DORLING

.. KINDERSLEY ~mJflJ EYEWITNESS GUIDES

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IMON ADAMS
DORLING KINDERSLEY II EYEWITNESS GUIDES
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One-man submarine

Polish medal Russian medal

Written by

Star of
SIMON ADAMS
David badge
US Photographed by
Strategic
Air Forces ANDY CRAWFORD
ational emblem sleeve badge
of Hitler's Germany

A child's "Mickey
Mouse" gas mask

Symbol of the
Vichy State of
France, 19~0-44

, ADorling Kindersley Book

i
British 25-pounder gun IN ASSOCIATION WITH
THE IMPERIAL WAR MUSEUM

,
 o Contents E\I10 1 Q .,EVACUEE-
@ MISS
Prim

Dorling Kindersley
6
Beretta pistol
LO~'DO~,NJiW YORK, SYDNEY, DELHI, PARlS,
MU~ I CII and JO I II\'~:\E 'B RG
Air raid rattle
A world divided
owned by the
Italian viceroy 8
of Ethiopia Project edito r Melanie Halton Heading to war
Sen ior art ed ito r Jane Tetzlaff
Art editor Ann Cannings 10
Assistant editor Jayne Mi ller Preparing for the worst Evacuation
Managi ng editor Sue Grabham card game
Sen ior managing art editor Julia Harris
12
Additi onal photography Steve Gorton Lightning attack
Producti on Kate Oliver
Pi cture resea rch Mollie Gillard
14 40
Seni or OT P Oes igner Andrew O'Brien Occupation Japan at war
This Eyewitness ® Guide has been conceived by 16 42
Darling Kindersley Limited and Editions Gallimard
British fire service badge Resistance The battle of the Atlantic
First published in Great Britain in 2000
18 44
by Dorling Kindersley Limited,
9 Henrietta Street, London WC2E 8PS
In the German army Road to Stalingrad
2 ~ 6 8 10 9 7 5 3 1
20 46
The Battle of Britain Inside the Soviet Union
Copyright © 2000 Dorling Kindersley Limited, London
22 48
All rights reserved. a part of this publication may be Bombing raids Fighting in the desert
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, 24 50
photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the
prior written permission of the copyright owner.
Total war Propaganda and morale
Straw snow boots made by
26 52
A C1P catalogue record for this book is
available from the British Library.
German soldiers in Russia
In enemy territory The Holocaust
28 54
ISB 0-7513-2876-6 The prisoners D-Day invasion
Model of Nazi standard bearer
30 56
Colour reproduction by
Colollrscan, Singapore Code-breakers Liberation
Printed in China by
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America in the war The atomic bomb
See our complete 34 60
catalogue a t Women at work Victory
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A wartime childhood The aftermath
British beach mine
38 64
Battle for the Pacific Index
 -~ SYMBOLIZ ING A AZI NATION

POWER TO T HE
WO RKE RS
Communists took
power in Russia in 1917,
and formed the Soviet
Union. They
were agai nst
private ownership
of property and
industry. Few coun tries
trusted the Soviet Union
o r its leader, Stalin, and
they refused to support
Soviet beliefs.
SO VI ET SYM BO L
The hammer and sickle, seen
on this cap badge, was the
symbol of the Soviet Union
and appeared on the national
A world divided
The swastika is an ancient religious
... ymbo!. It is particularly common in
Greece, and in India, \vhere it was oftcn
used in Hindu temples. Adolf Hitler
(1889-19~5) adopted the swastika as Ihe
DURl G TH E EARLY DECADES of the 20th century, Imperial Japanese
army uniform,
ymbol for the Nazi Party. The distinctive
black sign on a white and red background
the world was divided into three main political c.193Os became the German national nag in 1935.
camps. The first consisted of democratic nations,
where people elected their own governments. "After 15 years
Such countries included Britain, France, the
Low Countries (the etherlands and Belgium),
of despair, a
Sweden, Czechoslovakia, and the US. The great people
second - fascist Italy and Spain, Nazi Germany, is back on
nationalist Japan, and the one-party states of
eastern Europe - were ruled by powerful dictators. its feet. II

nag. The hammer represented The final camp had only one member - the ADOLF HITLER. 1933
industrial workers, while
the sickle represented peasants Soviet Union. This was the world's first
(fa rm workers). communist state, where the workers were Prest?lllatioll Nazi Party
meant to be in control. But in reality, the box for a copy of membership
Mein Kampf book
country was run by a tyrannical leader,
Josef Stalin (1879-1953). Conflicts between
the three ideologies concerning territory
and economic wealth led to the world
war that broke out in 1939.
SPR EA D O F FASC ISM
In 1922, Benito Mussolini
(1883-1945) took power
in Italy and turned the
cou ntry into a fascist IMPER IAL l APA HI T LER' S PRO POSA LS T HE NAZI PARTY
(dictator-led) state. By During World War I, Japan fought on the side of Britain, In 1924, while in prison for trying to seize power in Founded in 1920, the ational
the 193Os, fascist-style France, and the US, but felt cheated by its failure to gain Ge rmany, Hitler wrote Mei" Kalllpf(My Struggle). The Socialist German Worker 's Party, or
governments had much territory when the peace treaty was drawn up. book spell out Germany's need for a strong leader, a 'azi Party, was led by Hitler. Nazis
taken power in In the 1920s, the Japanese government came under the large army, economic self-sufficiency, the suppression believed that German Aryans (white
Spain, Portugal, incrcclsing control of fanatical nationalists, allied with of commu ni m, and the extermi nation of the Jews. and fai r haired) were the master
Austria, Romania, and in the army, who wished to make the country a major Although ignored at the time, the book clearly race, and wanted to restore Germ any
Ge rmany, where the Nazi Im perial power in Asia. stated what Hitler intended to do if he won power. to its fo rmer powerful status.
Party took fascist ideas to
their most extreme.
AZ I RAL LI ES
Italian Fascist The lazis regularly
Youth march stage-managed va t
ou td oor rallies, where
Bille-bordered ro~al members paraded wit h
coat of arms ~ banners and listened to
~peechcs from Hitler and
other leading 1 azis.
When the Nazi Party
came to power in
Germany in 1933, they
held their major rally
I..'vcry year in uremberg,
Workeralld
PeasmJl statue,
south Germany.
Such events displayed
the strength and
• tt
made for all
ex/Zillitioll ill determination of the
Paris, 1937 Nazis, as well as the
immense power Hitler
held over his party.

ITA LI AN FASC ISM

Italian fascis ts took as their symbol the "fasces" - a
bundle of bound rods that symbolized the power of Nazis stand to
Ancient Rome. But throughout Mussolini's time in power, attention at the
Italy remained a kingdom under Victor Emmanuel III, and Nuremberg
its official nag (above) showed the royal coal of arms. Rally of 1935

6 7
I
 Heading to war DICTATORS TOGETHER
At first, the Italian leader,
Mussolini (left), was
hostile to Hitler's (right)
Nazi Germany. This was

I 1933, ADOLF HITLER'S azi Party carne to because Hitler wanted to

take over Austria, Italy's
power in Germany and began to build up the northern neighbour.
Gradually, however, the
country's military strength. The Rhineland, a two countries drew closer
German industrial area which lay next to the together. In 1936 they
formed a partnership, the
border with France and Belgium, had been set as Rome-Berlin Axis, IVhich
was later extended to
a military-free zone at the end of World War 1. include Japan. Italy and
Hitler moved his troops back into the Rhineland Germany later signed a
formal alliance, the Pact
in 1936, then took over Austria and parts of of Steel, in 1939, and
Czechoslovakia in 1938. Meanwhile, Italy was fought together in the
early years of the war.
expanding its power in the Mediterranean and
orth Africa, and Japan invaded China in 1937. HITLER MOVES I NTO AUSTRIA
In March 1938, Hitler took his troops into
Ties between Germany, Italy, and Japan grew Austria and declared an Anschluss,
or union, between the two
stronger. At first, France and Britain tried to cou ntries. Hitler had BRITAI A D FRA CE U ITE
appease the aggressors. However, by the end of broken the Treaty of The close links between France and Britain in
Versailles, which banned 1938 were marked by this state visit of King
the 1930s both countries were re-equipping their Germa ny from uniting George VI (far left) and Queen Elizabeth to
armed forces. On the sidelines, the US remained with the state. Most France. Behind the scenes, the two countries
Austrians favoured watched the growing strength of Germany
neutral, but watched the rise of Japan in the the move, although and Italy with alarm . In 1939,
TREA"n' OF VERSAILLES Pacific Ocean with growing concern. Twenty neighbouring as war looked inevitable, France
After its defeat in World War I, Germany countries were and Britain agreed to help
was forced to sign the Treaty of Versailles years after the end of World War I, the world concerned at Hitler's Poland, Romania, and Greece
in 1919. Germany lost all its overseas was preparing for war once more. growing power. defend their independence if
empire, as well as land, to its neighbours, Germany or Italy attacked.
and was prevented from maintaining a
large army. Most Germans opposed
the treaty and supported Hitler's
refusal to accept its terms.

EXPLOSIVE EVE TS I ' ORTH AFRICA

Italy invaded Ethiopia, then known as
Abyssinia, in 1935. The ruler, emperor A PEACEFUL APPROACH
Haile Selassie (1891-1975), right, was Crowds welcomed British Prime
sent into exi le. Italy's leader, Mussolini, Minister, 'eville Chamberlain, to
wanted to build a new Roman Empire in Munich in 1938. In an effort to calm
north Africa and turn the Mediterranean into event, European leader had
an "Italian lake". Italy also eXlended its agreed to placate Hitler. They
control over Libya and, in 1939, invaded signed the Munich agreement,
its small neighbour, Albania. which let Germans in the Sudeten
border region of Czechoslovakia
unite with Germany. The Czechs
objected, but Chamberlain said it
guaranteed "peace for our time". Six
months later, Hitler took over the
rest of Czechoslovakia.

I VASION OF POLAND
Ready to attack, German forces are seen
dismantling Polish border posts in 1939.
Hitler had demanded that Poland give
up the Polish Corridor - a thin strip of
Poland that divided East Prussia from
the rest of Germany. Poland resisted, so,
on I September, he took it. Britain and
France had guaranteed to come to
Poland's aid if it was invaded. They
duly declared war on Germany
on 3 September. World War II
had begun.

JAPA N I VADES CHI A

After taking over the Chinese province of Manchuria in 1932,
Japan embarked on a massive .rearmament programme. In
1937, the country launched a full-scale invasion of China,
and seized the capital, Nanking. and much of the coast.

8 9
I
Preparing for the worst
o
As WAR LOOMED between 1938
and 1939, Britain, France, Germany,
and Italy began to prepare for the
worst. They made plans to ration
food and vital raw materials. France
Wooden rattles, originall y designed
to scare birds away from crops, were
had already installed the Maginot
issued to patrol members of the British Line, built (1929- 34) to defend
Air Raid Precautions (ARP). Designed
to warn of potential gas attacks, their against German invasion. The British
loud noise was useful to alert people government expected London and
to enter their air·raid shelters.
other cities to be heavily bombed
within hours of war starting, so great precautions were taken
to protect the civilian population. Shelters were dug in parks
and city streets, and gas masks were issued. Plans were drawn GUA RDING T HE HOME FRO T
up to evacuate thousands of children from the cities to the Towards the end of the war, German men
aged 16 to 60, w ho were not already in the
countryside. The outbreak of war in September 1939 brought army, were called to the Volkssturm (home BAL LOON PROTECTION
many of these plans into operation, but it was not until the guard). Like the British Home Guard, set up Large, inflatab le barrage balloons
in May 1940, they had few unifomls and little protected the major towns and cities of
German invasion of Scandinavia, the Low Countries, and training, and had to make do with whatever Britain from air raids. These balloons
France, in April and May 01 1940, that many of the preparations weapons they could lay their hands on. were lau nched before a raid and trailed
a network of steel cables beneath them.
w ere tested for the first time. Incoming bombers had to fly high to
Troops ami weapolls avoid becoming entangled with the
are trallsported 011 cables, thereby reducing their accuracy.
Ihe Magil/ol
u1ldergroulld
rnilzL'fly

FRENCH DEFE 'C E

The main defensive fortification in France was the
Maginot Line. It took five years to construct and
stretched along France's eastern border with everyone was A IR·RAID SHELTERS
Germany, from Luxembourg in the north to issued with a gas Most British City-dwellers with a
Switze rl and in the south. The line consisted of mask. In Germany, garden installed an Anderson shelter to
anti-tank defences, bomb-proof artillery shelters, however, only those provide protection during air raids. The
and strengthened forts, many of which were considered high risk, BLACKOUT PR ECAUTI ONS Ande rson, a corrugated-iron tunnel, was
linked by underground railways. such as children, air-raid "The enemy sees your light! Make it dark!" This German poster warns civilians to obey the blackout usually sunk in the ground and covered
wardens, and azi Party by keep ing all lig hts shielded at night or risk helping enemy bombers to find their town. From the with earth. In February 1941, Morrison
Tin-can Grellade officials were given o utbreak of the war, blackouts \·" ere compulsory throughout Ger many and Britain. shelters (steel cages for use indoors) were
mortar made from a masks. Since gas introduced for those without gardens.
bomb wille bottle was never used "' IN • I Gerulflll civilian ratio" card
by either side, 'l4.7~'"::':''''
. .'
•• ~ •• JIdfoII • • fIIiJiII
:L-....;
!'""....: ':".,..~
·.fkIM /
:z...a.~ RESOURCE RAT ION I G
the masks BEACH DEFE CE
IMPROV ISED WEAPONS ,,"ere never ~rll:f}~r,fd,rQrtt R .. • I Food and petrol were Mines were planted
65 .~:.!:! ~ :.:.~ ::.=
The British Home Guard had actually
R·· .,. .•. I
..::.. .. ,.,... .. ,..... ..,.. .. ,.....
rationed in Germany from on possible invasion

. " .. -.. ... , .

few weapons and often had to needed. ':o:i""" • I!& the outset of war. For beaches in southern
improvise. They used cans to make _ M-L--. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
many poorer Germans, Britain and northern
mortar bombs and bottles to make subsidised food offered a France. The mines
petrol bombs and grenades. The Home
Guard was a volunteer organization,
set up to protect vital defence
S.Fillereinsah: 'iir den zivilen
. Schl't blloife (Hebel und Rauch e)
;tIll
lUlht
fft;u allt ch emlschen Kampfstofh so""I.9t~ 'IIIC"t~.
Schilii"""
'.
fiqj ..
•v
.. .. .. .
....................................................
•• ,..... ......... 1:""" ••
..""'.." ..,....,. .,.-.,......
_
-.~
• I
!IWfiIIII more varied and therefore
healthier diet than before
the war. It was only in
were designed to inflict
maximum damage on
any invasion force .
installations? and watch out for ;- -..-- 0;;;;.----- 1.............. u..ae...... t..a..t............ .. 1943 that rationing
any enemy infiltration. became severe. British beach mine

10
1
 Soviet leader Josef Stalill
;, V
Lightning attack • AZ I·SOVI ET PACT
On 23 August 1939, the foreign
ministers of Russia and Germany
signed a non-aggression pact in
liBLITZKRIEG", THE GERMAN WORD for lightning Moscow. The pact allowed Germany
to invade Poland and western Europe
war, was a military technique used to great effect without fear of a Russian attack. They
met again afterwards, on 28 September,
by Germany during the war. Highly mobile Panzer pictured here, to confirm their division
(armoured) forces blasted their way into enemy of Poland between them.

