Download or read book WWII Blackouts Britain and Germany written by Benjamin Bachmeier and published by . This book was released on 2023-09-16 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book embarks on a vital exploration of a relatively neglected aspect of the Second World War-the impact of air raid precautions in Britain and Germany. Despite being one of the most intrusive and widespread civil defence measures brought about by the advent of aerial bombing, the blackout has received surprisingly little scholarly attention since the war's conclusion. Within the broader context of the home front and the bombing war, the blackout has often been marginalized or overlooked entirely. This study seeks to rectify this gap in historical research by shedding light on the blackout's extensive influence on wartime society. By situating the blackout within the broader narrative of aviation's development and examining its profound social and economic consequences, this thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of both the blackout itself and the social history of the British and German home fronts during World War II. Furthermore, it delves into the ways in which technology reshaped the relationship between the state and its citizens during this tumultuous period and addresses the shortage of comparative research between Britain and Germany during the war.
Download or read book The Blackout in Britain and Germany 1939 1945 written by Marc Wiggam and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-06-06 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is the first major study of the blackout in the Second World War. Developing a comparative history of this system of civil defense in Britain and Germany, it begins by exploring how the blackout was planned for in both countries, and how the threat of aerial bombing framed its development. It then examines how well the blackout was adhered to, paying particular regard to the tension between its military value and the difficulties it caused civilians. The book then moves on to discuss how the blackout undermined the perception of security on the home front, especially for women. The final chapter examines the impact of the blackout on industry and transport. Arguing that the blackout formed an integral part in mobilising and legitimating British and German wartime discourses of community, fairness and morality, the book explores its profound impact on both countries.
Download or read book WWII Blackout Germany and Britain s Darkness written by Randy S. Waldo and published by . This book was released on 2024-07-09 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Blackout in Britain and Germany During the Second World War written by Marc Patrick Wiggam and published by . This book was released on 2011 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The impact of air raid precautions in Britain and Germany has received little scholarly attention since the end of the Second World War. Of the protective measures brought about as a result of the invention of the bomber, the blackout was by far the most intrusive and extensive form of civil defence. Yet the historiography of the home front and the bombing war in Britain and Germany has tended to sideline the blackout, or else ignore it entirely. The lack of study given to the blackout is at odds with the scale of its impact across wartime society. This thesis furthers understanding of the blackout and the social history of the British and German home fronts by contextualising the blackout within the development of aviation, and its social and economic effects. It also examines the impact technology could have on the relationship between state and citizens, and addresses the lack of comparative research on Britain and Germany during the Second World War. The thesis draws on extensive research conducted in local and national government archives in Britain and Germany, as well as a wide range of secondary literature on the war and inter-war period. It argues that the blackout was a profound expansion of the state into the lives of each nation's citizens, and though it was set within two politically very different states, it brought with it similar practical and social problems. The blackout, as the most 'social' form of civil defence, is an ideal aspect of the war by which to compare the British and German home fronts. Ultimately, the differences between the two countries were less important than the shared sense of obligation that the blackout principle was intended to foster within the wartime community.
Download or read book Death from the Skies written by Dietmar Süss and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 2014-02-06 with total page 726 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The German 'Blitz' that followed the Battle of Britain killed tens of thousands and laid waste to large areas of many British cities. And although the destruction of 1940-1 was never repeated on the same scale, fears that Hitler possessed a secret weapon of mass destruction never entirely died, and were partially realized in the VI and V2 raids of 1944-5. The British and American response to the 'Blitz', especially from 1943 onwards, was massive and incomparably more devastating - with apocalyptic consequences for German cities such as Hamburg, Dresden, and Berlin, to name but the most prominent. In this ground-breaking new book, German historian Dietmar Süss investigates the effects of the bombing on both Britain and Nazi Germany, showing how these two very different societies sought to withstand the onslaught and keep up morale amidst the material devastation and psychological trauma that was visited upon them. And, as he reflects in the conclusion, this is not a story that is safely confined to the past: the debate over the rights and the wrongs of the mass bombing of British and German cities during World War II remains a highly emotional subject even today.
