by No Author Provided (Author)
The end of the Second World War is etched on the memories of those who survived. The conclusion of years of hardship, sacrifice and bloodshed brought joy and relief for many; for others, it heralded a new world of uncertainty. Now, on the 60th anniversary, survivors recount their personal experiences of that momentous occasion, telling their stories of where they were and how they felt the moment the war ended. Whether in Europe or the Far East, whether their war ended in May or August, the survivors' testimonies tell a unique tale: a civilian in London celebrates with the crowds on VE Day while soldiers still battle in Asia and the Pacfic; as prisoners are liberated from concentration camps, a housewife in Berlin faces the onslaught of the Red Army; American soldiers cry with relief when they learn that they will not have to invade Japan, while prisoners of war begin their long journeys home. These very personal memories are from every theatre of war and from every side, on the front line and the home front, combatants and civilians alike. This is not the war as told by historians, the ebb and flow of battles or the dictats of commanders, but the intimate stories of those who were there, and what it felt like. Bringing vividly to life the raw emotion of the war's end, these are the voices - sometimes poignant, sometimes amusing, sometimes harrowing, always fascinating - that capture and preserve a cataclysmic moment in history.
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 312
Edition: illustrated edition
Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Published: 01 Jul 2005
ISBN 10: 0297844172
ISBN 13: 9780297844174
Book Overview: Major celebrations planned all over the world. Published in association with the BBC's WW2 People's War Archive, a nationwide project dedicated to capturing people's memories of the war. Notable contributors include Lord Carrington, W. F. Deedes, Tony Benn, Tam Dalyell, Michael Heseltine, Edmund de Rothschild, David Gentleman, Ian Carmichael, Clive Dunn, David Langdon, Hugh Johnson. Unseen images from private archives provide a vivid visual testament. Royalties donated to veterans' charities.