territory ahead of the slower-moving THROWI G WEAPONS

infantry, who followed behind to mop DIVE BOMBERS
The Junkers Ju8? (Stuka)
Hand and stick grenades
were used by the
up all resistance. Such was the speed and dive bomber was the main German infantry as they
attacking aircraft used during the advanced into enemy
ferocity of these attacks that they often caught Blitzkrieg. The Stukas were fitted with territory. Grenades
their enemies unawares. When Blitzkrieg attacks sirens which sou nded like screaming as were thrown to kill
they dived almost vertically out enemy troops and clear
overwhelmed Poland, in September 1939, Britain and of the sky to drop their buildings of snipers.
France declared war on Germany. Between May and bombs on a terrified
population.
June 1940, Germany overpowered France and the
Low Countries. Yet, in Western Europe the Germans
Stick
had fewer tanks and troops than the combined forces grenade
of Britain, France and Belgium.
They did, however, have air TAKI G FRANCE
superiority. Skilful planning, rapid The devastion caused to northern
France can be seen in this photograph
attacks, and concentrated firepower of Calais after a Blitzkrieg bombing
saw Germany triumph in raid. Such rapid destruction led to the
co llapse of France within six weeks
the west by June 1940. and the defeat of the French army.
MOTORBIKE ADVA CE
British 1It''Wspaper German mechanized Panzer units used STORMING THE LOW COUNTRIES
a""oullces the start motorbikes with sidecars to drive fast into In May 1940, heavily armed German
of World War 11 enemy territory. Their swift arrival ahead of troops poured over the border into
the main army often surprised the enemy Belgium, Luxembourg. and the
and led to considerable success. etherlands. The Dutch flooded
much of their own country so
PA ZER ATTACK as to slow the advance.
The main power behind the Blitzkrieg came Their forces were no
from the tank units (portrayed here in the match, however,
WAR DECLARED film, Blitzkrieg), supported from the air for the German
Britain and France declared by bombers. Their advance was so quick army and they
war against Germany on and efficient in destroying enemy surrendered
3 September 1939. This meant positions that Panzer units after four days.
their vast overseas empi res often had to wait for the Belgium and
were at war as well. Most infantry to catch up. Luxembourg
European countries, however, followed
including Ireland, Switzerland, soon after.
Spain, and Portugal, together
wi th the US, remai ned neutral.

be drawtJ
quickly

12
Occupation
A CROSS EUROPE, PEOPLE REACTED
occupation, Some joined the resistance (trying to undermine German
Lnpe/ badge
bearillg the Vichy
State dOllb/e-
headed axe
NEW SYMBOLS
During the rule of the Vichy
goverment, many symbolS of
Republican France were replaced
by Vichy symbols. These
included the double-headed
differently to life under German axe and, most commonly,
Ellg/ish
cross of
portraits of Marshal Petain .

plans) or refused to co-operate with their occupiers. Others actively St George

collaborated with the Germans, welcoming them as defenders
against communism and supporting their anti-Jewish policies. For
most people, however, there was little choice but to passively accept
the situation. In France and Norway, the governments actively
collaborated with Germany. The name of the pro-German leader in
Norway, Vidkun Quisling, has entered the language as a word for
traitor. But the pre-war leaders of Poland, Czechoslovakia, Norway,
the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Greece, and Yugoslavia all fled
to London. Once there, they set up governments in exile. King
Leopold of Belgium remained as
a prisoner, and the Danish king,
Christian X, and his government
stayed in Denmark, collaborating
little. The real power always lay
~
with the occupying Germans.
BROT HERS IN ARM S
The French Legion de
REVOLUTION
Hitler 'visits Paris
lIille days after tire
Nazis took cOlllrot
Volontaires Fran~ais (LVF)
was a fiercely anti-communist
organization. The LVF raised
volunteers to fight alongside O PERATI ON DY AMO
NATIONALE VICHYFRA CE
the Germans on the eastern Between 26 May and 4 june 1940, 338,226 French leader Marshal Petain agreed to an
front against Soviet Russia. _~W----soldiers were evacuated from the French armi tice with Germany on 21 june, 1940.
beaches of Dunkirk during Operation France had to accept German occupation
Dynamo. As the German army sped in the north and west. Petain headed a
through northern France towards the puppel state (supposedly independent
English Channel, they trapped the but actually controlled by Germany) from
British and much of the French army. Ihe southern town of Vichy. The Vichy
A fleet of British, French, Dutch, and government collaborated with
Belgian ships sailed backwards the Germans, deporting jews and
and forwards across the Channel providing many vital supplies. In
to rescue the soldiers. All November 1942 the Germans took up
equipment was left behind. occupation and the state eventually
The battle of France was a collapsed in August 1944.
huge defeat for the British /
army, but the successful
HITLE R IN PARI S evacuation did much
German troops entered an undefended Paris on 14 june 1940, to raise morale at a /
after a campaign that had lasted litlle more than a month. Two dangerous time.
million citizens managed to flee the city in advance. Once the
shock of occupation was over, however, life continued much
as before, with German officers mixing with the locals.
Home-made wireless receiver
used by a Dutch family
T H E COL LA BORATORS
during the occupation
Throughout occupied
Europe, many people TO T H E RESCUE
SEC RET RADIO actively collaborated with the At only 4.4 m (14 ft)
Hidden in a tin, this Germans. Some betrayed long, Ta",zille was the
radio was used by a Dutch their neighbours for smallest vessel to take
family to listen to the BBC supporting Ihe re istancc, part in Operation
(British Broadcasting others passed on Dynamo (see above).
Corporation). Broadcasls information. A few It was one of more than
included general war news, women even lived with 900 boats that ranged
messages from the exiled Dutch German officers. As their from minesweepers and
royals, and coded messages to countries were liberated, destroyers to privately owned
secret agents. Owning a radio some locals took revenge pleasure craft and fishing boats. Tamzine, the smallest
was forbidden in many occupied again t the collaborators Tam:;lle ferried many men from civilian vessel to cross
countries, but that did not stop by beating or shooting the beach to deep-water vessels the clrallIlel dur;'lg
people from making Iheir own them, or by shaVing before being towed back to Operation Dynamo
and using them in secret. the women's heads. England by a Belgian trawler.

14 15
,
 Resistance Sk('/eto" '1UIt - a Ii~"hlll',ght frana'

SHO WI NG S PPORT A T FIRST, THE RESPO SE of the people of

Resistance groups often wore
identifying armbands, such as this
one from the Polish Home Army. The
group was formed in 19~2 to fi ght
the occupying German a rmy. It led
the Warsaw uprising in August 1944,
but was crushed by the Germans.
Europe to the invasion and occupation of their
homelands was unco-ordinated and ineffectual.
Armed resistance was scattered and it was left
to heroic individuals to risk their lives to help ATTA KI 'G FROM H tE BUS HES
Allied servicemen escape, or give shelter to A commander of a French Maquis resistance group
briefs fighters before a raid . French resistance
persecuted Jews. Gradually organized groups to German occupation began as soon as th e
German armi es entered France in ~Iay 19-1O,
began to gain ground, supported with arms and but was largely ineffectual. By 19~1 , a small
intelligence from Britain, while Communist number of organized armed resistance group~

NJ
T H E COLOU R OF FREEDOM
Dutch resis tance groups were very
effective in Europe. Members
provided support and shelter for
persecuted jew, and gave valuable
assistance to Allied pilots and
airborne troops.
groups in Eastern Europe received some help
from Russia after 1941. As the Germans became Kt G CHRI ST IA x scn.b, as thcy hid in the undergrowth
When Germany invaded
harsher, using slave labour and rounding up Denma rk on 9 April 19~O,
Jews, Slavs, and other peoples they considered King Christian X ( 1 870- 19~9)
stayed put, unlike the monarchs
"subhuman", it led to increasing resistance o f most other occupied countries.
The Danish gove rnment avoided
across the continent. By the time liberation co-operating with Germany when
came in 1944-45, partisan groups were possible, and even he lped most
of the country's 8,000 jews to
fighting alongside the invading British, escape to neutral Sweden.
American, and Russian forces.
ARMEE DE L'AIR
were in operation. They became known as
the :vIaquis, a Corsican term for bush or BRAVE WIDOW
Violette Szabo
then sprung out to fight invaders. (1921--15) sold
perfume in
UP T HE IR SLEEVES London, before
Thc Free French forces )" joining thc SpeCial
used sma ll knives Operations
hidden in th ci r lapels
or up their sleeves to
Executive (SOE). Shc
joined after her
,lttack their captors dnd husband was killed
csc,lpe. The results were
otien messy, but
fig hting for the Free
French army. Szabo
dfcc l1vc. The badge of was twice dropped
the Frc'e French - the into France, the lasl
Cross of Lorrcline - can be tlmc in junc 19~ ,
__ cen on the k.nife'o; sheath. A ~lteath is attached to an to help a resistance
nrmbaud il'Or" under dothlS group. She was
captured and died in

t FiC!1E )E DElIOBILlSA nON

a concentration camp.

rrl
FRE E FR E CH FORCES
When France fell to the
Ge rmans, General Charles
de Gau lle ned to London. He
broadcast an appeal, on 1 june
1940, for people to join the
fight fo r Free France.
SPYI G O T HE ENEMY
Danish resistance to German
occu pati on grew as conditions in
the country worsened . By 1943, a
large movement was spying for
Britain and carrying out strikes
and acts o f sabo tage.
Genuine stamp
Fake stamp
SPOT T H E DI FFE RENCE
Communicating by post was a risky
busines for resistance groups. The
Germans intercepted and fo rged
letters sent by the French Resistance
leading to the discovery and death
of members. To make sure they knew
which letters to tru t, fake French
sta mps were printed by the British
intelligence, changing one tiny detail.
StLENT WEAPO S
This Silenced 9 mm Beretta
pistol was used by agents of
French ration the Italian Organizzazione
ca rd, driving di Vigilanza c Repn.~~ione
licence, and dcll' Antifascismo (OVRA).
army paper The group, set up to
s uppress opposition to
Italian Fascism, fought
Rrsista"cr SECRET LI VES resistance groups in
stamps show a Undercover agents took thc French Alps and
larger bag ""der on new identities ba cked In the Balkans.
Ihe left eye up by forged documents.
British agent Forest
Frederick Edward Yeo-
Thomas (190 1-6-1), known T ITO'S PARTISANS
as "White Rabbit", worked The most successful European resistance
with the French Resistance group were the Yugoslav Partisans, seen here
on three missions. H e in combat training. The army was organized by
became Fran~ois Thierry, the Communist Part\' leader lito (1892-1980)
then lirelli, born in and grew to 150,000 ;"cmbcrs. In 19~, a
Yeo-Thomas's fake idelltity Algiers. He was caught in combined Partisan and Russian Red Arm}
card - Ire had to perfect a IIew 1 9~ and tortured by the force regained the Yugoslav capital, then the
slgunture as Frn,,(ois Tirelli Ges tapo, but survived. whole country, from German occupiers.

16 17
I
In the German army DRESSED TO Kill
55 Panzer troop members
wore a black, close-fitting,
short jacket (pmJurjacke)
Rallk badge for
\fajor Gelleral
SERVING I STYLE
Hitler's new national emblem - a swastika
clu tched by an eagle - was added to all
standard German army uniforms. He
Dentlz 's head emblem well suited to the cramped did, however, keep much of the
co nditions inside a tank . traditional army insignia, such
THE GERMA ARMED SERVICES were Their field cap was decorated as badges showing rank.
not one single fighting force but a with both the national
German emblem and
Different coloured piping
identified each branch of
tangle of different organizations. Each Collar palch the 55 death's head . the army - crimson for
one reported separately to Hitler as with l'iClory the general staff, white
rIllles, or for infantry, and MOANING MINNIE
Commander-in-Chief. The Wehrmacht symbols red for artillery. The nebelwerfer (fog thrower)
was capable of firing 32-kg (70-lb)
was the main army, and was entirely Ribboll bar rockets up to 6,900 m (22,639 ft). Its
distinct from the 5chutzstaffel (55), which location was easily detected as a rocket
Iroll cross threw out a 12-m (40-ft) brilliant name as it shot into
Hitler introduced to support his National 1sl Class, 1939 the air. The British nicknamed the launcher "Moaning
50cialist Party_ Many members of the Minnie" on accou nt of the noise it made as it fired.
Hookfor
secret police (Gestapo) held 55 rank dagger
The armed Panzer (tank) divisions, the
navy (Kriegsmarine), and the air force
(Luftwaffe) were also separate, as were
the reserve forces, the various militias, and
the Brownshirts_ Uniforms and emblems
were important to create a strong identity
and an image that BROW SHIRTS
would attract a young, Soldiers in the SSARMBAND
Th is distinctive armband was worn by
Sturmabteilung (SA),
loyal force_ The armed SS motto "Me;"e Ellre heisst or storm division, were members of the Schutzstaffel (55), the most
services were well Trelle" (Loyalty is my Iu)//oll,) known as the Brownshirts fcared organization in azi Germany.
Renowned for violence and cruelty, the
because of their uniform.
equipped, at times Gene ral Formed in 1921 to protect 55 was also responsible for running the
azi speakers at public concentration camps.
very well organized, officer's
meetings, the force grew
breeches
and until late 1942, to more than 500,000.
Following a power struggle
regarded by many Fob between the SA and the
as invincible_ army, however, their
powers were greatly
reduced in June 1934.
HEAVYARMO R
German tank troops
belonged to the Panzer
army. Panzer is the German
word for armour. The Belt
PzKpfw IV (right) was one webbing
of 2,500 tanks that rolled
into France in 1940, as 10
panzer divisions invaded . Broad
red stripe
WOR WITH PRIDE
i"dicates
the wearer
This silver on black
was a gelleral
badge showing the
national emblem was
officer ill Ilze
worn b), the Waffen-SS, artillery tmit

I
the combat divisions of
the 55. At its peak in 1942-43,
the Waffen-SS had 39 divisions with
more than 900,000 soldiers.

HIDDEN HORRORS
One of the most widel)'
used anti-tank guns in the
Calf laces
liglzlen Ilze
I
bollom of
German army was the the breeches LOOKI G THE PART ON THE BAITLE LI E
Pak 38 (left). It was the only gun The Schutzstaffe\, or 55, seen here on pa rade, A German infantry man pauses in front of
able to tackle the well-armoured was originally created b)' Hitler as his personal a burning Russian farm. H e was one of
and all-but invincible Soviet T3-I bod),guard. Its head, Heinrich Himmler, turned 12.5 million sold iers who served in the
tanks. It had a range of it into a separate secu ri ty (orce within the Nazi German army during the course of the war.
2,750 m (9,023 ft) while its low state. With their gre), coats and death's head The infantry (foot soldiers) played a major
silhouette meant that it could cap badges, the Schutzstaffel were responsible role, fighting all the way to the outskirts of
be hidden from enemy vision. for many of the worst azi crimes. Moscow before retreating to defend Berlin.

18 19
..
 "Never in the field of MESSERSCHM ITTS

The Battle of Britain human conflict was so

Two types of Messerschmitts formed the mainstay of
the Luftwaffe fighter force. The BfllOC was an escort
fighter for long·range bombers. Slow and hard to
much owed by so handle, however, it was no match for the British
Hurricanes and Spi tfi res. The Bf110C's faste r partner,
W ITH THE FALL OF FRANCE I JV E 1940, Hitler hoped that Britain might settle for peace. many to so few, " the Bfl09E, was superior to the Hurri cane, but its
range of 660 km (4 10 miles) limited its effectiveness.
Britain, however, under its new leader Winston Churchill, had no intention of doing so. IIl\'STO,\i CHURCHHtLL
Thus, Hitler decided to launch a huge seaborne invasion - Operation Sea Lion - BfllOC Messerschmitts

across the English Channel. For this to work, the German air force (Luftwaffe)
h ad to defeat the British Royal Air Force (RAF). The first attack on British
airfields commenced on 10 July 1940. Waves of German Dornier
bombers flew over southeast England escorted by
Messerschmitt fighters. British Hurricanes and
Spitfires took to the skies
Eight Brow",,,S mac/rifle
g,ms i" Jt'ndmg edges in retaliation. Day after
ofwIIIgs day, battles raged across
the sky. The RAF
gradually won control
and in October 1940
Germany stopped
the operation.
- i rp-
~.
r

\-
SPITFIR E
At the outset of the war, the Spitfire
Mk IA was the RAF's most modern
fighter. Capable of speeds up to
582 kph (362 mph), .t was f,lSter
at high altitudes and far more
manoeuvrable the)n its
German rival, the
Messerschmitl BfJ09E.
I TERNATIONAL
AIR FORCE
The RAF had pilots from all around the world, COR I 'C ' S AIR FO RCE
induding Poles, Czechoslavs, and Frenchmen, Chief of the Luftwaffe, Reichsmarschall He rmann Goring. a nd his
who had ned their German·occupied countrie,. officers watched the Bailie of Britain from the French coast. Goring
There were also man)' Canadians and :'\Jew believed the Luftwaffe could destroy air defences in southern
Zea landers, as well as seven Americans, England within four days and the RAF in four weeks. This, he
alt hough the US was not yet at war. hoped, would enable Germany to take over Britain. The Luftwaffe,
New pilots received a rn a>..im um h owever, failed to achie\'e \'ictory.
of only 10 hours' trai ning
before being sent
up to fight. ON WATC H
Ground crew used powerful and
Tn'O RAF IInt'.gator; (left! stu rdy binoculars to keep a lookout
... tudya map il';III litel' for enenw aircraft. These ones were
Polish pllof; used by ihe Luftwaffe on the
German home front. Both sides
used radar for long-distance
Mobile auti-alrcra!t observations. In the dose·up
radar rece;l'i" air battles, combat
pilots had to stay
continuall y alert for
E EMY DETECT IO
the movements
Radar was hugely
of ene my ai rcraft.
import"nt to the RAF's
s uccess because it alerted
them to incoming enemy FIC HT! C LIKE DOCS
Po",erflll
aircraft. Radar systems As the RAF and the It'u!'cs
used 9O·m (300·ft) steel Luftwaffe fought for
masts to emit radio control of the skies,
Signals. The signals dogfights (dose·up
bounced off enemy battles between fighter
pl~lnes and were aircraft) were common.
picked up by radar Such fights, portrayed
receivers. This here in the film Battle of
alerted pilot; to Bntam, often required Binoculars rotate
scramble huge bravery from for all all-rolll,d
into the ai r to young.. under-trained l'icw of tile skies
resume battle. ,1nd exhausted pilots.