Download or read book Blackout written by Simon Scarrow and published by Headline. This book was released on 2021-08-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE STUNNING SECOND WORLD WAR THRILLER FROM THE CELEBRATED SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR SIMON SCARROW The Richard and Judy Bookclub Pick The Times Top Ten bestseller 'A wonderfully compelling thriller, reeking of authenticity, and a terrific depiction of the human world within the chilling world of the Third Reich' Peter James Berlin, December 1939 As Germany goes to war, the Nazis tighten their terrifying grip. Paranoia in the capital is intensified by a rigidly enforced blackout that plunges the city into oppressive darkness every night, as the bleak winter sun sets. When a young woman is murdered, Criminal Inspector Horst Schenke is under pressure to solve the case, swiftly. Distrusted by his superiors for his failure to join the Nazi Party, Schenke walks a perilous line - for disloyalty is a death sentence. The discovery of a second victim confirms Schenke's worst fears. He must uncover the truth before evil strikes again. As the investigation takes him closer to the sinister heart of the regime, Schenke realises there is danger everywhere - and the warring factions of the Reich can be as deadly as a killer stalking the streets . . . Readers love BLACKOUT: 'Superb thriller, with a heroic anti-Nazi Kripo detective ... I look forward to more books about him' ***** 'Highly recommended ... A top-class murder case set in war-time Berlin' ***** 'Fantastic ... Keeps you guessing and in suspense until the end' ***** 'Great story about the excessive Nazi regime ... Really loved this book' *****
Download or read book Mr Brown s War written by Richard Finn Brown and published by Sutton Publishing. This book was released on 2003 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Richard Brown kept a personal war diary throughout the whole of World War II. In it he recorded the war news as he perceived it, gleaned from newspapers, the wireless and hearsay. Along with describing the development of the war, he has captured an image of life in wartime Britain, with rationing, blackout restrictions, interrupted sleep, the prospect of evacuation and the enormous burden placed on civilians coping with a full-time job as well as war work. Mr Brown was a well-informed man who made his own judgements. His attitude to the war is fascinating, as he never doubts ultimate victory, despite being impatient and scathing about the conduct of the war. His observations range from the pithy to the humorous and scathing. Above all, his diaries reflect the moral and social attitudes of the period, and the desire to be fully involved in the war effort. They also totally refute the argument that the British public were kept in ignorance of the bad news.
Download or read book Bombing States and Peoples in Western Europe 1940 1945 written by Claudia Baldoli and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 2011-01-01 with total page 375 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: >
Download or read book The Great Cat Dog Massacre written by Hilda Kean and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-03-14 with total page 242 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The tragedies of World War II are well known. But at least one has been forgotten: in September 1939, four hundred thousand cats and dogs were massacred in Britain. The government, vets, and animal charities all advised against this killing. So why would thousands of British citizens line up to voluntarily euthanize household pets? In The Great Cat and Dog Massacre, Hilda Kean unearths the history, piecing together the compelling story of the life—and death—of Britain’s wartime animal companions. She explains that fear of imminent Nazi bombing and the desire to do something to prepare for war led Britons to sew blackout curtains, dig up flower beds for vegetable patches, send their children away to the countryside—and kill the family pet, in theory sparing them the suffering of a bombing raid. Kean’s narrative is gripping, unfolding through stories of shared experiences of bombing, food restrictions, sheltering, and mutual support. Soon pets became key to the war effort, providing emotional assistance and helping people to survive—a contribution for which the animals gained government recognition. Drawing extensively on new research from animal charities, state archives, diaries, and family stories, Kean does more than tell a virtually forgotten story. She complicates our understanding of World War II as a “good war” fought by a nation of “good” people. Accessibly written and generously illustrated, Kean’s account of this forgotten aspect of British history moves animals to center stage—forcing us to rethink our assumptions about ourselves and the animals with whom we share our homes.
Download or read book Histories of the Unexpected World War II written by Sam Willis and published by Atlantic Books. This book was released on 2019-11-07 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Histories of the Unexpected not only presents a new way of thinking about the past, but also reveals the world around us as never before. Traditionally, World War II has been understood in a straightforward way but the period really comes alive if you take an unexpected approach to its history. Yes, battles, bombs and bravery all have a fascinating history... but so too do handkerchiefs, furniture, Mozart, insects, blood, mothers, suicide, darkness, cancer and puppets! Each of these subjects is equally fascinating in its own right, and each sheds new light on the traditional subjects and themes that we think we know so well.
Download or read book Britain s Railways in Wartime written by Anthony Lambert and published by . This book was released on 2018 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the long and absorbing history of Britain's railways, the most challenging years were those of the two World Wars, when they were needed the most. Transportation of everything that was grown, made, or mined, as well as soldiers, sailors, airmen, and civilians largely fell to the nation's trains. Yet the indispensable role of railways in wartime has been largely overlooked. This book pays tribute to the way railway workers responded to the demand that they do more with less resources, called upon as they were to cope with an extraordinary change in the character and volume of passenger and goods traffic, to endure dangerously long hours, and to overcome the fear of moving in and through war zones. Small wayside stations could be transformed into a frenzy of activity by the arrival of a camp or supply depot on its doorstep, while disruption through bomb damage could turn the shift of the locomotive crew into an indefinite wait for relief. Featuring a gazetteer of the monuments and memorials created to honor fallen railway workers, this book pays tribute to their heroic responses to the demands of war.
