Book description
'Heroes' is the story of an extraordinary generation of young men,
mostly British, who came of age in the Second World War. These young men
- and women - found themselves facing life-threatening danger and the
kind of responsibility few would be prepared to shoulder today.
Whether fighting in the jungles of Burma or on the D-Day beaches, as
submariners, pilots, spies or prisoners of war, young soldiers in WWII
displayed astonishing courage and resilience, united by honour and bound
by the fellowship of their comrades.
Those who made it home are now a passing generation, and for many this
is the last chance for them to tell their stories - men like football
legend Tom Finney, who saw action in southern Italy; or James Bond
set-designer Ken Adam, a German Jew who flew as a fighter pilot for the
RAF; or identical twins Tom and Dee Bowles, who landed together on Easy
Red beach on D-Day.
Many of these young men never returned home and those who did faced
insurmountable challenges assimiliating back into civilian life.
'Heroes' is a moving and uplifting tribute to an remarkable generation.
Praise for 'Together We Stand':
'Anyone who wants to know how it felt to fight in the desert war should
read Holland's book…The author will surely have a lot more to write
about the Second World War. We can be confident it will be worth
reading.' Sunday Telegraph, Max Hastings
'Holland has produced a wonderful book…He is a master at evoking time
and place, with haunting descriptions of the desert landscape…If there
is a better book on the North African campaign, I haven't read it.'
Daily Telegraph, Saul David
'Using personal testimony and private memoirs as effectively as
official archives, he recreates the hardships and challenges faced by
ordinary soldiers and reassesses the tactical and strategic innovations
that finally gave the allies the upper hand.' Sunday Times
'Stands out from the crowd.' Literary Review, Nigel Jones
'Holland tells the story brilliantly. He has delved into archives for
letters and diaries and diligently tracked down survivors…Vividly,
intelligently, movingly, Holland's monumental chronicle tells it like it
was.' Patrick Bishop, Mail on Sunday James Holland was born in
Salisbury, Wiltshire, and studied history at Durham University. He has
worked for several London publishing houses and has written for a number
of national newspapers and magazines. He is the author of 'Fortress
Malta: An Island Under Siege', '1940-1943', and a novel, 'The Burning
Blue'. Married with a son, he lives near Salisbury.
