After Neville Chamberlain’s declaration of war on September 3, 1939, the air raid warning sirens screamed out, people were expecting to be bombed at any moment. Instead there was nothing. It came to be known as the 'Phoney War', a period of uncertainty and fear that lasted for months. Britain’s disastrous attempt to invade Norway led directly to Chamberlain’s fall and his replacement by Churchill, the architect of the Norwegian debacle. And then there was Dunkirk, one of the most extraordinary episodes of the war in which defeat was somehow turned into a victory by a government and a media desperate for some good news.
The extraordinary story of how a handful of pilots, 'The Few' faced the might of the Luftwaffe as it attacked British airfields and installations to try and soften up Britain for a land invasion. Britain at War shares the memories and recollections of the pilots who flew time and again to fight the German bombers and hear about the man the history has somehow forgotten. After failing to destroy the RAF to pave the way for invasion, the Luftwaffe turned its attention to British cities; Coventry, Liverpool, Plymouth, Southampton and of course London. ‘We can take it’ was the cry and even now the popular image is of bombed out Londoners who were determined to stand up to all that was thrown at them.
The convoys of the North Atlantic were absolutely vital to Britain’s war effort. This is the story of the men who waged a ferocious battle above and below the waves. Britain at War hears from those who sailed on board the convoys, who came to fear the German torpedoes, and from men who prowled the Atlantic in their ‘iron coffins’- the U-boats.
While Britain sent its soldiers, seamen and airmen to fight Hitler, there was much to do at home, everyone had to ‘do their bit’. Britain at War looks at how Britain prepared to meet the demands of the war; from the famous Land Girls, who toiled in the fields, to the world of blackouts, rationing, air raid shelters, ‘dig for victory’ and wartime entertainment.
‘Before El Alamein we never had a victory – afterwards never a defeat’. Churchill himself appreciated the magnitude of the desert army’s momentous victory in the sands of northern Africa in 1942. Britain at War tells the story through the eyes of veterans who remember life and battle in the desert.
Controversial it may have been, but it was the only way for Britain and the Allies to carry the fight to Germany in the early years of the war. It turned out to be one of the most costly theatres in the entire conflict. It is an amazing story of selfless courage and sacrifice as Britain at War hears from the men who flew in the Lancasters and the Wellingtons. Their memories provide a chilling but fascinating glimpse into a world in which every man depended on each other to get home safely.
From the landings at Anzio to the eventual fall of Rome, Britain at War charts the events leading to the all-important capture of Italy.
After almost five years of hard fighting, the time came at last to invade ‘Fortress Europe’. Featuring some rare footage from a German archive, Britain at War shows the drama of the D-Day landings, through the tank battles that took place in the Villers-Bocage, on to the prolonged battle for Caen (a third day target that took three months to achieve) and finally to the amazing ‘missed opportunity’ at the Falaise pocket.
This was the operation that was supposed to end the war in 1944. Controversial, costly, it is a story that mixes arrogance and false hope with heroism and self-sacrifice. One again it is the recollections of those sent to fight which give the sharpest picture of an infamous and controversial chapter of the war.
This is the story of the war against the Japanese and the campaign in Burma which was an incredible tale of military brilliance combined with intense human suffering. General Slim’s achievements marked him down as one of military history’s greatest ever commanders as he turned abject defeat into brilliant victory. However, the campaign by the ‘Forgotten Army’ was fought in a hostile terrain, against a ruthless enemy who played by a different set of rules.