A renowned writer on air combat in World War II, Professor Patrick Eriksson is well known for his detailed research, something he fully demonstrates in this new book, which takes its name from the fighter pilot’s call when a target was in sight.
The book actually begins on 1 July 1940, nine days before the official start of the Battle of Britain, and ends on 7 August that same summer. It goes into amazing detail on the conflict in the skies over the south-east and south of England and the adjacent sea, drawing on the pilots’ Combat Reports, Squadron Operational Record Books (F540s), Squadron Commander Reports on Flying Battle Casualties, and many other sources at the UK National Archives and the like, together with the Luftwaffe equivalents. Eriksson’s copious references clearly indicate the depth and scope of his research. The book also has a very comprehensive selection of photographs and three useful maps.
Tally-Ho opens with a seven-page preface, which cleverly sets the scene for the pages that follow, and gives the first indication of the author’s willingness to look at the tactics of each side in an unbiased manner. Before the start of the battle proper on 10 July, we read how the RAF squadron and flight commanders developed tactics far superior to the Air Ministry’s so-called Fighter Area attacks (which had assumed that the German bomber attacks would not be defended by any close fighter escort), taking into consideration whether attacks on the Nazi bombers were from ahead, on the beam, or from astern.
