| Synopsis: |
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. 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. 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. From July to September 1940, the British people watched the Battle of Britain play out in the skies above them, aware that the eventual outcome would decide their fate. From September through to the following May, Hitler then attempted to 'blitz' London and other major cities into submission. For a year the citizens of Britain were effectively front-line soldiers in a battle which united the country against a hated enemy.Despite the terror, destruction and heavy casualties the British people survived the onslaught, until May 1941, when Hitler re-directed his attention, and that of the Luftwaffe, to the campaign in Russia. |