The Phoney War on the Home Front

The Phoney War on the Home Front
Author: E. S. Turner
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Total Pages: 226
Release: 2012-04-17
Genre: History
ISBN: 057129474X

One of the strangest periods in the social history of Britain was that of the Phoney War of 1939-40, when the nation did not know quite whether it was at war or peace. E.S. Turner's marvellous study, first published in 1961, offers a none-too-reverent account of how Britons tried to adjust themselves to the uncertainties of those days. What was a woman to do if the air-raid siren sounded while she was curling her hair? Were the police required to open fire through jewellers' windows at un-extinguished light bulbs? What was more patriotic - to buy War Bonds or to drink as much whisky as possible? Turner further explores the difficulties posed by blackouts to private detectives and prostitutes; the impact of the moment upon morals, and on fashions; and the bureaucracy's blundering seizure of the nation's spa hotels. The story is carried entertainingly all the way to the Blitz: the darkening moment at which Britain realized there was indeed 'a war on.'

War on the Home Front

War on the Home Front
Author: Juliet Gardiner
Publisher: Carlton Publishing Group
Total Pages: 64
Release: 2012-05-01
Genre: Great Britain
ISBN: 9781780971421

Endorsed by the Imperial War Museum, this book provides the answers to many questions relating to the Britain at war experience, by using facsimiles of actual documents and memorabilia from the time: photos, paintings, propaganda, regulations, and witness accounts.

Ministry of Morale

Ministry of Morale
Author: Ian McLaine
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 351
Release: 2021-11-21
Genre: History
ISBN: 1000458458

This book, first published in 1979, is an analysis of the wartime Ministry of Information, responsible for the maintenance of public morale. How was it that British morale remained high, yet the department responsible was so bad? This book examines the domestic work of the Ministry and offers an unprecedented insight into the mind of both government and people during the war. It answers key questions: How did a government department assess and set about maintaining morale? How did it handle the social and political questions associated with morale – post-war social reform, press freedom and censorship, the nature of the Soviet regime? How sound in fact was civilian morale, on the basis of the secret Wartime Intelligence reports then available? One of the most fascinating aspects of this book is the Ministry’s constant internal debate on how its responsibilities should best be carried out. It is a key work of research on the political, psychological and mass communications problems facing a society at war.

Churchill's Phoney War

Churchill's Phoney War
Author: Graham Clews
Publisher: Naval Institute Press
Total Pages: 348
Release: 2019-11-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1682472809

Given the dearth of scholarship on the Phoney War, this book examines the early months of World War II when Winston Churchill’s ability to lead Britain in the fight against the Nazis was being tested. Graham T. Clews explores how Churchill, as First Lord of the Admiralty, proposed to fight this new world war, with particular attention given to his attempts to impel the Royal Navy, the British War Cabinet, and the French, toward a more aggressive prosecution of the conflict. This is no mere retelling of events but a deep analysis of the decision-making process and Churchill’s unique involvement in it. This book shares extensive new insights into well-trodden territory and original analysis of the unexplored, with each chapter offering material which challenges conventional wisdom. Clews reassesses several important issues of the Phoney War period including: Churchill’s involvement in the anti-U-boat campaign; his responsibility for the failures of the Norwegian Campaign; his attitude to Britain’s aerial bombing campaign and the notion of his unfettered “bulldog” spirit; his relationship with Neville Chamberlain; and his succession to the premiership. A man of considerable strengths and many shortcomings, the Churchill that emerges in Clews’ portrayal is dynamic and complicated. Churchill’s Phoney War adds a well-balanced and much-needed history of the Phoney War while scrupulously examining Churchill’s successes and failures.

The Echo of War

The Echo of War
Author: Siân Nicholas
Publisher:
Total Pages: 328
Release: 1996
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN:

Finally, it considers how, through its contribution to the 'reconstruction' debate, the BBC consolidated not only a lasting image of the 'People's War', but a compelling vision of the 'People's Peace'.

