation in Germany following the end of the First World War to the ruthless political manoeuvres played out on the ground in England as the RAF was established.
This dramatic and evocative account of the air battles which changed the course of the Second World War and the people involved is a powerful and epic telling of one of the greatest triumphs in British military history.
'A remarkable exercise in research at air-crew levels. He writes of air combat with verve and at times almost with poetry' Sunday Times
'Lively and well written ... encompasses moments of exhilaration and terror' Kirkus Reviews
'A fine book' Len Deighton, New York Times