From the Back Cover
As the Second War moved from its third year into its fourth, the euphoria of the British victory at El Alamein turned into doubt and introspection. By 1943, final victory looked likely, but it was still a long way off. The deprivation, tedium, and monotony of the War on the Home Front was taking its toll. The letters and diaries of the time speak of more rationing, 'digging for victory,' and the need to devote every waking hour to the war effort. But the war was exhausting the population. Overseas, the armed forces were fighting fiercely to subdue Hitler and keep Japanese aggression at bay. The invasion of Sicily, the campaign in Burma and the Battle in the North Atlantic were still resulting in British casualties. Three thousand ships were lost to air and submarine attacks in the fight to keep Britain's Atlantic lifeline open. Eventually the tide turned.
By the end of 1943, Britain was an armed camp. In addition to the mobilized British Forces, a million and a half Allied servicemen had arrived: Canadians, Australians, New Zealanders, Poles, Czechs, Free French, and, mostly, Americans. D-Day saw 2,500 Allied troops killed, far fewer than predicted. By the end of the first day, 150,000 men were ashore and the German army had become no more than a stream of beaten men. Spectacular footage—never before seen on television—plunges the viewer into the heat of the battle. May 1945 and it's finally a time for celebration. For almost six years the British people have held firm. What will the world be like in the aftermath of war? At the general election in 1945, the British people gave their clear answer: the post-war world would be very different from the one that had occurred before.
