Eagle Days: Life and Death for the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain

[Nick Beale]

Originally Posted by John Vasco

And if your definition is accepted (historical enquiry in the sense of amassing all the evidence you can from all sides and going where it takes you, irrespective of what you first thought might be the case), which is perfectly reasonable, then that is what I (and a whole host of other researchers) have been doing since 1980! Do I see my research as 'scientific'? No, just research.

I only think of my stuff as research too. The contrast I would make is with the kind of Second World War history I grew up with: tales of heroes and daring raids/escapes with all the awkward bits left out, and with a bit of guesswork/imagination to bridge the occasional gap in the information.