20 21
 Two Bill: sun'IlIOrs, till!" !,ome BOMB ING OF ORESOE

Bombing raids m ru11l5, peer out from the

shelter that (.QI'Cd
tllf" lil't'S
The Allied bombing r"id ,'g"inst the German
city of Dresden in February 19~5 was one
of the most controversial events of the war.
The bombs created a firestorm which destroyed
every building and !..illed
TH ERE WAS a sound in
0 MORE TERRIFYING 30,()()() to 60,()()() civilians.
\\lith few military targets
war than the drone of incoming enemy bomber BOMBS AWAY
the city, many people
condemned the raid
British planes. They were laden with high explosives Heavv
bombCrs,

---......
fire service badge and incendiary bombs, ready to drop on top ,uch as these US
of homes and destroy cities. Each side believed that the Flying Fortresses. c",ried bomb loads
O EFE 01 G TH E PILOT
up to 5,800 kg (12,800 Ib). Such
destruction of strategic installations (oil refineries, factories, firepower enabled bombers to do Being a gunner on a
and railways) would cripple the enemy war effort. They also Immense damage to both strategic
Installations and to ci\'ilian populations.
bomber plane was a very
precarious job. Gunners sat
hoped that bombing civilian targets would destroy , .- or stood in exposed gun
turrets to give them a clear
morale and force a surrender. Thus, Britain endured view of the surrounding
the Blitz from 1940 to 1941, while Germany was A IR-RA ID SU RVIVAL
During air raids some people hid in underground
skies, and any approaching

--
enemy aircraft.
bombed repeatedly from 1942, and Japan from shelters while others sought refuge in cellars or in
makeshift shelters in their own homes. The heavy Dresden stIli ill rums,
1944_ Many thousands of people were killed, bombing of European, japanese, and Chinese two years after Ille raid
houses destroyed, and ancient buildings ruined. cities was devastating, yet many did survive.

BOMB PO WER FIRE FtGHT t G

Late in the war, Germany Most of the damage
launched its most secret done by bombs was
caused by the fires that G NNERAWA RO BOMBER M ACHI E GUN
and deadly weapons. The German Luftwaffe (air force) The only defence carried by a bomber was provided
They were the V-I Oying they ignited. Fire
fighters risked their awarded its war service badge to by gunners equipped with powerful machine gu ns.
bomb and the V-2 rocket gunners on the basis of points. Once up in the air, the slow-Oying and heavily laden
(V stood for vengeance). lives to keep the
flames under control. Shooting down an enemy aircraft bomber was an easy target to enemy fighter planes or
Both bombs carried was worth four points. Four to ground attack from anti-aircraft fire. Whenever
l-tonne warheads and It was also their duty
to make sure that aircraft, or 16 points, were posSible, bombers flew in large convoys escorted by
were capable of required to receive the award. fast, nimble fighter planes to fend off any attack.
great damage. no one was trapped in
Many V-Is, the burning buildings. A London street after a night
however, were of bombing during the Blitz
shot out of the Air rmd wardell::; ami
skies or missed wndon firemen cil'iliml::; ::oearcJ! for
their targets, since tackle a blaze ;11 a :'lIn'll'(Ir~ amollg the
they were difficult warehouse, 1941 l(lreckage of l",ildiug:o.
to aim accurately.

V-2 it'aS
14 /II 146 III
loug, weighed
13 tDlllles, Rlld
fiL~w at all
allllllde
0180 k/ll
ISO /IIi1es) HOT BO MBS
Thousands of these
incendiary bombs were
dropped on British and
German cities during the
war. Filled with combustible
chemicals, such as
magnesium or phosphoru ,
the bombs were designed
Magnesium to set buildings alight
incendiary bomb by creating great heat.

T H E BLITZ
Between September 19~O and May 19~1, Germany
tried to force Britain to surrender by bombing its major
cities. Germany launched 127 large-scale night raids.
Seventy-one of these were against London, the rest
against cities such as Liverpool, Glasgow, and Belfast.
More than 60,000 civilians were killed and 2 million
home were destroyed in what was known as the Blitz.

22
 ~lap ... howing 'JUSSOll ' 1'5 ITALY #-v..; . ~>~.#) .~..
Total war the extent of A ,is
contol in Europe
\Iu,salini (right) did not bring Italy into
the war on Germany's ~ide until June 19-10.
\t thb time Italy declared war on Britain
,,
,•
I. lnd France and "in,"aded southern •
•I
france . In October 19~O. ,,
U MID-1941, the war wa fought mainly
TIL Atlmltl( It.lly 1I1\"aded Greece and,
111 1941 , divided Yugo~la\'ia
,
\ --.
in Europe and orth Africa . On one side were O:t'I1l1 ,,
WIth Germany. Italian ,
the Axis (Germany, Italy, and some east tmop~ al::.o fought with ,
the Germans in Ru~sia, but I

;~~~7~~r European countries). On the other side were It.lh" alwa\'~ remained the
•
..
,
I
I

strap the Allies (Britain, France, and their vast lIninr part-ner in the Axis. /

empires). After the fall of France in June 1940, Britain HItler and Mu"olini drive
--
stood alone against the Axis. This situation changed when r ALGERIA
through Florence, Italy
Germany invaded Russia, and Japan attacked the US at
Pearl Harbor and the British in Malaya . The war was GE ERAl TOI O Japanese-<ontrolled
Hideki Tojo (188+-19~) led the pro-military olrea b) 1942
then fought on a worldwide scale. Only South America OCC PIED EU RO PE
party in Japan from 1931, and sided closely IA PA ESE CO . TR O l --- Extent of Japanese
B, No-embe r 19~2 , Germam
was not involved with actual fighting. Battles raged from and Ita l)' occupied most of ' with Germany and Italy. He became prime By ea rly 19~2, Japan had expansion
D \n'']., controlled b\ \,,:0. minister in October 19~1. Und er his rul e, Japan o\'errun the whole of southeast
the orth Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean, and Europe. Only Britain and Russia
attacked US and British territory in Asia, and Asia and much of the Pacific
were fighting against them. In DAllied ... I.lft....
from the deserts of orth Africa to the frozen North Africa, the Allies had extended the Japanese empire across southeast Ocean. The US na"al victory at
Steppes (grasslands) of Ru sia, and to the occupied Morocco and Algeria D \rea ... conlrollt.>d b\ AlliC"> Asia and the Pacific Ocean. H e was tried for Midway, in June 19-1.2. ha lted
war crimes in 1948, and execu ted. the Japanese advance.
jungles of southeast Asia.
and were driving the Germans
out of Egypt into Libya. o l\culral .. 1,1 Ie..

[xlent of German Gel/emf Hidekl Tojo Pea rl Harbo r

FIG HT I G FO R FRANCE
militar\' occupallon Iile COl"" of a
011 under attack
When France was in\'aded by Germany,
/apam.ose wartime
General Charles de Gaulle (left) went to
maga:il,e
Britain and raised the banner of Free
Germnll Pall';cr ,,,,its
France. At fir~t , his support was
limited. E,'entuall)" he led a IJ{bS ""ollgh a bla:mg
large group of overseas R" ..... inu pillaSt', tordlt'd
French troops and by jkelIJ8 Ctl1lhmb
resistance fighters .

I TO RUSS IA
On 22 June 19~ I, the
Germans mounted a
surprise attack against
Russia. The attack broke
the 1939 Nazi·Sm·iet
Pact in which both sides
agreed not to fight each
other. The in\'asion -
known as Operation
Barbarossa - brought
Russia into the war
on the same side
as Britain.

Brilisl, Prime US P",,;delll 50l'lel leader losef

MimSler Fmllkli .. ROCN'I,·/t 51allll (1879-1953)
WinS/Oil (1882-1945)
Cill/relllil /
/
(1874-1965)
..-.. The leaders of Britain, Russia ,
and the US are pictured here at
Yalta in the Crimea, Russia, in
February 19~5. These three
men met twice during the war
to decide on strategies for
co-ordinating their war effort.

PEA RL HARBO R ATTACK

On 7 December 19~I , Japan
launched a surprise attack on the
S naval base of Pearl H arbor in
Hawaii. ineteen ships \vere
destroyed a nd 2 ,~03 5<l ilors killed.
S President Roosevelt called it
"a day that will live in infam),".
On 8 December, Congress declared
war on Japan and Germany.

24 25
In enemy territory SU ICID E Pt LL
British secret agents
carried with them an
L-pill (L stands for
lethal). This was to be
swallowed if the spy
T HROUGHOUT TH E WAR, many men and w omen risked their lives by was captured by enem),
entering enemy-occupied countries. They w ent to spy on the invading agents. The pill killed in
five seconds, too quick
forces, work with resistance fighters, and carry out acts of sabotage to for any Iife-s.wing
foil enemy plans. Governments made extensive use of a network of measures to take effect.
Agents concealed pills
spies. The British set up the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and in a variety of personal
the Americans, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), to train agents to effects, such as lockets,
rings and other jewellery.
work undercover deep in enemy territory. Technicians were kept busy
devising ingenious ways to hide radios, maps, and other equipment
needed for a successful mission. ot everyone succeeded, and many SOE
members were killed or captured, tortured, and sent to concentration camps.
Few survived to tell of their remarkable deeds.
SECRETS U DE RFOOT
Compa rtments inside the rubber heels
of boots made ideal hiding places for
messages, maps, and other printed
M ESSAGES FROM A SU ITCASE
Suitcase radios were used by both sides to
broadcast messages from inside enemy territory.
For authenticity, some US radios were
papers. Both sides used this simple concealed in suitcases taken
invention to great effect during the from European refugees who
war. However, it was often the first arrived in ew York City.
place the enemy looked when Messages were transmitted in
Morse code, using a system of
inte rrogating a suspect.
sounds in place of letters.
Message hidden ill Ihe heel
PARACH UTE D TO H ER D EATH
ot ~very SOE operation
was a g reat success. Madeleine
Damerment was dropped by
parachute into occupied France
along with two other agents
in February 1941. She was
captured on landing. After
interrogation, she was sent to
Dachau concentration camp

•
where she was executed. Many
SOE agents met a similar fate .

PLANS t TH E PIPE-li ER
Perfectly normal-looking from the outside, this pipe contained hidden secrets. The CA RD TRICKS
bowl was lined with asbestos so that the pipe could be smoked without setting light Hidden inside this playing card
to a message or map concealed within. The stem also contained a miniature compass. is part of an escape map. The
map was divided into numbered
sections. To piece it together,
escapees would have to soak the
tops off the rest of the pack and
put the sections in order. Then
M19, a British government organization involved in helping prisoners of war escape, they could plot their route home.
designed this pencil to conceal a blade, useful in any escape attempt. A simple pencil
would not arouse suspicion during search or interrogation, so may not be confiscated.

SEC RET AGE 'T SO RGE

Richard Sorge (1895-19+1), seen
on a Soviet stamp, was a German
journalist who spied for Russia.
While working for a newspaper
in japan, he learned that japan
planned to attack Asia in 1941,
rather than Russia. This was vital
information to Russia , leaving
her troops free to fight Germany.
PROPELLI G PE 'CiL PISTOL
By unscrewing the end and
inserting a 6.35 mm cartridge,
this propelling pencil became a Sansom into southern France in
pistol. The casing contained a 19-1:2 to link up with a unit
spring-loaded hanuner to fire working with the Resistance,
the cartridge, which was released led by Peter Churchill. Both was made in Britain for SOE agents.
by a button on the side. were captured in 19H and \lembers working abroad could
interrogated by German not take any objects with them that
officers. They survived a mIgh t betray their true identity. All
concentration camp and belongings had to look locally made,
married after the war. so they were specially printed .

This needle-firing pen was among the ingenious weapons

designed by the British for agents working undercover A sharp
gramophone needle could be fired at an enemy by pulling the
cap back and releasing it. They were not lethal - the idea lVas that
users wou ld spread a rumour that the needles \-vere poisoned. This Mark 11 radio was used by Cryslal plllg
Oluf Reed Olsen, a orwegian "sed to e"auge
agent working for Britain in Iraltsmissi01I
Tlllli"gdial occupied onvay freqlle/lcy

Ballery clips cOllllecled

lrausmitter to ear battery for
lise without maius power
--~!.:l

FOOTPRI T D ISGU ISE
The SOE issued its agents with feet-shaped
rubber soles to attach to their boots when landing
on a beach. The resulting footprints
disguised their bootprints. This
confused the japanese into thinking
the prints were from local people walking
barefoot on the sand, not from enemy agents.
Siraps faslened
Ihe rubber sole
Abwehr, the German military intelligence,
issued its agents with this small battery-
pO\vered radio. Agents could transmit and
receive Morse code messages while on
operations. All labels were writt n in English
so as not to give its user away if captured.
MATC HBOX CAM ERA
The Kodak company in the US developed
this tiny matchbox camera for use by ass
Intelligence agents so they could take pictures
without the enemy noticing. The label on the
fron t of the matchbox was changed according
to the country in which the camera was used.

27
 The Prisoners
_ _ _ .~L

A RARE T REAT Food parcels

Under the Geneva contained ',- . ~
Convention, roWs were luxuries not f' .~
allowed to receive letters available ....
\,. .... ..
'.1.'
and gifts of food , clothes,
As THE TIDE OF WAR EBBED and flowed, many and books from home. These
parcels were organjzed by
in camp

millions of soldiers were captured or surrendered PIUSONERS PAIICEl.S

BRfT1SH RED ao;s & ClI\DB\ Of ST. lOI-N the International Red Cross,
to enemy forces. In the first three months of the WAA~llON
.UGSGIf ,1;a . . . DST
which operated from
Geneva in neutral
1941 German invasion of Russia alone, more than Switzerland. Their arrival
2 million Red Army soldiers were taken prisoner. COMITi INTERNATIONAL CIIOIX IIOUGE. was eagerly awaited, as
they kept prisoners in touch
COENEvE-"f1IANSIT.
~I~~~~s~;d toearry For most of these prisoners of war (POWs), their SUISSE
with their families and
brought treats to eat.
identification (IO) tags fighting days were over, and they were forced to
spend month s, if not years, 1ock ed up'ill speCla
. 11y
with them at all times. CAM P CU RR ENCY
These hvo came from the Allied POWs held in German camps Red Cross food parcel
Onag XYliA and Stalag built prison camps. International agreements, such were paid with spedal camp money
CA MP CROCODILES
(Lagergeld) for the work they did.
VilA camps in Germany. as the Geneva Convention of 1929, were meant to The money, such as the I, 2, and 5 These German prisoners were captured by the Allies
in ormandy in June 1944. They were brought across
guarantee that prisoners were well looked after, but some captors Reichsmark banknotes above, could
be used to buy razors, shaving soap, the English Channel, then marched in line to a nearby
disregarded this. POWs in German camps suffered greatly as their toothpaste, and occasionally extra camp. POWs often travelled hundreds of miles to reach
food ration from the camp canteen. a camp. Italians captured in North Africa were taken
rations were cut in the final months of the war. Many prisoners to Australia, South Africa, and India, while 50,000
devised ingenious ways to escape, although few succeeded and the more Italians went to the US.
BUCKLE BLAD E
punishments were sometimes severe for those who were caught. Some prisoners
managed to sneak
Polish POWs cook in simple tools. A
slllllggled food 011 blade hidden on a
110memade sto'pes belt buckle cou Id
if/side their huts at a help POWs to cut
GermaH priso1J camp themselves free if
they were tied up.

