A landmark oral history — the latest in the bestselling and award-winning Forgotten Voices series.

Drawing on 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 compelling picture of this turbulent time.

In June 1940, British citizens prepared for an imminent German onslaught. Hitler’s troops had overrun Holland, Belgium and France in quick succession, and the British people anticipated an invasion would soon be upon them. From July to October, they watched the Battle of Britain play out in the skies above them, aware that the result would decide their fate. Over the next nine months, the Blitz killed more than 43,000 civilians. For a year, the citizens of Britain were effectively front-line soldiers in a battle that united the country against the enemy.

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. With first-hand testimonies from those involved in Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, and the Blitz, this is the definitive oral history of the period.