Download or read book That Neutral Island written by Clair Wills and published by Harvard University Press. This book was released on 2007 with total page 518 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Where previous histories of Ireland in the war years have focused on high politics, That Neutral Island mines deeper layers of experience. Stories, letters, and diaries illuminate this small country as it suffered rationing, censorship, the threat of invasion, and a strange detachment from the war.
Download or read book Books As Weapons written by John B. Hench and published by Cornell University Press. This book was released on 2016-10-15 with total page 352 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Only weeks after the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, a surprising cargo—crates of books—joined the flood of troop reinforcements, weapons and ammunition, food, and medicine onto Normandy beaches. The books were destined for French bookshops, to be followed by millions more American books (in translation but also in English) ultimately distributed throughout Europe and the rest of the world. The British were doing similar work, which was uneasily coordinated with that of the Americans within the Psychological Warfare Division of General Eisenhower's Supreme Headquarters, Allied Expeditionary Force, under General Eisenhower's command. Books As Weapons tells the little-known story of the vital partnership between American book publishers and the U.S. government to put carefully selected recent books highlighting American history and values into the hands of civilians liberated from Axis forces. The government desired to use books to help "disintoxicate" the minds of these people from the Nazi and Japanese propaganda and censorship machines and to win their friendship. This objective dovetailed perfectly with U.S. publishers' ambitions to find new profits in international markets, which had been dominated by Britain, France, and Germany before their book trades were devastated by the war. Key figures on both the trade and government sides of the program considered books "the most enduring propaganda of all" and thus effective "weapons in the war of ideas," both during the war and afterward, when the Soviet Union flexed its military might and demonstrated its propaganda savvy. Seldom have books been charged with greater responsibility or imbued with more significance. John B. Hench leavens this fully international account of the programs with fascinating vignettes set in the war rooms of Washington and London, publishers' offices throughout the world, and the jeeps in which information officers drove over bomb-rutted roads to bring the books to people who were hungering for them. Books as Weapons provides context for continuing debates about the relationship between government and private enterprise and the image of the United States abroad. To see an interview with John Hench conducted by C-SPAN at the 2010 annual conference of the Organization of American Historians, visit: http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/id/222522.
Download or read book The Blitz Companion written by Mark Clapson and published by University of Westminster Press. This book was released on 2019-04-02 with total page 316 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Blitz Companion offers a unique overview of a century of aerial warfare, its impact on cities and the people who lived in them. It tells the story of aerial warfare from the earliest bombing raids and in World War 1 through to the London Blitz and Allied bombings of Europe and Japan. These are compared with more recent American air campaigns over Cambodia and Vietnam in the 1960s and 1970s, the NATO bombings during the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, and subsequent bombings in the aftermath of 9/11. Beginning with the premonitions and predictions of air warfare and its terrible consequences, the book focuses on air raids precautions, evacuation and preparations for total war, and resilience, both of citizens and of cities. The legacies of air raids, from reconstruction to commemoration, are also discussed. While a key theme of the book is the futility of many air campaigns, care is taken to situate them in their historical context. The Blitz Companion also includes a guide to documentary and visual resources for students and general readers. Uniquely accessible, comparative and broad in scope this book draws key conclusions about civilian experience in the twentieth century and what these might mean for military engagement and civil reconstruction processes once conflicts have been resolved.
Download or read book Most Secret War written by R.V. Jones and published by Penguin UK. This book was released on 2009-08-06 with total page 930 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Reginald Jones was nothing less than a genius. And his appointment to the Intelligence Section of Britain's Air Ministry in 1939 led to some of the most astonishing scientific and technological breakthroughs of the Second World War. In Most Secret War he details how Britain stealthily stole the war from under the Germans' noses by outsmarting their intelligence at every turn. He tells of the 'battle of the beams'; detecting and defeating flying bombs; using chaff to confuse radar; and many other ingenious ideas and devices. Jones was the man with the plan to save Britain and his story makes for riveting reading.
Download or read book The Split History of World War II written by Simon Rose and published by Capstone. This book was released on 2013 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Describes the opposing viewpoints of the Allies and Axis during World War II"--Provided by publisher.
Download or read book Demobbed written by Alan Allport and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2009-01-01 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What happened when millions of British servicemen were demobbed demobilized after World War II? Most had been absent for years, and the joy of arrival was often clouded with ambivalence, regrets, and fears. Returning soldiers faced both practical and psychological problems, from reasserting their place in the family home to rejoining a much-altered labor force. Civilians worried that their homecoming heroes had been barbarized by their experiences and would bring crime and violence back from the battlefield. Drawing on personal letters and diaries, newspapers, reports, novels, and films, Alan Allport illuminates the darker side of the homecoming experience for ex-servicemen, their families, and society at large a gripping story that s in danger of being lost to national memory."
