Robert Verkaik – författare

''Defiant is both a stirring testament to the courage of the men who flew them and a welcome new examination of one of the Second World War''s most famous conflicts''Alexander Larman, ObserverIn this startling new perspective on the Battle of Britain, Robert Verkaik reveals the surprising truth about the battle''s forgotten fighter, the Boulton Paul Defiant.The crucial role played by the Spitfire and the Hurricane has been exhaustively recorded, but, to date, next to nothing has been written about the third British fighter which took part in the battle. By writing from the unique perspective of the pilots who flew the Defiant and their air-gunners, Verkaik helps to set the record straight. The Air Staff regarded the Defiant as a state-of-the-art bomber destroyer and wanted to equip a third of all Fighter Command squadrons with this new plane. But the head of Fighter Command, Hugh Dowding, had other ideas and went to war with Whitehall over its plan to saddle him with hundreds of ''obsolete'' turret fighters. Then at Dunkirk, a Defiant squadron scored a huge success against the Luftwaffe by shooting down more German planes in one day than any other RAF unit before or since. Fighter Command, enthusiastically urged on by the Air Ministry, now committed its third fighter to the coming air battle over southern England. In the desperate dogfights of the battle, Defiants shot down both German bombers and fighters but suffered heavy losses too - one squadron was almost wiped out when it was ambushed by a superior force of Messerschmitt 109s. On 30 August 1940 all Defiant squadrons were withdrawn from the front line. The families of the Defiant air crews believed that their husbands, brothers and sons had died in vain, but the truth is that their vital contribution to the battle over Dunkirk and their role in the Battle of Britain has been all but erased from the official history. The story of the Defiant has not been allowed to mar the glorious victory won by the Spitfire and the Hurricane.But Verkaik has uncovered new records, including top-secret memos written by Hugh Dowding and his deputy Keith Park as well as correspondence with the Air Staff, combat and squadron reports, pilot logs and recordings of the last interviews with Defiant crews. He has also succeeded in tracing relatives of Defiant pilots and gunners to tell the story of the Battle of Britain as it has never been told before. He reveals how the myths which have grown up around the Defiant mask some inconvenient truths.

''A vastly entertaining tale, bursting with astonishing stories and extraordinary characters ... A fascinating read'' Sunday Telegraph

''Brilliant ... An amazing story, one I hadn''t heard too much about'' Dan Snow

IT IS THE DEPTHS OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR.

The Germans like to boast that there is ''no escape'' from the infamous fortress that is Colditz.

The elite British officers imprisoned there are determined to prove the Nazis wrong and get back into the war.

As the war heats up and the stakes are raised, the Gestapo plant a double-agent inside the prison in a bid to uncover the secrets of the British prisoners. Captain Julius Green of the Army Dental Corps and Sergeant John ''Busty'' Brown must risk their lives in a bid to save the lives of hundreds of Allied servicemen and protect the secrets of MI9.

Drawn from unseen records, The Traitor of Colditz brings to light an extraordinary, never-before-told story from the Second World War, an epic tale of how MI9 took on the Nazis and exposed the traitors in their midst.

NOW WITH NEW MATERIAL - the first book to analyse government documents released in January 2025.''Sensational'' Daily Express''A bombshell book'' Daily Mail''A breath-taking review of WWII''s greatest betrayal and the moment that changed history forever'' Sunday Post''Mr. Verkaik relates the complex stories of Lindemans and Blunt with the economy and verve of a spy novelist'' The Wall Street Journal''Original, thought-provoking and exceedingly well written.''Robert Kershaw, author of It Never Snows in September''Each chapter of Verkaik''s book leaves you yearning to learn more'' New York Journal of BooksThe end of the Second World War is in sight. Following D-Day, Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin all seek to shape the global future to their own ends and win the race to Berlin.The British launch Operation Market Garden, the greatest airborne operation the world has ever seen. It is a bold roll of the dice, which, if successful, will end the war in weeks. But behind the scenes, spies are working, and plans are betrayed, the operation fails and thousands of Allied soldiers die.The Traitor of Arnhem tells a never-before-told story of this iconic operation, and of the very different figures working in secret to cause the catastrophic defeat: one Dutch resistance fighter, one English gentleman, both working for the Russians. Drawn from unseen records and shedding fresh light on the operation and the spies responsible for its failure, this is an incredible account of the battle that would go on to shape the twentieth century.''Amazing ... a remarkable answer to the vexed question: why were the Nazis unexpectedly lying in wait?''Jewish Chronicle''A powerful and timely reminder of how the failure to tackle Stalin''s threat to the West at the end of World War 2 has forced the world to face up to the aggression of Vladimir Putin today.''Bill Browder, author of Red Notice