A Summer Bright and Terrible: Winston Churchill, Lord Dowding, Radar, and the Impossible Triumph of the Battle of Britain

by David E. Fisher

Lord Hugh Dowding, Air Chief Marshall of the Royal Air Force, Head of Fighter Command, First Baron of Bentley Priory, lived in the grip of unseen spirits. In thrall of the supernatural, he talked to the ghosts of his dead pilots, proclaimed that Hitler was defeated only by the personal intervention of God, and believed in the existence of faeries. How could it be that such a man should be put in charge of evaluating technical developments for the British air ministry? Yet it was he who brought the modern multi-gunned fighter into existence. And he insisted that his scientists investigate the mysterious invisible rays that would prove to be the salvation of radar.

Dowding, who provided the organization and training that led to victory, has been all but ignored by U. S. biographers of Churchill and historians of the Battle of Britain. Yet his story is vital to tell, for its importance to the defense of Britain and the free world, and for the intriguing character study that emerges from his ongoing conflict with Churchill and the British government during the crisis years of the empire. Part military history, part science narrative, part biography; this an incredible story.

Genres: History, World War II, Battle Of Britain, Military History, War, Nonfiction

312 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was part history and part biography and exposed some little known part of the Battle of Britain. We have brilliant men, crazy men, ambitious men, and stupid men and some with mixtures of everything. The author has an engaging style and you can really tell he likes the subject matter. Lord Dowding was not just the right person for the job, he was the right person for the time, and he keenly felt the deaths of each pilot. He understood what needed to be done and was not afraid to speak truth to power. I got to really dislike the people who wanted to run roughshod over him. If you want to know more about the Battle of Britain, this is the book to read!!

[Meredith Foulkes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written in an easy, conversational style. I learned so much and have gained a much fuller understanding of the fascinating history of the Battle of Britain. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys being awed by the strength and tenacity of born leaders, who will not be deterred by long odds or seemingly immovable obstacles. Best book I have read in quite some time

[Thomas George Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although the author is not pro Churchill, I found his account of the times most enlightening. A good read.

[Henry · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horribly written book about an important piece of history. The author goes out of his way to single out one man as being responsible for winning the Battle of Britain, but he makes sure that he trashes some parts of Lord Dowding's personality that don't fit the author's world-view (Dowding's odd spiritualism, his weird, but unshakeable belief in God being on Britain's side, etc.). Fisher writes in conversational tone ("Your emember Sholto Douglas from the First World War, right?") and is addicted to making his own spin on cliches ("the straws were mounting on the camel's back", etc.) which is tiresome. In the end, you begin to understand that despite Fisher's relentless cheerleading, Dowding's big contribution --insisting on the new technology of a radar ring-- was important, but he was a weak and ineffective leader. I'm glad I got to learn about Dowding, but I don't think I'll be reading ny more of Fisher's work.

[Juan · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding review of how Hugh Dowding fostered a new technology (Radar in WWII) into a war-winning advantage. Recounting experimentation conducted in both infrastructure and tactical employment, this is a well-written and engaging history of the development of an important sensor used in WWII.

[Michael Norwitz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and highly opinionated analysis of the career of Lord Hugh Dowding, the man who was responsible for the air defense of Britain during the early part of WW2. The informal and clever prose made it a pleasure to read and I'd recommend it to anyone interested in the era.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to give it 5 stars, but the author's style of writing like he was giving a TED talk annoyed me.

[Ilya Slavutskiy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good treatment of scientific topics and of Dowding's personal life at the end.