LI FE I CAPT tVtTY
The Geneva Convention BUTTON COM PASS
was an international A tiny yet effective
agreement on the human compass could be
rights of POWs. It stated concealed inside a
that they must be bu tton. Once free,
clothed, given food and an escapee could LI VING WIT H T HE ENE MY
lodgings as good as their use it to navigate After peace was declared, not all prisoners were
guards, allowed to keep across enemy returned horne immediately. They were, however,
possessions, practise territory to safety. allowed to befriend the locals. Sometimes romance
their religion and receive HAPPY TO BE ALI VE
blossomed. Ludwig Maier (second right), a German
medical treatment. The architect imprisoned in Scotland, wed
In Apri I 19-15, 9,000 Soviet POW were freed by the US from the German
Convention was not English woman Lucy Tupper in
Stalag 326 camp (below). Sadly, 30,000 captives had already died there.
always kept, and many 1947. He had to wait another
Soviet POWs were treated appallingly by their German
prisoners were held in year before being released.
captors. They were made to walk for weeks from the
degrading conditions. Eastern front to German camps. Once there, they
were given starvation rations.

FLYI NG AWAY C LEVE R GADGETS

The building of this Escape blades were
glider in the attic of nailed to soldiers' metal
Colditz Castle, shoe heels. Sometimes
Germany, was one they were fixed onto the
of many ingenious sides of coin. It was assumed
escape plans. Colditz that prisoners would be allowed securing
was a punishment to keep loose change, even if the blade to heel
camp for Allied guards took their banknotcs.
officers who tried to
escape from less-secure ESCAPE BOOT
camps. Of the 1,500 British RAF pilots wore nying
POWs held there, 176 boots that could be easily cut
attempted to escape, dm·... n and converted into
but only 31 succeeded. civilian shoes. For thi , they
would use a penknife hidden in
ME WITH A MI SS ION a concealed pocket. The idea was
Prisoners in Colditz and other camps to enable airmen forced down in
used whatever materials carne to enemy terrritory to blend in with
hand to help them escape. The basic civilians and avoid capture.
tools (left), made from bedposts and
scraps of metal, were used in Colditz
to build the escape glider (above).

28
29
 Boris Ha8eim FACT TO FlCT IO ,

Code-breakers demonstrates Some of those im'o lved in code-breaking

and intelligence during the war later
turned their ex peri ences into fiction. One
Jan Fleming,
ereator of the
fie tiol/ai spy
Jallles BOl/d
of these was Ian Fleming (190~), who
worked for British Naval Intelligence.
A CODE REPLACES the words of a message T H E CO NVE RTED
with letters, numbers, or symbols. A cipher ~'1 INS ID E RI NG During the 193Os,
is a form of code which adds or substitutes veryday objects, such Swedish cryptographer,
I .. this ring, were used Boris Hagelin (1 92-19 3)
letters or numbers in a message to disguise .luring the war to hide inve nte d the Converter
it. Both the Allies and the Axis used codes fnicTodots. A microdot M-209. It was the main
, a tiny photograph of cipher machine used by
and ciphers extensively during the war. " coded message, which the US Army during the
Viewiug Messages from the Japanese Purple and I.., so small that it can war. More than HO,OOO
windows 'mlv be read with a of these machines were
aI/I,d the German Enigma cipher machines were magnifying viewer. produced for US forces.
sllOw successfully deciphered, however, by \Iessages must be
hlown lip to actual
encoded
letters US and European cryptographers (code- .. ize for decoding.
breakers) respectively. Valuable military
POSltlOIl and diplomatic information then fell into
of rotors Allied hands, giving them considerable Swttc/ring lIll it
CO li trois
encoding advantage over their enemies. Compartment for
of eael, steppillg switches _ __ -.;;;~ j

letter; Rotor cylil/der

rotors spin carries three
after each or later fOllr ALA TURING
letter alphabetical Mathematician Alan Turing
rolors
(1912-54) was among the
many brilliant people
working for British
Intelligence during the war.
He played a key role in
deciphe ring Enigma, and
his work on computer
theory and artificial
intelligence led to
the development of
modem compu ters. P RPLE C IPH ER
The Japanese Purple
machine used a plugboard and
telephone switches to create
a device as complex as the German Pearl Harbor
Enigma. US Intelligence cracked following the
Purple's code in September 19~O Japanese attack
and built a
replica of the
mechanism.

EARLY COMPUTERS
Scientists and cryptographers a t the British code-breaking
centre, Bletchley Park, developed the "bombe" to decipher KRYHA CI PH ER
the first German Enigma messages. The "bombe" could The Krvha, invented in
test every possible combination of rotor positions used by Q2.1, u~d a spring-driven
Enigma. As Enigma grew more complex, the British built phabetic rotor to encode
Colossus, a forerunner of modem electronic computers. messages. Each letter was IG 'OR ED I FORM ATIO
ubstttuted by a different Diplomatic communications sent by
THE ENIGMA CIPHER Inc every time the letter the Japanese Purple Cipher machine
The German Enigma machine was first used in 1923 to encode w a~used in a word, making were intercepted and decoded by the
commercial secrets. It was la ter developed and refined to dIfficult to decipher. US. The message warned of a Japanese
become the main diplomatic and military cipher machine in ,orma n diplomats used the attack in late 19~ 1, but it was not clear
use during World War II. Enigma enCiphered each letter r~'ha during the war, not that Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was the
separately. It did this through a series of alphabetical rotors 'lli.ling that the Americans targe t until it was too late. Effective
placed on a cylinder in a predetermined order, and a set of ad "I ready broken its code. code-breaking during 19-12, however,
plugs inserted into a plugboard . The settings were varied enabled the US to defeat the Japanese
each day, giving millions of possible combinations. navy at the crucial Battie of Midway.

30 31
 MustmlSs had a max",,,,,,,

America in the war 'I'eed of ;03 '1,11

(437

A FTER THE SHOCK of Pearl Harbor, the

United States transformed its economy
into a giant war machine. As US President
Franklin Roosevelt said, the economy
Pocket-sized novel for US troops
became the" arsenal of democracy". The
country mass-produced every type of weapon necessary to fight A IR BR EAK
Resting between missions,
and win on land, sea, and air. Expenditure on war production rose these P-51 Must,mg pilots
were pMt of the 15th US
massively, unemployment disappeared, wages doubled, and while Air Force, based in
LONG- RA GE FIG HT ER
there was rationing, it was far less severe than in other countries at MASS PRO D UCT IO I he P·51 Mustang was one southern Italy.
war. Unlike every other country at war, the US boomed and most Aircraft factories, such as this Boeing Ii the best fighter planes of the war. Early
pl''"t in Seattle, played a major role l'rsions were limited in their altitude and
people had more money to spend than ever before. in turning out arms for the war effort. ''"gc. Howevcr, after it was re-equipped
In total, the U factories built more \,·ith a bettcr engine, larger fuel tanks, and
than 250,000 aircraft, 90,000 tanks, 350 cut·down rcar fuselage, the fourth version B-24 LIBERATOR
destroyer ships, and 200 submarine~. °-51 D) became a superb fighter. It was Having flown all the way from southern
By 19+1, fort)' per cent of the world's ,,,,d to escort and defend bombers on Ital)\ this B-24 Liberator is nying low
arms were produced in the US. heir long·range missions O\'cr Germany. as it bombs oilfields in Ploesti, southern
Romania . The 8-24 was a heavy
bomber with a long range, able to
undertake missions far into
BR O WN ING MA C HI NE GU ' Sprillg-ic)(ldl'd l"t'lltral ";1IJ1J1ort German-occupied Europe.
The 0.5 Browning machine gun was the standard weapon used in 5 pElot paraell"te _ ",,111"_ 'tl whir/l Bag for empty PA RA C H UTE JEE P
bombers. The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress, for example, carried 13 lrndllltl!~ cartid,~e US Army jeeps, such as this
such guns. But even nying in close formation with other bombers, the Jrt' atttlrhed paradroppable version, were Protectil'e headgear
Browning was often no match against attack.ing German fighter planes. dropped by parachute during Special used ill turrets alld
operations or major airborne landing. olher combat positiolls
Developed in 19-10, the US jccp was one of wl,ere stal,dard
Four mnill
the best loved of all war vehicles, and the most helmets were too big
envied. Its four-wheel drive made it hugely
versatile in almost all terrains.
US aircrew
M4 helmet

~-"'L_- US IfL'P could carry a

360kg (SOO Ib) load
15th Air Force alld fow all alltl-tallk

9th Air Force

FlG HT t NG W IT H FIRE
A 5 marine, his face smeared with
protective cream, uses a flame-thrower
during bitter fighting on GuadaJcan,,1
in the P(1cific, 19.. 2. Flame-thro\\'er~
were often used to set light to buildings
or to destroy protective vegetation in
order to flush out the enemy.

US Strategic Air Forces

TA Kt NG THE FLA K
A IR FO RCES
These US Arm\' Air Force (USAAF) slccve badges This reinforced flak jacket \vas worn
represent various divisions. The 15th Air Force was set by US aircrew to protect them from
up to bomb German-held targets from bases in southern anti-aircraft fire. Thev were introduced
Italy. The 9th supported Allied operations in "orth in 1942. By 1944, 13,500 were used by
Africa and Ital\'. The th, 9th, and 15th Air Forces later the th Air Force, which bombed
merged to form the U trategic Air Forces in Europe. German-held territory in Europe.

32 33
 , IG HTWATCH GAS BAG

Women at work Many women

operated the powerful
searchlights that
The threat of gas attacks in
Britain meant that everyone
had to carry a gas mask with
tracked incoming them at all times. This elegant
enemy bombers. Once a lady's handbag has a special
AZ I MOTH ERS B EFORE THE OUTBREAK of World War II, most plane was located, anti- compartment for concealing
aircraft guns opened fire the owner's mask.. Most
In Germany,
mothers were
women still worked within the home. With in an attempt to destroy people. howevever, carried
men a\ ay fighting, however, women became it before it dropped its their masks in cardboard
awarded medals deadly bombs. Although boxes. which women often
for producing the main workforce. Almost every task that had some women prepared decorated with fabric.
target numbers
anti-aircraft guns, they
of children. The previously been restricted to men was now were not allowed to
Nazis idealized
German '...·omen
taken over by women. Such jobs included bus ,actually fire them. Apart
from working for the
as molhers of the conductors, train signal operators, drivers, anti-aircraft command,
new "master
race". Women
mechanics, clerical workers, shipwrights, and night work could mean
patrolling the streets as
were encouraged engineers. Women also played an important als luftnachrichtenhelferin
_ _ .... 14Z
an air-raid warden.
to stay at home
and raise their role in resistance forces and some joined special
EW REC RUITS
children. operations carried out in enemy territory. The As more mcn were required Female >earcMigltt
war could not have been waged and won for fighting. posters were used operator scours the "igM
to attract increasing numbers sky for em:my bombers
Silver (2nd class) without women's vital contribution. After of women into the war effort.
medal awarded
for bearing six to the war, attitudes towards women in the This one portrays a glamorous ROSIE THE RIVETER
image of life as a Luftwaffe In the US, fictional character Rosie the
seven children workplace changed forever. (German air force) auxiliary. Riveter became a national symbol of
the new working woman. The women
were needed to enter the factories
A wormm a!'!'l:'i:.' PA S TO PLA ES to replace the 16 million
aircraft
Wttll Due to the scarcity of iron, tin, US citizen called into
mai"temmce and aluminium, wartime posters the armed services.
appealed to housewives to donate American women's
unwanted household items. Old pots new jobs included
and pans were melted down to make making bombs and
planes. Iron railings from parks and aeroplanes, ships and
gardens, old cars, and scrap metal tanks, and running the
were used to make ships. Even old railways and
woollen clothes were unravelled other vital
and knitted into socks and services.
sca rves for the troops.

FryhlS I'(UI made

from tile wreckage of
a Germal1 plaue
FLYI G PA
Crashed enemy
LA D GIRLS AIRCRAFT MAINTENA CE planes were
One of women's The shortage of male pilots and mechanics meant that many .. ometimcs recycled,
major contributions women learned to fly and maintain planes during the war. fmishing up as pans
They delivered new planes from the factories to the military and other usefu I "Rosie the Riveter", painted
to the war effort
airfields and played a major role in servicing and household utensils. by Norman Rockwell for
was to take over
the running of the preparing planes between missions. the Saturday El'elllll8
farms and grov.'
Post, May 19~3
much-needed food.
In Britain the
""omen's Land
Army recruited
some 77,000
members to carry
out arduous tasks,
such as ploughing
and harvesting.

PARACHUTE MAKERS AIR-RAID TRAI I G

Seamstresses worked long hours to meet the constant demand for parachutes. In India, fear of a Japanese invasion led the government to take
Many thousands of parachutes were required by all the armed services. They precautionary steps. These women in Bombay are training for
were used by fighter and bomber pilots if they had to bail out of their aircraft, air-raid precaution (ARP) duties. Others trained as auxiliaries
and b)' airborne troops dropped into battle from the skies above. to support the troops fighting in the Far East.

34 35
J
 FOR THE MOTHERLAND V"" . ,~ ... ~040: . . .... tt-

A wartime childhood
As the Gennan am"l\'
swept into Russia i~ I\. ""'t 2 .... W4 .... '>t."" .
1941 , many children Q. \ t. ~O 'D L.t t~oI\
found the.:nseh·es ~ .... ~"d II.. yoo" ""'tt
orphaned and homeless. fO'... ,,~O'\') 0"""
Some youths joined
ACROSS THE WORLD, children from every country involved the partisan groups
Ho\ Y\oJO, d t'4: (o........ e.
in the war were as affected by the fighting as their parents and fighting the Germans.
Children as young as
grandparents. Their homes were bombed or burned, their fathers 10 years old pl,'yed
their part by mnning
were called up to fight, and their mothers went to work in messages, fetching
factories or war industries. For some children in mainland supplies, and even
..
n .. ,'." ...1
• o I . . .... . . . .~ ; .. .-c ..
I ..... .

