Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and the Battle For Britain

Drawing material from the Imperial War Museum's extensive aural archive, Joshua Levine brings together voices from both sides of the Blitz and the Battle of Britain to give us a unique, complete and compelling picture of this turbulent time. In June 1940, British citizens prepared for an imminent German onslaught. Hitler's troops had overrun Holland, Belgium and France in quick succession, and the British people anticipated an invasion would soon be upon them. From July to October, they watched the Battle of Britain play out in the skies above them, aware that the result would decide their fate. Over the next nine months, the Blitz killed more than 43,000 civilians. For a year, the citizens of Britain were effectively front-line soldiers in a battle which united the country against a hated enemy. We hear from the soldiers, airmen, fire-fighters, air-raid wardens and civilians, people in the air and on the ground, on both sides of the battle, giving us a thrilling account of Britain under siege. With first-hand testimonies from those involved in Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain, Black Saturday on 7th September 1940 when the Luftwaffe began the Blitz, to its climax on the 10th May 1941, this is the definitive oral history of a period when Britain came closer to being overwhelmed by the enemy than at any other time in modern history.

ISBN 0091910048   Volumes 1 ISBN13 9780091910044 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 458 Publisher Ebury Press   Published in London Imprint Ebury Press   Series title Forgotten Voices Format Paperback   Height (mm) 200 Publication date 04 Oct 2007   Width (mm) 131 Writer of introduction Ackroyd, Peter   Spine width (mm) 37 DEWEY 941.084   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22   Alternative ISBN 9781846570292 Pages 496

		Author's Preface
		Acknowledgements
		Introduction by Peter Ackroyd		1
Part One		Dunkirk and the Threat of Invasion		3
		Dunkirk		6
		The Essence of Leadership		36
		Threat of Invasion		43
		The Defence of Britain		57
		The Home Guard		70
		The British Resistance		83
Part Two		The Battle of Britain		95
		A Call to Arms		97
		Hurricanes and Spitfires		119
		The Air Defences		133
		The Start of the Battle: áThe Channel War'		152
		In the Air		167
		On the Ground		221
		Supporting Roles		238
		The Second Phase: Radar and Airfield Attacks		256
		The Beginning of the Blitz		279
		Big Wing		285
		The Luftwaffe Resisted - September 15, 1940		288
		The Battle Plays Out		295
		Aftermath		300
Part Three		The Blitz		305
		The Night Skies		307
		Bombs and Sappers		320
		Taking Shelter		340
		The Human Cost		360
		Blitz Spirit		408
		Brave New World		428
		More...

"With the rawness and immediacy that only this kind of oral history can provide."-"Sunday Times"

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