The First Day of the Blitz: September 7, 1940 - Softcover

Stansky, Peter

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0300143354 ISBN 13: 9780300143355

Publisher: Yale University Press, 2008

Synopsis

In the first terrifying hours of the London Blitz, when the skies rained bombs from hundreds of German planes, the British people were galvanized and the nation's future was changed On September 7, 1940, the long-feared and anticipated attack by the German Luftwaffe plunged London into a cauldron of fire and devastation. This compelling book recreates that day in all its horror, using rich archival sources and first-hand accounts, many never before published. Eminent historian Peter Stansky weaves together the stories of people who recorded their experiences of the opening hours of the Blitz. Then, exploring more deeply, the author examines what that critical day meant to the nation at the time, and what it came to mean in following years. Much of the future of Britain was determined in the first twelve hours of bombing, Stansky contends. The Blitz set in motion a range of responses that contributed to ultimate victory over Germany and to a transformation of British society. The wave of terror, though designed to quash morale, instead inspired stoicism, courage, and a new camaraderie. The tragic London bombing can reveal much of relevance to our own violent times, Stansky concludes: both the effectiveness of modern terror and its ultimate failure are made powerfully clear by the events of September 7, 1940.

About this title

Review:

"'Stansky makes well-judged use of eyewitness accounts to highlight the reality behind the myth. Nick Rennison, The Sunday Times 'He offers a vivid account of how Londoners withstood attack. Recent events have shown how that resilient spirit lives into our own day. William Hay, Literary Review 'There is no shortage of books about the Blitz, but Peter Stansky's is up there with the best.' John O'Connell, Time Out"

Synopsis:

On September 7, 1940, the Blitz began. The strategic bombing of London, by over one thousand planes on that night alone, was recognised at the time as being a direct measure to break the country's resistance, 'softening' Britain's shores for the planned Operation Sealion. It was a day long feared and anticipated, but the physical, political and personal shockwaves it sent through the British population outstripped all expectations."The First Day of the Blitz" tells of the enormous impact that this new terror from the skies had on the British people and the course of the war. From bureaucratic preparations, massively underestimating the decimation of housing, through the actual bombs dropped in the later afternoon and early evening, to the individual, collective and official responses, Peter Stansky argues that the first twelve hours of bombing determined much of the future of Britain. Not only was the country's ultimate victory over Germany in evidence; so too was the need for a transformation of British society.The wave of terror designed to crush morale quite literally put into question what the British people were made of.

The fact and idea of their stoicism and courage was fused into myth; with the intense feeling of camaraderie came a new consciousness of national identity, which paved the way towards the New Jerusalem of Beveridge and the 1945 Labour victory. The bombardment that so radically altered the physical face of London also changed the whole conception of what it meant - and means - to be 'British'.

About this edition

• Publisher: Yale University Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0300143354
• ISBN 13: 9780300143355
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 224