Book description
LONDON, 15 SEPTEMBER 1940.
The air battle over Britain shaped the course of the entire war. Among
the clouds that day, two of the most advanced fighter planes, the
British Supermarine Spitfire and the German Messerschmitt Bf 109,
battled for supremacy of the skies.
The Decisive Duel
tells the stories of these iconic, classic aircraft and the people that
created them: Willy Messerschmitt, the German designer with a love for
gliders and admiration for Hitler; R. J. Mitchell, his brilliant British
counterpart, who struggled against illness to complete the design of the
Spitfire. In fascinating detail, David Isby describes the crucial role
the two opposed planes played, from the drawing boards to Dunkirk, the
Battle of Britain to the final battles over Germany.
Accessibly written and impeccably researched, The Decisive Duel
is a wonderful work of aviation history, and a valuable insight into
the duel between two extraordinary fighters. The epic struggle between
the Spitfire and the Messerschmitt 109 upon which so much of western
civilization depended in the summer of 1940 has found the ideal
biographer in David Isby. I write "biographer" because, like
the men who flew these remarkable fighter planes, Isby sees them in
almost human terms, transcending the mere mechanical. David Isby has
written and edited twenty-six books of military history and analysis,
many on Second World War aircraft and operations. A Washington-based
attorney and consultant on national security issues and a former
congressional staff member, he has testified before the House Armed
Services Committee on tactical airpower. He frequently appears in the
media and has lectured at staff colleges and other institutions. An
experienced pilot, life-long model builder, and a veteran wargamer, he
can be visited at www. SpitfirevsBf109. com
