Product Description

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 work present the oral history of a period when Britain came closer to being overwhelmed by the enemy than at any other time in modern history.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #113666 in Books
• Published on: 2007-10-04
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 496 pages

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From the Publisher
The Blitz.
Part Three of a landmark oral history - narrated by Simon MacCorkindale

From the Back Cover
Joshua Levine has delved deep into the Imperial War Museum Sound Archive to unearth previously unpublished accounts of an extraordinary period of history – the Blitz and the Battle for Britain. We hear first-hand testimonies from the soldiers, airmen, fire-fighters, air raid wardens and civilians, people in the air and on the ground, giving us a thrilling account of Britain under siege.

DUNKIRK AND THE THREAT OF INVASION

On the day that Winston Churchill replaced Neville Chamberlain as Prime Minister, Germany invaded Holland and Belgium. Despite all the efforts of the Allied armies, Hitler’s powerful Panzer divisions smashed their way through to the French coast. For the retreating British Expeditionary Force, Dunkirk was the only practical point of departure, and on May 26th the order for total evacuation – Operation Dynamo – was given. Over succeeding days the ‘miracle’ of Dunkirk took place, and almost half a million troops were rescued from the beaches. Meanwhile in Britain belated preparations were going on for the expected invasion – the Battle for Britain had begun.

About the Author
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.

Customer Reviews

A fantastic portrait of life during the Blitz and Battle for Britain
I loved this book. It is well put together and easy to dip in and out of (and lose several hours to). It made everything very human and really brought home to me the atmosphere at the time and the experiances from many perspectives - from the girls de-coding german conversations, the fireman battling to save people and buildings to Churchill's War Rooms and the people working with him.

It had me laughing out loud and welling up with tears within minutes of having picked it up. I would recommend this book to everyone.

Forgotten Voices - Essential Reading
This volume in the Forgotten Voices series is just excellent (aren't they all ?). The book starts off with recollections of the Dunkirk evacuation (the contempt the RAF were held in by the army after events in France,is evident !)& the subsequent threat of Nazi invasion,as Hitler planned Operation Sealion.Then we arrive at the Battle of Britain & finally accounts of the Blitz.
There are, as ever with these books, some very moving testimonies (the stories related by those who witnessed death, injury & destruction during the bombings of London & Coventry,are particularly emotional)
The recollections of the pilots from both sides involved in the Battle Of Britain is fascinating,engrossing & enthralling (there but for the grace of God & all that).
As ever, I marvel at the courage, dedication,selflessness & sacrifice that are evident in the pages of these books. This does not paper over the "darker" side of the "Blitz spirit" - there are stories which touch on theft, black marketeering & assaults on women but what does shine through is the fact that in the majority of cases the British people seemed to exhibit quite frankly, unbelievable spirit & bravery in the face of huge, almost unimaginable (for later generations),unfathomable adversity.
All in all, a marvellous slice of British wartime history - a must.

enjoyable
as usual a series of stories from ww2 in the context of the time of the battle of britain and the blitz. all very interesting, useful to get a more emotive feeling of the time. however from a educational point of view, its all it really gives. small overview then a mish mash of stories set out to entertain and shock. there are better books out there. I get the feeling now and some might agree that these books are now just put together to give publishers money, and people who read the basic parts of military history something to read.

before I get a critical beating, let me say the book is well written and enjoyable, however I am a believer in reading a whole story not just bits. oral history has to be part of it but not all by itself