Princess Fuzzypants here: The book starts out slowly as it examines the history of Britain’s reliance on the waters between it and the continent for its protection. But by WWII, that advantage had been swept away by air power. Unless there was an integrated system to identify and defend against the enemy, there was a good chance she could fall. The author uses a spider web, a castle with a moat and a number of other examples to describe what was needed and what was created.

It was the insight of a few men before hostilities commenced that allowed them to set up interconnected hubs throughout the country that was able to defend against the Nazis. The tactics that had worked so well for the Nazis before was thwarted. We all have heard about “The Few” but this is also the story of those behind the scenes who kept things running even in the darkest days.

The book really gets momentum once the war actually begins and it tells the stories of people who served. I liked the way it wove in scenes from the movie Battle of Britain into the real events that were occurring in the air, on the ground and in the bunker. It tells an exciting story in a compelling way. Five purrs and two paws up.

In 1936 Air Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding was given leadership of the newly created Royal Air Force Fighter Command having served in the Royal Flying Corps during WW1. His appointment would turn out to be crucial for the Britain's ability to fend off a German military machine which had rampaged over most of mainland Europe in the early stages of WW2. While this is not a biography of Dowding, it is an in depth review of the system he put in place for the air defense of the country. The book explains in details the multi faceted nature of this system based on early detection of enemy aircraft using the new Radar technology, tracking these planes once over land using a newly formed Observer corps. "Scrambling" fighter aircraft and guiding them to intercept and finally anti aircraft gun batteries and search lights as well as barrage balloons to hinder their progress over major targets. All these elements of the system were integrated through extensive telephone and telegraph communications and tracked in real time using Operations Rooms with large scale maps where "Plotters", mostly WRAF's, would move around markers showing in coming raiders and the scrambled squadrons sent up to engage with them. These rooms would receive and process information from Radar and Observers, send out engagement orders to Squadrons, alert inland defense batteries in the targeted areas and also trigger air raid warnings.
The Author, Dilip Amin, has done a very good job of explaining how this sytem was built up and how it operated through the different stages of the war but with a major emphasis on the Battle of Britain, the first real test of the system. He uses first hand accounts by pilots to illustrate how the system worked in practice and I found that very effective relief from some of the drier aspects of the technical details. If I have any criticism it would be that the period after the Battle of Britain is rather compressed into a couple of chapters which felt a bit crowded and rushed.
I would recommend this book to all readers interested in the RAF, the Battle of Britain and even the general reader who might want to explore more of the real heroes of WW2 and those who helped prevent Britain being overwhelmed by the Luftwaffe.
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me access to this book.

Enemy sighted, a book about the creation and use of the Dowding system that helped win the Battle of Britain.
The author guides us through the need for the system from the First world war to the Battle of Britain and beyond. The author explains the workings of the system especially within 11 group well and without getting too technical. It is also interspersed with first hand accounts so we can see how effective the system was at intercepting..
A good, interesting read, I am sure that there are more detailed books about the Dowding system, this book however is a good introduction.
I look forward to reading more by this author.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

An interesting book, however, the material was somewhat dry and hard to read at times. The author presented a good factual filled account, but I had a hard time finishing the book. For those who enjoy technical details/stories, this is a book for you.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.