Links

The World at War – Richard Holmes

Containing a huge number of previously unheard accounts, these raw and immediate testimonies really do offer a fresh insight into the Second World War. Some reveal facts we thought we knew to be falsehoods, others confirm what had previously been written off as myths and some nuggets establish intriguing, counter-intuitive lines of argument. Whilst many add significantly to our factual knowledge, the value of the anthology is also in its impressionistic quality – offering a uniquely personal, intimate account of such an inhuman conflict.

Lest We Forget - Max Arthur

Lest We Forget brings together first-hand recollections from the Great War to the Second World War, to vividly illustrate the impact of war. Told in the actual words of the men, women and children who lived through a century of war it is a moving insight into the conflicts of the twentieth century. The testaments of those who were there depict the horrors of war, yet also provide inspiration with tales of enduring courage, sacrifice and daring. Arranged thematically into chapters such as hope, fear, the kindness of strangers, the human cost and brothers in arms, it reveals the full scope of war in all its stark reality.

Evocatively illustrated throughout with line drawings from the Imperial War Museum's archives, it will appeal to anyone wanting to gain an insight into not only specific conflicts, but the overarching and sometimes surprising effects of war in general. Lest We Forget vividly ensures that the wartime experiences of ordinary people will never be forgotten.

Forgotten Voices of the Second World War - Max Arthur

The Imperial War Museum holds a vast archive of interviews with soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians of most nationalities who saw action during WW2. As in the highly-acclaimed Forgotten Voices of the Great War, Max Arthur and his team of researchers spent hundreds of hours digging deep into this unique archive, uncovering tapes, many of which have not been listened to since they were created in the early 1970s.

The result is the first complete oral history of the war. We hear at first from British, German and Commonwealth soldiers and civilians. Accounts of the impact of U. S. involvement after Pearl Harbour and the major effects it had on the war in Europe and the Far East is chronicled in startling detail, including compelling interviews from U. S. and British troops who fought against the Japanese. Continuing through from D-Day, to the Rhine Crossing and the dropping of the Atom Bomb in August 1945, this book is a unique testimony to one of the world's most dreadful conflicts.

Prisoner of War - Charles Rollings

Based on interviews and correspondence with ex-POWs and their relatives over the last 25 years, Prisoner of War is a major survey of Allied POWs from all walks of life. Extraordinary stories of extremes - courage, hope and desperation -are revealed in the words of those that were there.

Arranged chronologically, the book follows those involved from capture, through interrogation, imprisonment, escape, to final liberation and homecoming. POWs and, in particular, those who broke free, have become a post-war cultural icon; a symbol of the will to survive against the odds. Rich with incident and emotion, Prisoner of War is a compelling look at the lives of extraordinary individuals behind the wire.