HISTORIAN Kate Moore is hoping her new book will encourage people to remember the bravery of the fighter pilots who helped save Britain from invasion.

Mrs Moore, 29, said she was delighted to have been chosen to write The Battle of Britain, the latest publication by Botley-based Osprey Publishing, in association with the Imperial War Museum.

The book complements the exhibition now being staged at the museum’s branch near Cambridge, and both mark the 70th anniversary of the fight to combat the Luftwaffe.

Following a history degree at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, Mrs Moore completed her Masters on the Battle of Britain in 2003, at Oxford University’s Oriel College.

Shortly afterwards, she joined Osprey and her specialist knowledge made her the ideal candidate for the anniversary volume.

Mrs Moore, who lives in Abingdon with her husband Edward, 35, said: “This is the first book I have written myself and I felt honoured to write about such an important subject and such a significant point in British history.

“The Battle of Britain was a very significant victory for the people of Britain because it was the first defeat the Third Reich ever suffered.

“If the Battle of Britain had been lost then invasion would have been conceivable.

“The RAF won the battle of attrition with the Luftwaffe, who could not keep up the losses they were suffering. That was why Hitler then switched to the Blitz to try to bludgeon the British people into submission.

“The Battle of Britain was won partly because the RAF’s entire defensive system was much better prepared.”

Mrs Moore said a lot of the material in the book is taken from the war museum’s own archive, which includes a vast collection of photos, and pilot interviews.

She added: “I spoke to some of the pilots who survived the Battle of Britain for my Masters but now, unfortunately, there are only a handful left.

“You can dip into the book like a coffee-table book, or read it from cover to cover as a history of the battle, and I hope schools will be able to use it.

“The striking painting on the cover is by the artist Paul Nash, who was based in Oxford for part of the war.”

The Battle of Britain exhibition is being staged at the Imperial War Museum branch in Duxford, near Cambridge, until December 31.

The book costs £25.