Europe and eastern Asia, their countries were occupied or fought taking part in ambushes .... .,.:-;:.. IU. _

and acts of sabotage. • " IOD.. . I""

over by foreign armies. Other children lived with the threat of "AZI TOYS Armed child partisan in IN HIDING
invasion. For one group of children in particular, the war Pro paganda
nfected all
Leningrad, Russia, 1943
\Vild a"imals
Like all Jewish children, Anne Fran~ (1929-15)
faced the horrifying prospect of being rounded up
brought special fear, as the German authorities sought out Jewish l., pecls of PAPER PLAY lIIade of paper by i\'azis and sent to a concentration camp. For two
children and sent them to their deaths in concentration camps. .."erman life.
r nm tOYS. such
In wartimc, toys were in
short supply across Europe
"cars, shc and hcr famil\' hid in a secrct attic in
Holland . Anne kept a dia;', of daily events and of
For children of all ages, no matter which side they belonged to, \... this azi
i as all raw materials were her hopes for the future. But, in August 1944, the
"ode!, taught needed for ma~ing family was betrayed . Anne died of typhus in
G ROWl G UP IN JAPAN
the war robbed them of education and a normal, happy life. \'ersiDn of weapons and Belsen concentration camp in March 1945.
In school, Japanese children were told about 11 !',ton' which machines. As a
the superiority of their country and their (-.... / A wartime I'f:sioll of ~Iorifred the result, children
duty to fight for their emperor. As the war @ f~ - I, "happyfmll/iles " \ryan" (blond- had to make do
progressed, military drills became compu lsory, ~ 0 1 €) EVACUEE- ) 'A.Ct,ii "'\ la ircd and bluc- with simple toys
and older children had to work in the student E\f .. f "'cd) race and made of
@

.- I
Min
BLITZ ENTERTAINMENTS
labour force . By 1944, US bombers were
Many themed toys
attacking Japanese cities on an almost
and games, such as this
daily basis. As a result, more than 450,000
evacuation card game,
children were evacuated out of the cities,
were produced during the
leaVing their parents to an uncertain fate.
war years. Card games
were a very popular way
of passing the time during
the long hours spent in
air-raid shelters.
These chi ldren
are waiting for
transportation
to their new
homes in the
countryside
11U t down the cardboa rd
I,· WS. Children or paper.
" we taught that
.crmans were
he master race
,j the world . • ...i.---'
HIller Youlh
ml'mbt'r..;h'/' carel
YOUNG , AZIS
Hitler Youth was formed in 1926
as the male youth division of the
'azi Party (girls joined the League
of German Girls). Members wore
uniforms, held parades, and
attended Slimmer camps.
In 1943, those aged 16 and FORCED TO FOLLOW HITLER
ove r were called up to fight. At first. membership of the Hitler Yo uth
Younger recruits helped on was vol untary. But in 1936 all other
farms or delivered post. German youth groups were disbanded.
Joining the Hitler
Youth was made
compulsory for
all children
aged 10 to 18.

NOVElTY MASKS
world, the war
Colourful " Mickey separated many
Mouse" gas masks youngsters
were issued to from their
British toddlers families. During the
to make them Blitz, thousands of
more fu n to wea T.
British children went
School children to live with foster
were taught to families in the
carry their masks countryside, or even
with them at all o\'erse~s. \Vhile some
times and shown children enjoyed their
how to put them : new lives. many were
on in a hurry. • terribly homeSick.

37
36
Battle for the Pacific
AFTER THEIR SURPRISE ATTACK on Pearl Harbor
in December 1941, the Japanese swarmed all
over southeast Asia and the islands of the Pacific
Ocean. By May 1942, they had overrun Burma,
Malaya (now Malaysia), the Dutch East Indies
(now Indonesia), Singapore, and the Philippines,
and were advancing island by island across the STRUGGLE FOR G UA D A LCA NA L IS LA D
US aircraft carrier Hornet comes under heavy fire from Japanese aircraft during the
Pacific, south towards Australia and east to the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942. This sea battle was one of many fought around
US. Their aim was to construct a huge economic GlIadalcanal (one of the Solomon Islands to the east of lew Guinea) as Japanese and
US forces struggled to gain control of this strategic base. The US eventually forced
empire from which Japan could guarantee the Japanese off the island in February 1943, but the ferocity of the Japanese resistance
supplies of oil and other essential raw materials showed how far they were prepared to go to defend newly won territory.

needed to build up military power. Japan

seemed invincible, but two massive naval battles JA PA ES E PRAYE R FLAG Scale
All Japanese servicemen carried prayer flags with them into battle. showillg JAPA N ESE AVA L S EXTANTS
- in the Coral Sea in May 1942, and at Midway Friends and relatives wrote prayers and blessings on the white degrees Sextants were essential to the
background of the nag of Japan. They never wrote on the sun "orth or Japanese avy for navigating
(in the central Pacific) in June 1942 - halted their itself, however, which is considered sacred. Some wore these sOl/lh of around the vast Pacific Ocean.
advance. Turning the tide against Japan was, nags around their heads, others carried them in their pockets. equator The third-largest in the world,
after Britain and the US, the
however, to prove a lengthy and costly Douglas Dr.-tlas/a/or bombers Japanese navy possessed 10
aircraft carriers, 12 massive
battle for the US forces and prepare for aclioll
battleships, 36 cruisers, more
both sides experienced SU ICI D E MI SS IO , S than 100 destroyers, and a
.\s the battle for the Philippines raged in powerful naval air force .
heavy casualties. October 1944, in a measure of desperation
the Japanese introduced a terrifying weapon.
AIR CRAFT CA RRI ER \ speCial unit of "olunteer bomber pilots
Douglas Devastator torpedo Kamik.azes) new planes loaded with
bombers prepare to take-off from l 'plosives onto the decks of US warships
the deck of USS Elllerprise during t(l blow them up. K,lmikazes were never
the Battle of Midway. Devastators n ,hort supply - 700 attacked the US neet
were old and lumbering planes tlt l Okin,lwa on 6 April 1945.
used by the US aboard aircraft
carriers. They proved no match
for the speedy Japanese Adjllsta/>/e eyepiece
Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters,
which knocked out all but four Japanese naval sextant for
of the Elllaprlse's bombers. calculating latitude
Overall, however, the Japanese (distance north or south)
suffered a defeat at Midway.

Kamikaze pi/ot ties

TH E CORA L SEA a Ilacl"maki
A wrecked Japanese plane noats in the Coral Sea (north east of Australia). A japalles< atrcrafl float> arOlllld his head
The Japanese were trying to capture island bases to use for air attacks on In tatters after being
Australia, but the US neet halted their advance southwards in May 1942. sllOl 0111 of Ihe sky
Coral Sea was the first naval battle conducted
entirely by aircraft taking off from FLYING
carriers. The fleets \1\SK
Japanese
pilots
wo re KAMIKA ZE PtLOT
'ather Japanese pilots
m a~ks to volunteered to join
protect their Kamikaze Oights, knowing
~lCL"S while that this meant certain
thmg. The death. Kamikaze means
l "l~ks made "divine wind" and some
hem look. even considered it glorious to
iercer than their die for their emperor.
'arlike reputation Other pilots were inspired
uggested. Few by Japanese military
nilots were ever traditions of self-sacrifice .
•' ptured by the Allies, They wore the ritual
, most preferred to hacllilllaki (headcJoth) of
kill themselves rather the fierce Samurai warriors
' han surrender. of ancient Japan.

38 39
I Japan at war
THROUGHOUTthe war,
the Japanese empire was
fighting on three fronts . In
the north, Chinese armies were
fighting to rid their country of its
Japanese occupiers. In the south
Japanese naval and military ensign and east, US, Australian and ew
Zealand forces hopped from island
to island across the Pacific Ocean as they fought
to drive out Japanese forces and to establish
air and naval bases close to Japan. In the
southwest, a "forgotten war" continued
to be fought in the jungles of Burma.
Here, the British army and the Chindits
(a British-Burmese fighting unit) under
Major General Orde Wingate,
fought the Japanese army
to liberate Burma. In
all these battles, many
Japanese soldiers fought
to the death, making
them a formidable enemy.
LOYA L FI G HTE RS
More than 1,700,000 Japanese soldiers
obeyed the Soldier Code of 19~2 . It
was based on the ancient Bushido
(warrior) Code of the samurai
fighters. This stated that soldiers
must be totally loyal to the emperor
and it was their duty to die rather
than face the shame of ca pture. As
a result, Japanese soldiers wcre
often fanatical fighters dedicated
to achic\'ing victory at all costs.
LIB ERATING BURM A
The decisive battle for Burma
was fought on the road
between the cities of Kohima
and Imphal, both just over
the border in India. The
British had used Imphal as
their base to regroup and
US Army rearm following their
field expulsion from Burma by
telephone the Japanese in May 19~2.
The Japanese decided to
PO RTABL E attack first, and invaded
COMM U, ICATIO S India in March 19~. British
Field telephones were used by Allied and and Indian troops (right)
Japanese soldiers to keep in contact with their fought back and defeated a
commanders and the rest of their unit. The speed force of 80,000 Japanese. This
of the Japanese ad\'ance across southeast Asia and opened the way for the
the Pacific meant that troops needed efficient liberation of Burma itself,
communications to infonn headquarters of their which was ('"cntuall"
progress, and on the whereabouts of the enemy. achieved in May 19~5 .
40
TH E THA ILAND-BURMA RA ILWAY
Dic~l-powered traction cars that
cou ld run on rails or roads were
u'oCd by the Japanese from 19~2
to 19~3. With them, the Japanese
DEFEND I 'G A STRA lI A
built a railwa\' from Thailand
to the newly conquered Burma.
Australian forces wcre
heavilv in\'olvcd
The Japanese intended to use it
to move troops and supplies
in the war against qUickly throughout their vast
je1 pan. This was because their country was
directly threatened by japanese expansion
southeast Asian empire.
in southeast Asia. Australia played ,1n
important role in preventing the japanese
from occupying Papua New Guinea in
19~2 and they fought alongside US forces,
liberating l'\ew Guinea and other islands.
SAVE D FROM STA RVATIO,
24·H O R RAT IO NS
These Dutchmen released from a Japanese
prisoner-of-war camp in Indonesia in 19-15 were some of
British forces fighting in the Pacific and the lucky ones. About a quarter of the 103,000 Australian, BRIDG E ArrAC K
The 415-km (258-mile) long Thailand-Burma Railway ran
southeast Asia were issued with food packs LS, British, and Dutch soldiers taken captive by the Japanese
through jungles, mountains and alongSide the Kwai oi
like the one pictured. Although the food was had died in camps by 19~ . Of these, 12,000 had worked on
far from exciting, a pack provided one man River. Railway bridges - such as the one above - were
the Thailand-Burma Railway. Asian prisoners suffered felf
with enough nourishment for an entire day. designed and built by prisoners of war. British planes,
worse - at least 100,000 died building the railway alone.
operating from India, regularly bombed the bridges
hoping to destroy the railway and halt the Japanese.
A US memorial SllOlPS marines hoisting
lite flag 0 11 MI Sliribaclti, /,,'O/illia
Improvised
RAISING THE FLAG O N IWO jlMA
spectacles
In February 19~5 US marines
and comb
stormed Iwo jima, a tiny island
south of Japan. The Japanese
defended the
island to the
bitter end. Of
CA PTU RED BY T HE JAPA ESE
Prisoners of war (POWS) held 21,000 soldiers,
b,' the J,'pane5C had to make only 216 were
heir Ow n everyday essentials as taken prisoner.
tht.'~· were given few provisions
The rest died fighting.
0' their captors. The Japanese After suffering heavy
,ad no respect for POWs,
losses at Iwo jima and
md worked many on Okinawa, the 5
started bombing mainland
" them to death
japanese cities, and later
rlMd ..., and dropped two atomic bombs,
hndge,. on Hiroshima and agasaki.
41
 UP PE Rt SCO PE
"We all snapped our hands to While lurking just beneath

The Battle of the Atlantic o!,,-r caps, glanced at the flag, and
Jumped ... In the water we were
the surface, U-boat crew
members used peri copes
to watch the progress of
Allied convoys. From this
T HROUGHOUT THE WAR, a fierce battle raged between the Allies and pushed together in a bunch, as we position of relative safety
they cou ld select targets
- .. I", an,labll piece of land III 51 bl
the Germans in the icy waters of the orth Atlantic Ocean. As Allied bobbed up and down like corks. " for their guns and deadly
torpedoes. When U-boats
sailors braved the elements to bring vital supplies from the US into LIEUTENANT BURkHARD VON MULLENHEIM-RECHBERG, were close to or on the
British ports, German U-boats (submarines) and destroyers attacked BI MARCK SURVIVOR surface, however, they
were easily detectable from
at every opportunity. The German navy was small compared to that the air, and many were
of the Allies, but its submarine fleet was capable of inflicting great destroyed by Allied planes.

damage. At first the U-boats reigned supreme. They sank 2 million

tonnes of Allied shipping in the first four months of 1941 alone and
more than 5.4 million tonnes in 1942. However, the Allies' greater use
of the convoy system, long-range aircraft patrols, quick-response U-boal officer IIses
a periscope to
anti-submarine warships, and improved radar made the U-boats locnte ellemy ships
increasingly vulnerable. By mid-1943, with 95 U-boats lost in just
three months, the tide of the battle turned in the Allies' favour
and the Atlantic became safer for shipping once more.

DI G FOR VI CTO RY
Overseas imports of food were
severel)' hampered by the war. In
d- Eqllipped willi 88 gll1l5
mcJlldillg 20 IOllg-range

alld 68 anti-aircraft gUllS,~;::::::;:;-i:~:=::l:b ~.J~~J~!i~~r:J

Britain, to ensure sufficient supplies
of fruit and vegetables, a "Dig for
Victory" campaign was launched
urging people to grow as much food
as possible. Every spare bit of fertile
land, including gardens and parks,
was cultivated into vegetable patches.
S t NKI G T HE BISMARC K
One of the largest battleships in the German nav)' was the Bismarck, which the GUll is aimed ready
Germans claimed to be unsinkable. The ship set off from Gdynia in the Baltic 10 fire at ellf"'Y
on 1 May 1941. It sailed in a huge loop around the top of Iceland, where it ships alld U-boats
sank the Bntish HMS Hood. before it was caught and destroyed by a British neet
on 27 May. All but 115 of the Bismarck's crew of 2,222 lost their lives.

Maw steenllg w/atel

HelmsmaH 's seat
First lielltetlallt 's seal fmllif
I SlO E A MID GET
The British X-craft midget
submarine, crewed by a team
of four, handled many special
missions during the Battle of
the Atlantic. Using explosive
charges, one attacked and
successfully disabled the
German battleship Tirl'JI:
off the coast of 'orway in
September 1943. The Tirpit:
had presented a great potential
threat to convoys heading
north from Britain to Russia.
Freshwater tauk
Towmgeye
Periscope
T HE BIB ER
Armed with two torpedoes.
German Biber submarines
operated off the coast of northern
France and the etherlands
between 19+1 and 1945. Bibers
caused damage to Allied cargo
and cross-Channel ships
supplying invasion forces
in western Europe.
UNDER ATTAC K
Onlv 30 crew members of this
f~ou~ndering German U-boat survived an attack
trom a US navy ship. When underwater, U-boats
were vulnerable to attack from depth charges
dropped from Allied ships or aircraft. On
the surface, they risked attack from bombs,
torpedoes, or shells, and in shallow waters
mines were also a hazard. Out of 39,000 G~rman A sailor 011 board a warship ATlA T IC CO . VOY
. . ubmariners, only 11,000 survived the war. accompallyillg all Atlalltic COlll'OY Single merchant ships crossing the
keeps a lookout for ellemy aircraft orth Atlantic were highly
vulnerable to attack from waiting
U-boats. As a result, they travelled in
large convoys protected by escorting
Rlldder warships and, where po sible, air
cover. Convoys travelled at the
speed of their slowest member.
Propeller however, making the orth Atlantic
crossing a dangerous exercise in
which many sailors lost their lives.
 Road to Stalingrad RED ARMY CAVALRY
The Red Army infantry
was supported by cavalry
divisions that were able to
move quickly to the front
G ERMA Y INVADED the Soviet Union in line. Both sides used horses
to tow artillery and wagons
1941. It advanced in three directions - laden with su pplies. Horses
north towards Leningrad, east towards were a hindrance in winter,
however, a they \.... ere
Moscow, and south to the wheat fields and e.,sily bogged down by
I wet mud or snow.
oil wells of Ukraine and the Caucasus. To
German bronze
tank assault badge
achieve success in the south, the Germans German soldiers suffer
Red Arllly com/ry 7-34 was armed Il"'" a1l
had to capture Stalingrad on the Volga / a har!''' SOlliet wHller
bralldish sword!' 85111111 8"" afler 1943
a.. tI,ey charge
River. For Hitler, this city was of huge importance as it through the SIIOW
THE CASUALT IES
was named after the Soviet leader, Stalin. For similar / About 91,000 German
I T H ES OW
reasons Stalin was equally determined that the city should War in the Soviet Union was aggravated for both sides soldiers were rounded
up and imprisoned at
not be lost. The battle for Stalingrad was intense, with vast by the Russian winter. As temperatures dropped
below freezing, the Germans were ill-equipped for TA K SUPE RIOR the end of the battle of
losses on both sides. The eventual destruction of the the extreme cold. The Russians, however, were more The Soviet T-34 tank, 5talingrad. The fighting
used to the temperature and better equipped with designed in 1939, was the led to an appa lling
attacking German army and its surrender, in early 1943, white camounaged ovcrsuits, quilted undersuits, fur mainstay of the Red Army number of casualties.
marked a turning point in the war. No longer was the hats, and felt boots. armoured units. A total of
39,69 were built between 1941
Both sides lost about
500,000 soldiers each. An
German army unbeatable. and 1945. These tanks carried a estimated 2 million
crew of five - one commander, Stalingrad civilians lost
two gunners, one loader, and a their lives. Amazingly,
RED ARMY WEAPONRY Trigger driver. Conditions inside, however, 10,000 civilians lived in
Many thousands of sub-machine were cramped. With a maximum the city throughout the
guns, such as this PPSh-1941, were speed of 51 kph (32 mph) the tank battle and survived.
issued to the Red Army during could cover up to 400 km (250 miles)
the war. They were produced without refuelling. German tanks, with
cheaply and quickly for u e HA D their slower speeds and smaller range Straw boots worn
while fighting at GRENADES were no match for the all-conquering T-34. by German sen tri es
close quarters. Soviets in the Soviet Union
used hand
grenades
to stop the GIIII mowlted
enemy advancing into Stalingrad.
Wounded soldiers sometimes
had to pull pins out with their
STAN DARD IS S E teeth before hurling the grenades.
The 7.62 mm (0.3 in) FROSTBITE
Tokarcv 1133 semi-automatic German soldiers fighti og in the Soviet
Sholiider blil l'"
pistol was the standard issue gun Union fashioned snow boots out of straw
given to Soviet officers, airmen, in a vain attempt to keep their feet warm
BATTLE OF STA lI NGRAD and tank crews. If a tank was and dry. Many suffered from frostbite
The battle for 5talingrad began in August 1942. disabled, the erc\,,, would have during the harsh Russian winters.
The German 6th Army attacked the city from some means of defence. Ordinary clothes were
the west and pushed the defenders into a thin inadequate and their stiff
line of houses and fa~tories along the Volga leather boots were too tight
River. The Soviets counterattacked on to allow them to wear layers
19 ovember and soon encircled the of socks and too porous to
6th Army. The Germans tried to rescue keep out the damp.
their besieged army, but were
forced to surrender on
2 February 1943.

