Customer Reviews

Forgotten Voices of the Second World War (Forgotten Voices World War 2)

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I hadn't realized how much my previous reading about World War II had been skewed towards the American experience, but this book certain made me aware of that bias in my understanding of this period of history. Compiled from the archives of The Imperial War Museum, this collection of personal narratives provides an intimate, eyewitness glimpse at various aspects of the war, with a particular focus on the British war experience. Much of the material from the war in Europe was familiar to me, particularly from 1942 on, when the US entered the war. However, this book provided a vivid reminder that the British experience during WWII was significantly different than the American one. They had been involved in intense combat for more than two years before the Americans joined the fray, and the war came home to the general population of the United Kingdom in a dangerous and violent fashion that we were fortunate to avoid. The stories of the Battle of Britain and the Blitz are vivid reminders of Hitler's ambitions to invade and conquer the British Isles. The book also fills in gaps in my knowledge of the war in the Mediterranean/North Africa as well as Southern Asia. This book is a valuable record of the expriences of the men and women who experienced the war, and help provide an understanding of the history of the war.