The greatest air battle in history was fought in the skies over southern England between the RAF and the Luftwaffe in the high summer of 1940.

Acclaimed military author Roy Conyers Nesbit has assembled a stunning selection of some 400 photographs and illustrations to tell the story of the great battle for Europe following the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. The photographs, drawn from the UK and US National Archives and the author's own collection, are underpinned by a concise narrative account of the campaign that took the Western Allies from D-Day, through France and across the Rhine to Germany and victory.

In November 1942 the RAF formed special Strike Wings to attack the heavily defended and seemingly invulnerable convoys that brought Germanys vital supplies of iron ore from Scandinavia down the coast of Europe to feed its war machine. The outcome was a series sea/air battles at close quarters, fought with increasing ferocity until the last days of the war. The Germans tried everything against the Beaufighters and Mosquitos of the Strike Wings fighters, intense flak, parachute mines and even flame-throwers and the casualties were appallingly heavy on both sides. In this classic account of one of the neglected yet crucial theatres of the air war Roy Nesbit, himself a survivor of strike aircraft of Coastal Command, describes these complex battles from British and German records, assisted by first-hand accounts from some of the brave airmen who took part. He also analyzes the effects of the tactics employed on the German war economy, with some startling conclusions. The result is a fascinating, clearly written and vivid history of events that were little publicized during the war for reasons of security. His book includes detailed diagrams of some of the key attacks and features some astonishing photographs taken in action.

In 1942 a Catalina crew of 210 Squadron, based at Sullom Voe in the Shetlands, was selected to carry out a series of highly secret operations, including a flight to the North Pole. The sorties were associated with a Norwegian expedition from Britain to Spitsbergen, to deny the use of the territory to the enemy. The flights made by the crew were frequently over twenty-four hours in length and reached the limits of human endurance, in conditions of extreme cold. Later, the squadron was detached to North Russia, to provide cover for the convoys taking vital supplies to the Allies on the Eastern Front. The navigator of the crew, Ernest Schofield, retained logs of most of these sorties. Together with other survivors of the crew, accounts from German sources and research carried out by Roy Conyers Nesbit, he recreated these little-known events, in detailed and accurate narrative that ends in tragedy.

On 10 May 1941, Rudolf Hess - Deputy Fuhrer of the Third Reich - embarked on his astonishing flight from Augsburg to Scotland. At dusk the same day, he parachuted on to a Scottish moor and was taken into custody. His arrival provoked widespread curiosity and speculation, which has continued to this day. Why did Hess fly to Scotland? Had Hitler authorized him to attempt to negotiate peace? Was British Intelligence involved? What was his state of mind at the time? Drawing on a variety of reliable archive and eyewitness sources in Britain, Germany and the USA, authors Roy Conyers Nesbit and Georges van Acker have written what must be the most objective assessment of the Hess' story yet to be published. Their compelling narrative not only dispels many of the extraordinary conspiracy theories, but also uncovers some intriguing new facts.

The bold campaign to liberate Western Europe from Nazi tyranny was the outcome of years of close cooperation and meticulous planning by the Western Allies. Eleven months of vicious fighting followed the Allied landings in Normandy on 6 June 1944, against a determined and well-armed foe controlled by paranoid and brutal political masters.

Military author Roy Conyers Nesbit has assembled a selection of over 300 photographs and illustrations that tell the story of the battle for Europe, from the shores of Normandy to the daring airborne assault on Arnhem, and from the bitter winter fighting in the forests of the Ardennes to the final sweep into the heartlands of Nazi Germany.

The photographs are drawn from the British National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office), the US National Archives and the author's own collection, and are supplemented by a selection of colour paintings and posters from the National Archives and from contemporary leading aviation artists. Each photograph is supported by a detailed caption.

These images of the battle for Europe and the final destruction of Hitler's 1,000-year Reich are underpinned by a concise narrative account of the campaigns that led eventually to victory in the West.