Book description
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.
Joshua Levine practised as a barrister for several years before
becoming an actor and writer. His plays have been performed on the
London stage and on BBC Radio 4, and he has scripted a television
documentary about eighteenth-century London for BBC2. He was the primary
researcher for
Forgotten Voices of the Great War
and
Forgotten Voices of the Second World War
. This is his first book.
