Eagle Days

Victoria Taylor offers a revelatory insight into the men who flew Hitler’s air war against Britain in the summer of 1940.

About the event

By the summer of 1940, Great Britain watched as France succumbed to the might of Adolf Hitler’s forces. With her soldiers driven off the Continent, many rescued from capture at Dunkirk, only the Royal Air Force, supported by the country’s newly established radar system, now stood in the way of invasion.

Hermann Göring had promised the Führer that his air force would sweep the British skies of all opposition to allow Operation Sea Lion – the invasion of southern England – to commence. The intense aerial combat over the coming months across the English Channel and the countryside of south-east England would not reflect the optimism of Nazi propaganda.

Drawing on personal letters and diaries of Luftwaffe air crews, along with official combat reports and contemporary German newspapers, Victoria Taylor weaves a rich, multifaceted tapestry of the military, political, social and cultural influences that shaped the German air force’s mentality and morale during the Battle of Britain.

Additional information

This event is eligible for our 20% ticket bundle discount.

Book tickets to three or more different events across the festival and you can save 20%. Tickets must be purchased in the same transaction and the discount will automatically be applied within the basket.

Entry to this event is via London Gate.

About the speaker

Victoria Taylor is an award-winning aviation historian. She has published in various mainstream publications, including ‘BBC History Extra’, ‘Britain at War’ and ‘Iron Cross’. Victoria has also served as an onscreen expert and off-screen consultant for a number of historical documentaries on BBC Two, Channel 5, History Hit, Sky History, National Geographic, and BBC Radio 4.