S HOOT-O T
Germans and Soviets
fought over every building
in 5talingrad. The two sides
sometimes even occupied
different noor, of the same
building. Hand-to-hand
fighting lVas widespread,
and anyone showing their
head above ground lVas likely
to be killed by sniper fire. Wide Iracks are ideal for
crossi1lg soft, Imet¥!n terrai"

44
45
 Inside the Soviet Union
THE WAR HAD A impact on the Soviet Union.
IMME SE
Although it had spent almost two years getting ready for
war, nothing could have prepared the nation for the
amount of suffering inflicted upon it. In order to keep
industries safe from attack, 1,500 factories were moved in
their entirety hundreds of kilometres east across the Ural
mountains. Six million workers followed them. Millions FEEDI NG T H E CITY
more were enslaved by the Germans, or killed in work During the Leningrad siege, the biggest threats to inhabitants
camps. A total of 20 million Soviets died. Yet the civilian were cold and hunger. Every spare bit of ground was used
to grow food, such as cabbages and potatoes, but rationing
population rallied to save their country, and remained strict throughout the siege. In total, more than
630,000 civilians died from starvation and the extreme cold.
worked hard for victory. The war
became known as the Great
Patriotic War.
Mallakol'~kll This poster of 1942
Meiro stat/oil urged So"iets to
UJ Moscow .. Follow t"is worker's
beiHg used a~ example, produce mort'
RESISTA CE FIGHTERS all air-raid for the frOllt"
Poslers urged Soviets living in German-occupied ~"elter
territory to join the parti ans and "Beat tire enemy
mercilessly". Groups of partisans who lived in the
forests ambushed Ge rman convoys and attacked
command posts and lines of communication. RED ARMY AWA RDS
The major medal
awarded to Soviet
soldiers were the
Residents of Leningrad abandon Hero of the Soviet
thei r homes destroyed by Union and the Orders
azi bombs of the Red Banner and ATTAC K 0 M OSCO W
the Red Star. Stalin introduced the Orders In October 1941, as German troops attacJ..ed the Soviet
of Kutuzov and Suvorov, named after city of Moscow, many civilians sheltered in the Metro
19th-century field marshals ,tation. Other> tried to flee. But the Germans wcre
who fought off invasions running out of supplies and were unable to cope with
by the Poles, Turks, and the severe Soviet winter. In December 1941, the
apoleonic France. ,. Russians counterattacked and the Germans pulled
b,lCk their forces. The Soviet capital was saved.

WATER, WATER EVERYWH ERE ... SNIPERS PROD CE MORE!

During the Soviet winter of 1941, the temperature in Among the many wartime heroes were the Red Despite the the strong male image on this poster, more than half of the
Leningrad fell to -40 C (-40 F). Food ran out and water )'Irmy snipers engaged to shoot the enemy one Soviet wo rkforce by the end of the wa r was female. Soviet civilians played
supplies froze. People had to gather snow and ice to thaw. by one. The exploits of the Stalingrad snipers a huge role in the defeat of Hitler. They worked hard in the factories to
One local recalled: "We couldn't wash ourselves because Soviet became legendary. When increase the production of armaments and essential war equipment.
we were only strong enough to fetch water to drink." 'niper rifle a sniper achieved 40 kills,
he was given the title of
"noble sniper". T H E MOLOTO V COCKTAIL
During the Russo-Finnish War,
Finnish troops hurled home-made
petrol bombs at Russian tanks.
They c"lIed the bombs Molotov
cocktails after Soviet politician
Vyacheslav Molotov (1890-19 6),
whom they held largely
responsible for the war.

TH E SIEGE OF LEN I G RAD

The longesl siege of the war took place
in the Soviet city of Leningrad. German
troops, supported by Finns, surrounded the HIE RUSSO-F1 ISH WA R
city in September 1941. Finland had joined After Germanv invaded Poland in 1939, the
the war on Germany's side to gain revenge S(wiet Union tried to secure its western
for its defeat by the Soviets the previous frontier. In ovember 1939, the Soviet
year. The Germans dropped more than army invaded Finland, its western
100,000 bombs and 200.000 shells on neighbour. The Finns fought back with great
Leningrad. Despite killing 200,000 citizens, courage. But in March 1940, they were forced to
they failed to capture the city. The siege accept a peacc
lost more 80,000and
than trcaty loss of
soldiers land. The
against Soviets
Finnish losses ::~I~~=~~~~:~
was eventually lifted by the Red Army in
January 1944, 890 days after it began. of only 25,000. Thi revealed the weakness of the Red Army.

46 47
 ------------------~~----------

Fighting in the desert SLY DESERT FOX

I Jv E 1940, Mussolini's Italy entered the war
on the German side and in September invaded
Egypt from its colony of Libya, Within months, the
British army had overwhelmed the Italians, taking
130,000 soldiers prisoner, Alarmed at the collapse of
their Italian allies, Germany began to send troops to
orth Africa in February 1941, For almost two years,
the battle was fought across the desert until the
British Eighth Army achieved a
massive victory over the German
Afrika Korps at El Alamein in
ovember 1942. The same month,
US and British troops landed in
Algeria and Morocco. They
advanced eastwards to surround
the westward-retreating Germans,
By May 1943, the Afrika Korps and
their Italian allies were
forced to surrender.
The Allies could now the fierce t fighting of the desert war. The city was first held by the Italians, then captured
by the British in early 1941. Later that year it was besieged by the Germ,ms, who seized
turn their attention control in June 1942. The British recaptured it after EI Alamein in 1\:00'embcr 1942.
back to Europe,
Field Marshal Erwin
Rommel (1 91 - 19+1 ), t.lr
left, commander of the
Germ. n A fri k., Korps,
\\",lS known as the
Desert rox . He had the
ability to quickly a"ess
a situation and "sniff"
out hl~ enemv's weak
points. Germans and
British respected him, the
latter becau~ he was known
to treat his prisoners well. In
19+1 Rommel too(.. his own
life after he \Vas Implicated
in a plot to murder Hitler.
ON THE LOOKOUT tN LIBYA
The German Afrika Korps was formed in 1941 to assist
Italians in North Africa . H ere, one of its members uses
"donkey's ears binoculars" to view the enemy. Although
superbly led by Rommel, the Afrika
Korps relied on Mediterranean INVAStON OF SICtLY
convoys for reinforcements and Allied troops bring vehicles and supplies asho re after their
supplies, and these were invasion of SiCily in Jul y 1943. The German defeat in o rth
attacked by the British. Africa had opened the way for the Allies to invade Europe,
but the Allies did not think they were powerful eno ug h to risk
a direct attack agai nst German fo rces. Instead, they decided
to invade Italy in the hope of forcing it out of the war.
K
The Mediterranean port of Tobruk, in eastern Libya, W,15 the scene of some of
HElP FROM THE COMMONWEALTH
Some New Zealand troopers and other special
units fighting in 'orth Africa wore Arab-style
cloth head wear to suit the hot conditions. New
Zealand units joined the British Eighth Army,
including a Maori (na ti ve 1 ew Zealander)
battalion, which made its mark
in 'orth Africa and Italy.
RATS TO THE RESCUE
The British Eighth Army in
\lorth A frica was lead by Field C1otl!
Marshal Montgomery (1887-
1976), above. Monty's atten ti on
to detail and concern for troop
morale led his army to victory
at EI Alamein. Soldiers in part
of the army, the 7th Armoured
Division, were nicknamed
the Desert Rats.

British troops adl'flllctllg

;11,Ile Mild at
EIAlmm'm

BATTLE OF EL ALAMEtN
By October 1942, the German
Afrika Korps had reached EI Alamein.
It was an important coastal town, the
gateway to Egypt and the Suez Canal
(a vital international shipping lane linking
the Mediterranean to the Red Sea). Here the
Afrika Korps met the British Eighth Army, Vast minefields wen.. Idid MONTY'S TANK
which c\'cntuallv defeated them in an around EI Alamein bl' both sides. The manes caused Montgomery (see above) had his own tank, a
exhausting 12.day·infant ry, tank, and many deaths as tdnks a~d infantry columns tried to US Grant M3A3. He used it for forward observation
artillery battle. The victory - the negotiate their way around them . Although many were on the battlefields of orth Africa, and then in the
first major British land success against detonated during and after the war, a V,lst number of invasion of Sicily and Italy. Similar tanks played
Germ any - marked a turning poin t in the war. unexploded mines still remain buried in the dc!)Crt. a major role in defeating Rommel's army.

49
 Propaganda and morale
THE WAR WAS FOUGHT w ith propaganda (spreading ideas)
as much as ammunition, for both Allied and Axis nations
needed to convince their own people that the war was right
and that their side would win. The line between truth and
propaganda was very fine . Both sides manipul~t~~ public
opinion in order to keep up the mo~ale ?f the clvlhan AL LI ED PO WER
population at home and the forces fighting abroad . It was The simplest visual
images were often
also used in an attempt to break down the morale of the the most effective
enemy. Some propaganda was crude, some ~a.s subtle, but propaganda
tools. This US
as Josef Gobbels, the German propaganda mlruster, stated: poster of 19H is
,1 perfect example-
"A good government cannot survive without It shows the four
good propaganda." Films, radio (there \lIied nations pulling
dpart the Nazi swastika.
was little television during Constant reminders that
the war), leaflets, and the combined strength of
the allied nations would
posters were all used O\'ercome the Axis did much
in the battle for hearts to lift morale in even the
da rkest days of the war.
HITLER T H E LEAD ER and minds, while
Propaganda played a huge role in Hitler's success.
It did much to boost his image as a visionary leader entertainers travelled
of his people. He was often shown surrounded by the world singing to
adoring followers, de picte d as a great stal~sm.an
who would take his people to w o rld dommatlon. homesick troops.
TO K YO ROSE
In 1943---l-1 Mrs h 'a lI.. uko Toguri D' Aquino, an
American with Japanese pare nts, broadcast daily
Bntish n''''Il'H US SR Hammer
15-minute radio shows from Tokyo. They w ere full
load up with alld sickle all Red Flag
of nostalgia designed to demoralize US troop in the
Pacific, making them feci so homesick they would lose 11ropngmlda flu!rs
the will to fight. She called them "fighting BOM BA RDI NG T H E E EMY Wt T H IDEAS
orphans". The troops actually . These anti-Nazi leaflets are being taken on to British Vera Lynn
enjoyed her programmes whIch RAF planes to drop over Vienna and Prague, During signs autographs
became a target for sarcastic the war, British and US bombers dropped nearly for Dutch sai lors
humouT, and gave her the 6 billion leaflets over occupied Europe. Some were
nickname Tokyo Rose. aimed at the civilians of an occupied country
After the war, she was warning them against co-operating ,vith the enemy.
sentenced to 10 years Others told soldiers that their efforts were futile and
in prison for treason . urged them to disobey their orders or to surrender.

KI CK O UT THE BRITS - .......J

The British are the butt
of this Italian cartoon
from 19~2 . Italians
wanted the
Mediterranean
to be an " Italian
lake" and were
attempting to kick
the British out of
orth Africa . It shows
the Germans doing the
SAMURA t D ESTROYER US WAR GODS
arne in Europe and E TERTAI I G TH E TROOPS
This poster celebrates the Axis' might A Chinese lea flet issued in early 19~5 reads: 'This British singer Vera Lynn, the "(orces' sweetheart",
the Japanese
ousting the British fter Japan had sunk two British warships. American pi lot helped you to chase the Japanese was one o( many entertainers who performed to
Japan, portrayed as an ancient Samurai out of the Chinese sky ... but he and his Chinese the troops to keep their morale high. The popular
from Asia. The
three Axis powers
wa rrior, destroyed HMS Prillce of Wales colleagues need your help when they are hurt or songs of the day were quiet and sentimental,
are seen to have
and HMS Repllise which were defending lost or hungry." Such appeals were necessary to tell soothing shattered nerves and reassuring soldiers
Singapore from invasion in December 19-1 1. rural Chinese people which nations were friendly. that Soon they would be returning home.
a common cause.

50 51
 ANT I-JEWISH ID EAS
AlI .. dm"t: {cll1Ct'lI/mtlCIl/

The Holocaust
CRE~ I ATOR I A .\ Hllllgl1rif1l1/t'u',
Thi . . po.... ter ,ld\'erti ....c"o
c""'1' III P(lltmd , . . The bodie", 01 dl'<ld inm.ltc ... ,tilt' of tilt' ~llrl'jp(lr~
.1n (',hibition caill'd
"Thl.' Etern,ll Jew , in
prt' ..t'n't'd a.. wcre .... tnpped 01 .,11 clotlw... , h.1If, (If Bt'i ..t·"
II pt'rlllllllt'llf J(,wcllery, and .lllY gold tedh, .md
\1 unich, Gcrm~llw, In piled up n.>ady tor (r('million. The
r"t/llllda "f
19.17. It \\., .... one l)(
OFTHE MA committed during the war, the
Y HORRORS mal1\' method" the
'lui'" u'tCd to .... prccld
the fI(l/t)Ct1"~1 (r('ma lori.) "crt:' run bv fdlo\\
pri<,{ll1er.... In Au ... ch\\'lt" ...orne
prisoner ... rebelled ,1g.lin.,t thi.,
U'f'rt' f/~'d
hI "ida
Holocaust - the azi attempt to exterminate Europe's .lnti-Scmitic ide.' ..... horrific work by blowing up
i,<}filt'.,
\ Vhen thc\' took
Jews - is the most shocking of alL The azis were power In -1933, the
one 01 the cremiltori.l, I" ti't'
f"ntt1(t'~
deeply anti-Semitic (prejudiced against Jews)- They sent ~,17i., bo\'cotted
J('\\I .... h b~ ... in('''.,('".
thousands of Jews to concentration camps, where many In 1935, they p,,,,ed
were worked to death, Others were forced to live in the '!urcmbcrg Law."
which d('priH~d Jew ...
ghettos, When Russia was invaded in 1941, many of their citi/cn"hlp.
millions of non-German Jews fell under azi controL FEEDING HOWL
Thi~ empty tin \\'el'"
CA MP CO'1D ITIONS
Conditions in the c,lmp~ \n~rc
The azis devised the "Final Solution" to what they saw as ~Iany
FIRST IMPRE SIO, S
of the je\\'s ">ent by rail to the camp~
u!:tCd el., a fcedmg bowl appalling. Food Weh .,carCt.\
by el camp Inmelte. It elnd tho~ ,1ble to work were
the Jewish problem, They set up extermination camps to kill huge thought they were off to wor)... in E,l~tern oncl.~ contained the cyanide gel'" forcl.'d to endure 12-hour ~hift."
numbers of Jews each day, 0 one knows how many died in this Europe. Some of the \ 'ictt mo; werc told the
ga., chambero; wcrc .,ho\\,er blocks.
CrYst,lls u">ed c).ten~ivelv m the ~l cl ll\' ot the officers who ran the
~(;... ch (l mbt.~r.., to kill th(;u"'elnd." c'lm"p., enJoyed clbusing Inmate.,.
way, but it is likely that more than 6 million Jews were murdered, Othe", notab'" Dr josef ~ lengele
at Au..,d1\\'itL, conducted
WARSAW G H ETTO horrific e\pcriment~ on both
In 19~O, the ~~5,()()() li\-ing clnd de,ld prisoner~ ,
jews in the PolISh
capital, \Var.:;aw, wcrc
herd ed into ,1 w a lled
g hetto. The ghe tto
wa~ then sea led shut.
Condi ti o ns inside were
awful , and man\,
du~d from IIlne,,~
or ... tarvation. In
April 19~3, the
'\ aLis cltt,l()...ed the
ghetto With t(lIlk~
elnd aircrtlft in
order to wipe it
out. The jews
fought back to the
bitter end, but onlv
abo ut 100 c~caped·,

Allied troops m'lr~hed IOC,li Germcl ns into some of the camp~ to

confron t the a troCit le., committed in the n,lme of \la7i~m . A ...
the ca mp ... were liberated by the invading Ru!'-,.,jeln, US, and
Britbh cl rmle." the tnll.:' horror of th e HoiOCelU.,t became clear.

