Fast planes, deadly dogfights, brave pilots: the Battle of Britain has no shortage of heroes. So as I sat down to write Taking London, the first challenge was figuring out which individuals would help tell the story, Winston Churchill was the obvious choice to be a primary character. He's the tentpole on which the narrative rests. Air Marshal Hugh Dowding was also indispensable. Though relatively unknown in America, his brilliance has led to monuments and postage stamps in his honor in England.
Who else? I knew I wanted to portray the action through the pilots themselves. Choosing the handful that would use their own words to share what it felt like to be in the of the fighting proved extremely difficult. Scores of fliers wrote memoirs about their time in the cockpit during the summer of 1940. All provided insight, emotion, and detail. In the end, I selected five men, a few each from Spitfires and Hurricanes. You'll see several of the candidates in the photos accompanying today's post (see below). All worthy and courageous. See for yourself who made the final cut when Taking London hits stores on June 11.
So that was pretty much the book. Technical details, romances, and details about life and the death in the sky filled out the story. I sent it along to my editor, thinking I was done. But an odd request came back:
Can you find an outsider to also tell the story? Some individual not part of the action but able to tell us what it feels like to see and hear the sights and sounds of the fight?
This proved a master stroke, adding a whole new dimension. I chose two true outsiders: American ambassador Joseph P. Kennedy and journalist Edward R. Murrow. I can't wait for you to read what they bring to the drama.
(Photo credit: Martin Dugard at The Royal Airforce Museum)
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Five weeks until Taking London goes on sale! You can find it online as well as book stores and big box stores everywhere.