'Enemy Engaged' (Hardback)

‘Enemy Engaged’ follows the men and women of the RAF’s Fighter Command, fresh from victory in the Battle of Britain, as it begins to adapt from a defensive stance to one of a more offensive nature. Central to the story is the world’s first integrated air defence and control system, as well as Fighter Command’s Operations Rooms and Sector Stations, particularly that of No.11 Group at Uxbridge. In doing so, Dilip Amin weaves a tapestry of individual accounts and official documents to cover a backcloth of military and political upheaval.

Following on from the author’s ‘Enemy Sighted’, the journey continues beyond ‘Battle of Britain Day’ as the RAF duelled for air supremacy over Southern England to prevent Britain from being invaded. Then, as the bombers turn on London, Dilip transports the reader to the period known as the Blitz, as Fighter Command rises to meet the nocturnal assault. Read accounts from those at Uxbridge who witnessed the bombing and the night fighter pilots hunting the raiders in the night sky. Then, using source material, the author sets out Fighter Command’s policy of ‘Leaning towards France’ as it takes the fight to the enemy over Occupied Europe.

Follow Circus, Ramrod, Rodeo, Roadstead and Rhubarb offensive sorties, which were undertaken to seize the initiative from, and gain a tactical advantage over, the enemy. Dilip immerses the reader into the heart of the aerial combats, placing them in Spitfires alongside pilots who are engaged in a frenzied battle of kill or be killed. Read how mounting losses within Fighter Command, Hitler’s invasion of Russia, and Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, all shape the ‘non-stop offensive’ to keep the ‘Enemy Engaged’.

This story is then brought to a climactic finale with Operation Jubilee, the Allied raid on Dieppe, Fighter Command’s most frenetic day of fighting. It is the first major assault by sea, land, and air on Hitler’s Fortress Europe, since the withdrawal of troops from Dunkirk two years prior. Analysing Top Secret plans and combat reports, Dilip provides a clear view of how Jubilee was coordinated from Uxbridge to secure control of the sky above the invasion ground and battlefield. He again brings the moment to life, placing the reader in the seat of Spitfires and Hurricanes protecting the troops below. So, strap in and prepare for another thrilling ride as Dilip narrates the story of how Fighter Command engaged the enemy.