The Right of the Line : The Role of the RAF in World War Two

Traditionally, ‘the right of the line’ is the vanguard, the place of honor and greatest danger in battle. In this history of the Royal Air Force during the European War of 1939-45, John Terraine shows how the RAF, which in 1939 was small and inadequate for the task it was called upon to perform had, by the end of the war, taken up its proper position. He describes the buildup to war, the early tests in France and at Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic, the RAF in North Africa and the Mediterranean, the strategic air offensive over Germany and eventual victory in Europe Award–winning historian and scriptwriter John Terraine's The Right of the Line reveals how the British Royal Air Force rose to prominence in World War II.Traditionally, the right of the line is the vanguard, the place of honor and greatest danger in battle. In this history of the Royal Air Force during the European War of 1939-45, John Terraine shows how the RAF, which in 1939 was small and inadequate for the task it was called upon to perform had, by the end of the war, taken up its proper position. In riveting prose, Terraine describes the build-up to war, the early tests in France and at Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, the Battle of the Atlantic, the RAF in North Africa and the Mediterranean, the strategic air offensive over Germany and eventual victory in Europe. “His best book yet.” —The Times“John Terraine is a fine historian but he also believes that history should be exciting and readable.” —The Listener