From 19~2 oll\\'ard, jewo;; in

German-occupit..."<i Europe held
to SCW ,1 "clio\\' slar onto
their clothes, This made it easier tnr
the clut horities to idcntif" them,
They were also " 'o rn in the (elmp",
SS guard, captured
EXTE R~tINATION CAMP
at Ikl,"n
The ~a7is set up concentration cclmpo; to
hold jews, co mmunists, political pri'tonerc..,
gypsies, homose,uals, elnd othe~ they
considered "undesirable". \l any prbonC'r~
wcre forced to wor)... in nearb" factoric", In
19.J.2, eight ex termination ca;'''Ip~, notably
Au~chwitz (below) ,lnd Treblink,l, in
Poland, wc rc fitted with gas chclmbcrs to
speed up the killing of jew,.

PUNISHING THE GUARDS

For the Allied troops liberating Ihe c,lml", Ihe gruesome reality
wa., too much to bear. \\'hen US soldier... entered Dachau in
April 1 9~5, Ihey ,hot 122 German SS g UMds on Sight. Some
gUclTds werc put to wor)... burying the dead . Somc officers
wcre arre ... ted clll d put o n tri a l for crimes agains t hunl<lnlt y.

52 53
 D-Day invasion COLLAPSIBLE \I OTDRB IKE
Folding motorcyclc.:., wcre dropped behind
enemy linc" to provide transport for the
landing <lirborl1e
forces. The

I NTELLI GENT POSTCA RDS I THE EARLY MORNI G of 6 June 1944

bike, had a
r,lngc of l+-l km
Po'-)tc,lrd" of i':ormand\' werc (D-Day) the greatest seaborne invasion (90 mib)and
UM:'d by Allied intelligence to could tr,1\'el at up
build up complete picture of the
fl in history took place on the beaches of 10.J8 kph (30 mph).
coa~tline prior to inV,lsion. Other
<"ources of inform,ltion included
ormandy, France. Operation Overlord,
map!-., aeria l photogrilphs t,)kell as the Allied invasion of France was
by r('connais~ance pl"nC." and
called, was the result of years of detailed
information from SpiCb.
planning. More than 150,000 US, British,
.. Sword ", lI'L' ((ldt'llnl11t' !i.Jr (lilt' of ~I LBERRY HARBOURS
tilt' D-DtlIllalldill~ "I!t1("l'~
and Canadian soldiers were ferried across "If we cannot capture it port we must ta"e one with U~,"

lwollO All': ' the English Channel to establish five beachheads renMr"cd a British n,1\'(11 officer. A'::. it rc'::.ult, t\\'o floating Pt'lraJ t'llgmt'
,, h,ubollf'::., or t\ lulberries., were built in Britain. These were
, -' (shorelines captured from the enemy). The invasion
• £00.. ~ ::f..~. was almost called off due to bad weather, but
huge i10tlting rOc,dwcl)'S made from '::.tcel '::.cctiOI1<' that
were towed acro~~ the Channel lind slotted together
Britbh \\'elbih.e motorcvcle

off the "Gold" "lnd "Omaha" be(lches. Barra~t' bal/ooll=' to pr(lted

-I.,
t
.i .
eventually the Allied Commander-in-Chief, General ~IIPJ'lit'~ frol/1 o"er/It'ad attach
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969), took the risky ON THE BEACH
decision to go ahead. The Germans were expecting Thj"o \·je\\" of "Omaha"

-
SKY ATTACK on the da\' 'lfter D·Dav
an invasion further to the east, and had set up a P,lrachutists \,' <1"0 typ'ic£11 of all fiv~

defence there. By nightfall, the beachheads were played an ilH'asion bCcKhes "'5
" SWORD" BEACH important role truck", tanks, ,lnd troop~
This detailed intelligence map
secure, and the loss of life - 2,500 soldiers - was in the 1 ormandv flooded in. Once the first
of "Sword" beach indiciltcs the minimal for an operation of this scale. The liberation landings. In the ' wavc of soldjer~ \\'lI~
physical features and dangers earlv hours of D-Dav, ashore, thev set {1bout
the soldiers would encou nter of German-occupied Western Europe had begun. US Army paratroopers making the bCclch ll~ ~afe
as thcv waded ashore. "Sword" dropped behind "Ulah" as pos~ible from enemy
\\'a~ t';(' easternmost beach and, beach to secure vital ,,1Hack. Then ships began EXPLOS I VE WORK
like neighbouring "Juno" and " OMAHA " INVASION po~itions. Meanwhile, to unload vast amounts Once ashore, the Allies bt:.t;an to press inland,
"Gold" beaches, was stormed by The mo~t difficult of the five landing sites W,15 "On1<1h,," British paratrooper~ of cquipment. encountering snipers, tanks, and fortifications
British and Canadian forces. US be~1Ch. It was surrounded by high cliffs and had few routc~ landed behind "Sword" hidden among the hedgerows of Normandy.
force landed on the western inland, making il ideal 10 defend but difficuli to attack. The beach where Ihey Progress was s low, bUI by Ihe end of Jul y Ihe
"Omaha" a nd "U tah" beaches. US troops sustained at least 3,()(X) ca~ualt i cs but managed destroyed a German A lli es had nearly one million men in France.
10 establish a 3 km (2 mile) deep beachhead by nightfall. battery (gun si te). They then swept east towards Paris.
Liberation
T HE L1BERATIO OF EUROPE from German and
Italian rule was a long, drawn-out affair. From
the first Russian counterattack at Stalingrad in
ovember 1942, the Red Army had slowly pushed
the German army eastwards out of Russia. The
Polish frontier was not crossed until January 1944,
however, and fighting in the Balkans continued into 1945.
The Allied liberation of Italy from fascist rule was similarly
slow, while the liberation of France did not begin until June
1944. Denmark, orway, and parts of the Netherland HITLER'S EAGL E
and Austria remained under azi rule until the This massi\'e bronze eagle uscd to
hang in Hitler'!:. offtcial re!:.idencc
final German surrender in May 1945. In Asia, in Berlin, the Reich"ch"ncellerv.
only the Philippines, most of Burma, and some (li'l'" tilt'
Captured by the Rlh"j,ms, a Red
;\rmy:.officer gave it to ,1 Britbh
islands had been recaptured from the Japanese by Tlillbit' I!{ ti,,'
l1I(llllbtt'r1l til
soldier in Berlin in 19~6 . Its wings
the end of the war. Everywhere, local people had ,\I(IIIIt'
Tll'{l (/IOII/t'll
"till bear the .,C,lr'" of the fin.ll
batt le for Berlin .
C{/~:-illll
to begin their lives again, counting the cost of war lear dowII
n ~/glIlII
amid the ruins of their homes. frolll (~r Sa:" FRENC H FR E EDO~I
Itt'adqllartt'r.; As Fr.lnce \\',15 liberated, \:azi
LIBERATIO N OF PARI S III TflH/6, s\\'as t ika~ wert' ripped down
The Frt'e Fnmch I('tlder, Gener,)! de Frnllct' and replaced with the French
Gtlullc, led it victon' nltlfch dO\\TI tricolour. Thc liberation of
the Ch,'mp~ Ely~~ ... in P,ui!) on France held begun on
26 Augu ... t 19+4 . Pari ... held bL"C1l D-Da,' (6 June 19~ ) and
llCCUpicd by the German~ !::tince ended as Allied troop,
I~ June 19~O. Bul, on 19 Augu'l pushed eclstward.,
19-t4, the Re~i...,t~lnce rll!:tC' up and into Gernlclnv in earl\'
rree rrench torce~ ..,tormed the citv 19~5. The Free French
.. i\. d.l\'~ I.lter. Germcln commander, led bv General de
Gener,,! Choltit/, ..,urrendered . Gaulle L,>tablished
,1 provisional
FA LL OF ~IONT E CASSINO D ENAZIFI CATION govcrnment to
German paratrooper... bclttlc ag<lin.:,t Allied .,oldi('r~ in the rubble As the Germans were thrown take over from
of the 10nte C",sino mon,lsterv in It"l", 19-W . After the Allied out of occupied coun tries by the the German ....
in\',l,ion ~md IIber,ltion of Sidh; in JlIl\,' 19~3, Ittl l~' "urrendcrcd. In Allies, local people ;et aboul
October, 1t,)ly chl1ngcd ",ide~ tl~d declared war nn Gernhlny, it ... old removing all cvidence of their
ally. Germ,lll tn.:'K)P~ then poun:d into Italy, lorcing the AIIi('~ former ' azi rulers . Germ.ln-
to fight their way up the entire length 01 the co untry. language 'iign~ wcre torn down
and '\',17i ~vmbob er{1~d from drag .. a
FR EE D FR O ~I FASC IS M building' 'as pt.'Ople beg,," tn " a:if1as
In J" nuarv 19.J5, Allied force<; cl d\'flnCed Into northcrn it"l\' rebuild their shattered countric~. "t'llIllfihim
whcre tl)cy were helped by p~'rti"','n~ ot thc Rc...,i .. t,lnce . arIa tilt·
'- - - ., Army. Thesc parti..,an~ fought to bnng down \ lu ......olini's The Gt..'rman lillanllOll
puppet government ,lnd e\.pcl tlw Gcrmans n,,1Ion,11 emblem (~r Frtll/Ct'
from It.l l\,. The\' libcr" ted (1-I,1/t,'/' .. a/ I:I'I(II"II)
tiI .,il .lnd "Turin, ,l nd
Wl'rl' .11'>(1 re"'pon ... iblt.., ,lIrrCllllldt'd
b~ (lak-Ieaf
tor the c\.ecution
u"rt'atll .
of Mu",>olini in
April 1 9~5.

RIl".;mu
. . oldia
FALL OF BERLIN ra, ..,''; ti't'
On 2 Mav 19..J5, two davs after Red Flag
llitler con)mltted suicide: Soviet Ol't'r tht'
,,,Idie,, clambered onto Ihe roof of Gatllnll
the captured Reichslag (German CIlI',laJ,
p,ulidment) to rai~ the Red FI(1g in Bal",
\'icton'. It had taken two-and-h'1If
year", ..)f relcntil'Ss fig hting to push
the Germans bilck from the gates of
Italian pclrti.,an., St'llingr'ld to the outskirts of Berlin,
in ,'!ction during the the German capit.11.
liberation of Mil.m

56 57
 Powt!rful tw;"-propeller e1lgmes ENOLA G AY
ella bird 8-29 10 carry heallY US Supe rfortre"
The atomic bomb bomb loads oller 10llg dislallces bomber, "Enola
Gay", set off in
th e ea r ly h O llr~
of 6 Augu' t 1945.
Two GE RMAN scientists discovered The p lane d roppt.'(\ it,
load over lliro!o:thi ma, Japan,
the ph ysics behind the atomic bomb at 8.15 am be fore retu rn ing to base.
as early as 1938. They split a uranium
atom and caused a chain reaction of
huge potential power. After the US
entered th e war in 1941, an international team of scientists - man y
hav ing fled from N azi Germany - worked to turn this discovery
into a bomb. The Manhattan Projec t, as it was known, was based
Bott le fu sed Little 80y was 3 "' (10/1) SMA LL BUT D EADLY
by hl» 1 at in Los Alamos, New Mexico, and led by nuclear physicist Robert /0"8 witll n diameter "Little Boy", a uranium 235-ba,ed
Ili roshim a Oppenheimer (1904-67) . By July 1945, the tea m had developed three of 7J CII' (28 ill ) bomb weighing 4,082 kg (9,000 Ib),
was the nam e given 10 the bo mb
bombs. The first was tested successfully dropped on Il iro'hima. Its explosi\ c
power wa!) 2,000 tim es grea ter than
over the New Mexico desert th e blast of any previolls bo mb.
on 16 July 1945.
HO II ROR OVER HIROS HtM A
The bomb dropped on
V1 Hi roshima exploded 600 m
QI)
(2,000 It) above the ci ty.
It created a blinding hea t
f1 a,h followed by a bla, t
that radia ted out 3.66 km
(2.27 miles) and fl attened
0111" a l/alldrlll
13 sq km (5 sq miles) of brick bllildii,g~
of build ings. With in slI nlil'l'rl file bln . . t
fi ve days, mo re than at Ntlgn~l1ki
138,66 1 people died.

Wh,d blasls

S"nl;ll(}rS
clute" £'mergellcy
:-,;,'ppJies of rju

"A shattering BOMB ING O F NAGA SA Kt

Clolld riSi'S On the morn ing of 9 August 1945, the
fla sh filled the 10 10,000 11/ fi nal a tomic bo mb wa~ droppl'Ci on
(33,000 ft) the south ern ci ty of Nagasaki, Japa n.
sky", and The plutonium-b.,cd "Fat Man" weighed
4,536 kg (10,000 Ib). It was origina lly
the world intended fo r Kok u ra, site of a
major mili tary ba..,c, but
collapsed poor wea the r cond it ion~
mean t tha t Nagasaki
around me," was subs tit uted at
the l a~ t moment. About
SURVI VO RS 73,884 people we re
More than ki lled, and 51,000
200,000 citizens b uildings in the ci ty
of I liroshima and were eithe r da m aged
Nagasaki we re killed by or to ta lly des troyed.
the bombs. Many more,
however, suffered a ppa lling
burns and other injuri es,
incl uding radi ation sickness. The
long-term effects of rad ia ~ o n, incl ud ing MuSt'um of Sch'ller
cancer and leukae m ia, on bo th survivors and ami Il1dll .. tn/ltns
the ir futu re children, ma kes it impossible to rt'lIInillerl witClnched
ca lculate the exact number of dea ths. But it is likely sillce Allgllsi 1945
that in Hiroshima alone about 150,000 people died
of rad ia tion sickness wi thin five yea rs of the blast.