Jambusters

Jambusters
Author: Julie Summers
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 434
Release: 2013-02-28
Genre: History
ISBN: 085720047X

The compelling true story that inspired the hugely successful major ITV drama series HOME FIRES – now in its second season. The Second World War was the WI's finest hour. The whole of its previous history - two decades of educating, entertaining and supporting women and campaigning on women's issues - culminated in the enormous collective responsibility felt by the members to 'do their bit' for Britain. With all the vigour, energy and enthusiasm at their disposal, a third of a million country women set out to make their lives and the lives of those around them more bearable in what they described as 'a period of insanity'. Through archive material and interviews with many WI members, Julie Summers takes us behind the scenes, revealing their nitty-gritty approach to the daily problems presented by the conflict. Jambusters is the fascinating story of how the Women's Institute pulled rural Britain through the war with pots of jam and a spirit of make-do-and-mend.

Fledgling Eagles

Fledgling Eagles
Author: Christopher F. Shores
Publisher:
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1991
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

The Complete Account of Air War over Western Europe and Scandinavia, September 1939-August 1940

Fashion on the Ration

Fashion on the Ration
Author: Julie Summers
Publisher: Profile Books
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2015-03-05
Genre: Design
ISBN: 1782830979

In September 1939, just three weeks after the outbreak of war, Gladys Mason wrote briefly in her diary about events in Europe: 'Hitler watched German siege of Warsaw. City in flames.' And, she continued, 'Had my wedding dress fitted. Lovely.' For Gladys Mason, and for thousands of women throughout the long years of the war, fashion was not simply a distraction, but a necessity - and one they weren't going to give up easily. In the face of bombings, conscription, rationing and ludicrous bureaucracy, they maintained a sense of elegance and style with determination and often astonishing ingenuity. From the young woman who avoided the dreaded 'forces bloomers' by making knickers from military-issue silk maps, to Vogue's indomitable editor Audrey Withers, who balanced lobbying government on behalf of her readers with driving lorries for the war effort, Julie Summers weaves together stories from ordinary lives and high society to provide a unique picture of life during the Second World War. As a nation went into uniform and women took on traditional male roles, clothing and beauty began to reflect changing social attitudes. For the first time, fashion was influenced not only by Hollywood and high society but by the demands of industrial production and the pressing need to 'make-do-and-mend'. Beautifully illustrated and full of gorgeous detail, Fashion on the Ration lifts the veil on a fascinating era in British fashion.

Ostkrieg

Ostkrieg
Author: Stephen G. Fritz
Publisher: University Press of Kentucky
Total Pages: 609
Release: 2011-10-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 0813140501

On June 22, 1941, Germany launched the greatest land assault in history on the Soviet Union, an attack that Adolf Hitler deemed crucial to ensure German economic and political survival. As the key theater of the war for the Germans, the eastern front consumed enormous levels of resources and accounted for 75 percent of all German casualties. Despite the significance of this campaign to Germany and to the war as a whole, few English-language publications of the last thirty-five years have addressed these pivotal events. In Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East, Stephen G. Fritz bridges the gap in scholarship by incorporating historical research from the last several decades into an accessible, comprehensive, and coherent narrative. His analysis of the Russo-German War from a German perspective covers all aspects of the eastern front, demonstrating the interrelation of military events, economic policy, resource exploitation, and racial policy that first motivated the invasion. This in-depth account challenges accepted notions about World War II and promotes greater understanding of a topic that has been neglected by historians.

The People's War

The People's War
Author: Angus Calder
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 658
Release: 2012-07-31
Genre: History
ISBN: 144810310X

The Second World War was, for Britain, a 'total war'; no section of society remained untouched by military conscription, air raids, the shipping crisis and the war economy. In this comprehensive and engrossing narrative Angus Calder presents not only the great events and leading figures but also the oddities and banalities of daily life on the Home Front, and in particular the parts played by ordinary people: air raid wardens and Home Guards, factory workers and farmers, housewives and pacifists. Above all this revisionist and important work reveals how, in those six years, the British people came closer to discarding their social conventions than at any time since Cromwell's republic. Winner of the John Llewellyn Rhys prize in 1970, The People’s War draws on oral testimony and a mass of neglected social documentation to question the popularised image of national unity in the fight for victory.