Fighter cover art

Fighter

Penguin Modern Classics

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin

History is swamped by patriotic myths about the aerial combat fought between the RAF and the Luftwaffe over the summer of 1940. In his gripping history of the Battle of Britain, Len Deighton drew on a decade of research and his own wartime experiences to puncture these myths and point towards a more objective, and even more inspiring, truth.

'The most honest attempt yet to tell how the Battle of Britain really was' Andrew Wilson, Observer

'Revolutionised thinking about the Battle of Britain in a way that has not been seriously challenged since' The Times

© Len Deighton 1977 (P) Penguin Audio 2021

 20th Century Air Forces Armed Forces Europe Military Modern War US Air Force

Critic reviews

Revolutionised thinking about the Battle of Britain in a way that has not been seriously challenged since. (Robert Dawson Scott)
Must surely rank as the most honest attempt yet to tell how the Battle of Britain really was. (Andrew Wilson)
The research was so meticulous that his conclusions, chiefly that the Few were very brave but their leaders were daft, could not easily be set aside. Indeed, they are now part of the orthodoxy.
The best, most dispassionate story of the battle I have read and I say that even though the book destroyed many of my illusions and, indeed, attacks the validity of some of what I wrote as an eyewitness. (Drew Middleton)
[We learn] that British anti-aircraft fire was ineffective, that some R.A.F. ground personnel fled under fire, that the Admiralty provoked costly skirmishes ...The book resounds with exploded myths. (Leonard Bushkoff)
Deighton has shown himself to be the most protean of British best-sellers. (John Sutherland)
All stars
Most relevant
Absolutely fantastic listen. Well written and I found the narration perfect.

Certainly challenges my previous understanding and knowledge of the BoB

Brilliant.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
There is a lot of dry humour in this book which captures a lot of the British spirit behind the perpetration, eventual victory and the questionable behaviour and treatment of its architect Dowding.

Fascinating & wryly observed

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I enjoyed listening to ‘Fighter’, more of a straightforward historical account that these author’s great work, ‘Bomber’ which cleverly mixes fact with fiction. In spite of the author’s claim in the introduction I didn’t learn too much that was new, probably because there have been a number of accounts written since ‘Fighter’ was published, all benefitting from new information that has come to light. Don’t let that put you off. This is worth listening to

Enjoyable account, we’ll read and informative

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Excellent research and content benefitting from a thriller writer's style. Sad when it was finished!

Brilliant!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I tried to read this book when Len Deighton worked in Ireland in the 1970s. Len gave my mother a copy but I was only 17 and found it too much. Revisiting Spitfire all these years later I discovered the level of detail extraordinary and thoroughly enjoyed this masterpiece.

Deighton is a master writer

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews