Cosmos columnist’s new book goes straight to bestseller list

“Never in the field of human conflict…” are Churchill’s words that set the 113 days of the Battle of Britain in the summer of 1940 apart from all others, as the greatest aerial battle in history. As the German Luftwaffe sought to destroy the Royal Air Force and invade the British Isles, Commonwealth fighter pilots scrambled from U.K. airfields day after day and flew Hurricane and Spitfire fighter aircraft to thwart Hitler’s plan. They won, but paid dearly.

Bestselling military historian - and Cosmos columnist - Ted Barris released his 22nd book of non-fiction earlier this month. In Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour (which has already made the national bestseller list) Barris has assembled unknown stories of Canadian airmen, ground crew, as well as engineers, aeronautical designers, medical officers and civilians who answered the call and turned back the very real threat of Nazi invasion.

“You know the outcome of the Battle of Britain, but now you’ll meet the Canadians who helped secure victory in this WWII life-and-death struggle,” according to the book jacket of Battle of Britain: Canadian Airmen in Their Finest Hour.

A review of the book by Flying Officer Ken Raven, (Ret’d) RCAF said: “As an RCAF Spitfire pilot conducting photo reconnaissance, I witnessed the final days of the air war over northwestern Europe in 1945. Ted Barris’s work fills an important gap in Air Force history, depicting the role of Canadian airmen during our earliest stand against the Luftwaffe over Britain. It’s an enlightening and comprehensive account of the battle.”

Barris has published 22 non-fiction books, mostly wartime histories. His book The Great Escape: A Canadian Story won the 2014 Libris Award as Best Non-Fiction Book in Canada. His book Dam Busters: Canadian Airmen and the Secret Raid Against Nazi Germany received the 2019 NORAD Trophy from the RCAF Association. And his book Rush to Danger: Medics in the Line of Fire was listed for the 2020 Charles Taylor Prize for Non-Fiction in Canada. His 20th book Battle of the Atlantic: Gauntlet to Victory enjoyed weeks on the bestseller lists.

Barris was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada in 2022.