A much-anticipated one million word guide to the Battle of Britain is well on its way to completion.

Worcester-born Dilip Sarkar MBE, FRHistS, a historian and author, is in the final stages of completing his eight-volume history guide in collaboration with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.

The project has already led to new insights and revisions of traditional narratives on the landmark aerial conflict of 1940 that had profound impacts on the course of World War Two.

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Mr Sarkar raised questions about one of the fundamental 'facts' of the battle, its dates.

He said: "There is a clear case to suggest that the Battle of Britain started on July 2 not July 10.

"And if it’s supposed to have been a battle for aerial superiority prior to an invasion, the end date should really be October 12, when Hitler postponed his invasion plans indefinitely, not October 31."

Explaining the rigour of the research process, Mr Sarkar said: "Writing this work has been an incredible experience.

"A real marathon that has needed a different mindset to just writing a standalone book.

"I’ve discovered that you can’t rely on anything and have to cross check every last fact, date and reference".

The arduous fact-checking process even revealed errors in existing documentation, and differences in squadron records about timings.

Mr Sarkar is not definitively stopping at eight volumes; he is contemplating a ninth that will depict the immediate aftermath of the battle through to the end of February 1941.

The first six volumes are finished, constituting 714,216 words of the anticipated one million, and he aims to complete the last of the eight volumes by June.

Mr Sarkar also announced his new YouTube channel, where he will share podcasts and videos related to his project.

The first two volumes - The Gathering Storm: Prelude to the Spitfire summer of 1940 and The Breaking Storm: 10 July 1940 – 12 August 1940 - are available via publishers Pen and Sword, with the others scheduled for regular release.