V1
~

JA PAN SURR ENDERS japallese

On 9 August 1945 - the sa me d ay as the Nagaski prisotlers of war
bombing - Russia attacked the japa nese by leam of Illeir
invading Manchuria. That evening the Japanese COUlltry's
Suprem e War Counci l m et w ith Emperor surrender
Hi rohito, but fail ed to d ec ide on a plan o f acti on . TWICE TOO OFTEN
Hirohito then took cha rge and, on 14 August, Although Hiroshima a nd Nagasaki we re rebuilt after
accepted the Allied demand for japan's surrender, Tempera tllre th e wa r, a gutted central a rea o f H iroshim a was left
provid ed he could rem ain as emperor. 1l1e next al grolllld untouched as a m em or ia l to the hor rors of a tomic
day Hirohito broadcast to the japanese nation - the ,,,,,,1 reaclles wea pons. A n inte rna tiona l a nti-nuclea r con ference
first ~me they had ever heard his voice - telling 5,000°C ~ ~ has met annually in Iliroshima since 1955.
them of the surrender. (9,000 °F) ~ _ ~;
..~~-~~ ------------------------/~----------------------------------------------~
Victory _ _ iDJr ilaiTlI ili5paldJ 0 !.~
/
/
/ VE DAY IN NEW YO RK
The da\' aitef the
unconditionlll surrender of the
TO-DA Y IS V-E DAY
~
f~ . . . . 1>-1 1 _....-_..' ~
German forces on 7 Ma\', the
world at last had something
to celebrate. Acro," the LJ A,
THE U
surrender
ICO DITIONAL
/
~
people poured onto the streets
(lnd held impromptu parties.
of German forces took place at - .-/ In London, Prime ~Iini~ter
~ Winston Churchill appeared
2.41am on 7 May 1945 in a small ..-/ on the bellcollY of Buckingham
schoolhouse in Rheims, northern ,---- Palace with the roval

. ---
_ ..,..,-/ famil\' to thousands of
France. It was witnessed by ~ chee'ring people. More
jFo{(;! emissaries from the four Allies - joyful celebra ti ons
and street parties
~ -= . ~- Britain, France, the US, and USSR. / _____ were held in Paris
= ~ The ceremony was repeated in Berlin and other newl\'
liberated cit ies'
_ the following day - 8 May - marked officially in Europe.
- - as VE (Victory in Europe) Day. Three months
Front page news in Britain later, following the dropping of the two
atomic bombs on Hiroshima and agasaki, Japan surrendered on
14 August The formal surrender took place on board USS Missouri in
Tokyo Bay on 2 September 1945, After six years of war, the world was
at last at peace, The Allies had drawn up detailed plans to deal with
their former enemies, but for a few days, it was time to celebrate,

"East and west have met. This is

the news for which the whole Allied
world has been waiting, The forces of
liberation have joined hands,"
LIS RADIO CO.\I.\IE.\TATOR. 19.j5

l'lmdta ~itzi1r ~Hil'jlm

=--~=.-

FIREWORKS OVER MOSCOW

Vl oscow celebrated the victon' o\'er Nazi Gcrmam' with it massive fireworks
display and a military pardde through Red Square. Captured war trophies,
~lIch ,1., ~,1l.:i banncr~, wCfe (,lid at the feet of the victorious Russian INldcrs.

JAPAN SURRE DERS

VJ (Victory in Japan)
Day, on 15 August 1945,
\\'(lS cause (or marc
celebration throughout
the world. But although
Japan had officially
surrended, nlcln v
Japane~c troop~
continued to fight on.
It wa~ not until c ..t~ H,::,t 0 1 ,..__,,-~-,-,=
September that peace A-E_::'~=--===:
wa~ finc111y established. Fii"'~","~-':-=-"-='-=:
'-::;:::':';::~~"[-~;§:;::;;;;:~=j

BRITISH GEORGE CROSS CROSS OF VALOUR '/tdial'

This was first awcudcd bv Polish servicemen who Ilt'i(I.;,papt'r ~..,t';;;;~;t;fJ
George VI in 1940 to those displ(l)'cd grcat cou ragc in prill ted ill
who showed heroism. In b,ltlle were aw,lrdcd the Ellgils"
1942 the people of 1alta Cross of Valour. A
,,'cre awa rd cd it to Polish eagle sits in the
honour thcir suffc ring. middle of the cross.

60 61
The aftermath
TH E COU TRlES OF THE WORLD faced a huge task
in 1945. Both the victors and the vanquished had PE CE PARK
suffered terrible losses, with an estimated 55 million HI ROS HIM A
Thl ... memonal .,tan(..-h
people losing their lives in battle or on the home 111 Pe.1(e rclr~ in
front. Worst affected was the USSR, with more than Iliro~him cl . The pc1fk.
i., a rl'ml11der of the
20 million deaths, and Poland which lost one-fifth of terrible damclgl' th'lt
its entire pre-war population. Six million Jews lost UN ITED AT IONS nuclear wl'apnn ... C,ln
The United ation~ i.!:t one of the )".,ling Icgilcie., of the inflict upon people
their lives in the Holocaust. All countries, with the WcU. Rl'prc...cntati\'cs of 26 nation",. including the LSA, e1l1\'wherc. Since
sole exception of the USA, emerged from the war US R, Britain, and China, met in \\,..,.,hinglon D un th e ,,'.1f, ~'lC'elCe
I January 19-12. Each agrl"Cd not to make pe,lCl' with the c.lmpiugnc...'r't
with their cities bombed or ruined and their Axis (ltal~~ Ccrm"ny, and Jap.)n) Without the other U\: around the world
h,1\"e prote'-,ted to
factories and farms destroyed . German and member..... A permanent Lnitcd 1\ation ... (ug,lnih1tion
was established in October 19-15, with 51 membef'oo.
WA R C RI~I E TRIAL
After the \\'u m il11y leeldlllg \:a7i ill1d Jap,'nc~ oftlci cll~ ~tood tri ell ch,uged with \',uiou~ ma~c ~urc that
Japanese leaders were tried before war crimes w.u crime". At 'urcmbC'rg, Germany, 19-15-6, d tri .ll 0 112 le.ldl11g 'a/i~ was organi/ed b) Ihe 1\\"0 bomb,
cln International \tJlit.uy Tribunal of US, French, Ru ....... icll1, clnd Britl ... h judge", Twel\'e ot the dropped on Japan
tribunals, while many of their oldiers were held 21 ddend.lnt"o were sentenced to death. In J,lpan, Gener,ll TOIO W,l., e,ecutcd in 19-1R. Further would remain the
for long periods in prisoner-of-war camps. tn cl l..., '-,uch as thl'-. one o f \:,17i pri')()n camp oHicero; in 19.tH, contl11ued tor m.lny ye,u.,. onl\' nucie,lr
\\'CdpOn., e\'er
Everywhere, post-war u"oed in war.
RATI ON ING CONT I\! ES
reconstruction was The end ot thl' wilr did not
slow and painful, but mean the end of ... hortage.,
acro... ~ Europe. Until f,uming
in every country and induo;tn- could return to
there was a strong norm,ll productton. tood ,1l1d
basi c esscntt.ll ... rem ~'inl'd in
desire never to de'tpcr" tely . . hort ~uppl) .
relive the horrors Brc,ld wao; rationed tor the
fir ... t time in Britain in 19.t6,
of World War II. and rdttoning of me,lt did
not end until ., ... I.lte a~ 195.t.
PR EFA B HOUS I, G
R BBL E GA , GS Prcfabric"led (re"d\'-budt)
Across Germanv, the houS<...'S were used i~ Britain
inh,1bitants worked toW
clear to house the thousands of Briti~h fl.ll11i ... tr\,
up their ruined to\\'n~ and pt.."()ple made homeh......, ~ by of Food r,ltion
cities. They emplied bombing. The "teci, later boo~ for 1949- 50
bombed buildings, swepl aluminium, and clsbesto~
ro,1ds of rubble .nd helped prefab~ Celllle in ~it form and
in the rccon~truction. The too~ ~1 few d~l\'~ to construct.
work \\',"15 hard and 10re Ih,1I1 1,0,000 prd" b'
unpleasant, as they often wcre erected in the 19·ms.
found decomposing Allhough mlended ," ,1
bodicb in the cellars and tcmpor~lry hou"lIlg medsure,
basements of buildings. some stili "oun'lVC today.

C RA S H LEA DS TO PRI SON
On 10 May 1941 , Rudolf l ies;, deputy
leader of the i':azi Partv, new from German\' to otland ,
The plane crash-landed and Hess surrendered, claiming to be
St.~k.ing peace, Hess was given ,1 life sentence at the urcmberg
trials, ,lnd remained in Spandau prison, Berlin, until his death ' in 1987.
The exact circumstances of Hess's flight have ncver been fully re\'ealed.
AFFLUENT A ~I ER I CA
The l.i A emerged from the W ,U felr
stronger and tar richer th'ln it had entered
it. \\'ith the e,ceplion of it"o Pacific islands,
no pdrt of the country held been bombed
o r in\'ilded el nd it't people now entered a
tlOle 01 full employment and rising wages.
lany Ameri cans could "fford to buy the
ncwl\' bUIlt s.uburban homc...'S and cars.

62
 (ollabor,'tor..... 14 . . urfl'ndl·r. ~l ,1 Ilie..,. , Rlx, ...e\ L'lt. I r.lIlkhn. :!4
Index (umllluni ... m,o
COmpel".,. button, 1~
G
g.l . . l11el .. k ... 10. V:;, 10
hnlJilll,'.41 10\' .... 3,
'\l;therl,lI1d .... i3. i,t :;n
I~lhil' till' Ri\L'tL~r. ~~
Rm',ll Air I·or(l'. :!O
(ompllter..... l(l rl~ ... i... t<lnCt.'. i6 t..,,'11 . . om. OddlL'. 20

A
cnncentration c.lmp"" 19.
1h, 18, 19..""\6. ~1. ~.1
GCIll",1 Con"-:,ntion. :!S.
"Y
George \'1. f.... ing, 9, 6i.1
JK nl'lItrell cOllntrie--, I:!
\'"('w Zeal.l1ld, ~9
....l·'I,'nl-.. 14
~,uh·. ~9. ;0
COI1\·O\' ..... ~ 1 I.IF',lll. 13, 411-.J I. ~8-::;1.) 'ormand\' landing .... :q SU\ Il'l L n ion, h. 37. 46. h1
.1I[(r.lll. 11.10,21, 13. 11. (or,ll Sea. b.lttle oj. lR Gl'rman air tnrCl\ ~'L' air torcc. ~q 'mth Afric." 1 ~ . ~8-~q ,unn, <.,('~' Rl'd Arm,
11. 14, 3..'"', :w currency, c.lmp. 18 luth\'elIlL' children. 16 'om'a\" I ~ , ~ 1IH",,-... ioll 01. 1.J 18 +4 :;1
,1In:r<lt"t c.lrriL'r~, 38. 31.) C7L'cho..,lo\·"J...icl, 8. q. 14 Gl'rman Mm\". is-II.) impcri"li ... m,7 :\urenllx-rg tri,lb, 61. 63 '.vi-Smll't Polct, 1.:!,.24
.m-r,IILh. 21-13. 36 Bli tl.kriL'g, 1'2-D n,1\\·,31.) OO':UpiL'd counlne~, 14-1~, l~u"'''''L)-Filln i . . h \\'ar, 4;-
,.\RP dutLe"', 1~ I\,llzer unit .. , 1.2, 18 l)(C~lpation 01 Chin,l. S. :!4,40 ~t.'lingr"d -1--14'=>
... helter.;,. I L 11. -l7
Alltcs.1~ .;1. 54. 60
DE '-,1-\. ~turm"btL'illing. 19
~~. SChllll.'-I,'ltd. IK :;1
-10
P.l(itIC \\,lr..18)9
Ol ...en, Olul Rl't'd, 1,
Oll1<lha beMh, ::;.j, ~:;
'-.orge. Rich.m.l. 16
"'pl'cialopL·r.lIlnll'>. i6. I;.
,ltlt i-clircr,lIt comtn.lIld, .1~ f)-Day im"'"ion, :;-4 -;::; GL'rmall Il,n·\'. 42 PL·,lrll lc1rbor.14. 31, 18 Op(' r.lt ion BMbMO" ... ". 24 1h. 17.:.4
armbellld.,. 16. 19 D,lmermL'nt. \ lcldelL'inc. GL' rmclll\', 10:24, 61 propagand.1. ,0. 51 Op('rcltion Dynolmo. I ~ '-tt.,llll, lo~'I, 6. 1~, -1--1, 4h
Au ..dl\\it.l, :;2. 53 27 children, 17 ... urrendcr. :;9. bO O~X'ration O\'erlord. :'4 '-it"llllgr.h..l. b,lltlL' 01 -W. ~l
At l'lIllk, b<ltt lL' 0 1. -l1-4) dccl,u<ltiml oj \\'c1f. 11 d l'-.crt \\M. ~8 lL't.'p~. 33 Operation Seol Lion, 20 . . t.llllp .... Ih . .26
atomic bomb. -l J, ;8-:;9, 63 De G:lu lle. CharlL'!>. 16. hOOlL' front 10. 11,1-4 JL'w". I;, ~6•.17, 52-5~. 61 Oppenheillll'r. Rohert. ~8 ... ubm.uim· . . , 41. -41
'\u . . tralicl. -l0 2~. ::;6. ~7 l1<ltional l.'mblem. :;7 J-"lllllJ...Ml' pllol-.,.19 'Juicidl' pill ..... 1h
AlI.,tri<l, ,9, ~ IJt:'nmark, l-l. =i6 \'",lZi Pari", 6, 7. h. h:l kni lL'. conce.1Il'd. 17.1h ... \\.l ... tiJ...a,;. ~1. ~,
...\:\'1.., pm,·cr." 14. 30. '1, 62 rl,.,ist.lIlcc, 16. 17
DL'''L'rt R.ll-., -49
~al.I-SO\'{L~t P,lCt. 12,2-4
Ru ....,iall c,llllpaign, .+4
Kn'hel ciphL'r. 11 PQ Sword be,lch. :;-4
'v.lbl'. \'illldlL'. I,
dL'-.crt war. -l8-~9 ~~. 46. -l7 P.1(itic \\·ar. 3 '-39,-l0
B Dresden. 13
D u nkirk ('\'<Kua tiQn, I;
PO\\ camp .... 29
.,u rrL'ndcr,60
LM pM,lChllh.~". 3-4
PMdChuti'Jt.... ~ T
b"dges. 1~. 18.23. 11.-W Egypt. ~8 GL''Jtapo, IS Icllld girl .... 34 [\ui'J. 1-4,::;6
b.uragL' b.l l1oons, II Ei<..enho\\,L'r. General ::;.j, ghL'tto!), ::;1 It.·.,ilct .., :;0. :;, PL'"rl IIMbor. .:!~. JI. :lR t.mk ... l:! ",4:;.4':1
battleship!>, -42, B [I AlamL'in. b.lItlc 0 1. -lS, Glibbeb. JQ.,d. ::;0 I L·ningrad. "ll'gC 01. 46 pen. Ilet'dlc-tiring. 2h Th.1ilclnd-Burlll<l r.lil\""".
Berlin, 37. 60 -19 Gi.1ring, I IL'rlll.mll, 11 I. L'opold. J..::ing, ,~ peri.,cQpe... B, ~9 -11
billocular.., 11 EIi7"beth. QUL'en. 9 go\'(:,rnml~nt., in c,tlc. 1~ Lllw". -l8 Pl;I,llll, \I .u . . h.ll. I:; I irpil7. 41
Bi.,m.uck, -41 Enigma code. 30 Grl"Ccc, 14. 1~ 1.0\~ Countn~~. Ill, n PI~X', agent' ... 26 nlo, ~1.H'Jh.ll. I,
bl,lCkou t. I i Elloia G<lY. ::;8 grcneldC.,. 11,-1--1 l uth,·<lItL'. 20. 21. 13, :;..t pl.'y ing C.ult.... 17.36 Jtlbruk. belttk~ oj -48
BIL'lch lL'\' P.uk. 30 L'n Lcrla inmL'nt,3i GUcld alcancll. 39 l u"\cmbourg. 13. i-l Poland, 60. 61 1010. CL'ncr,lI13. h.1
Blitz. 21: 13•.16 Ethiopia, S gun ... 17. 18.23.26. :n, 47 LVF, Legion liL' ill\",l . . ion ot", 9. 12 lok\'l) Ro ...e, :;0
Bli17kricg. 12-13 Europe: \'olont.lirc., rrelll\.li ..., 1-4 Poli .. h Jew .... ~1 100(..... Illlpro\i",,'d. 2~
bombing r.lid ..... 21. :;8-W libl'rcllion of. ~-l , ~-57 I ,·nn. Ve ra. ; i toy ... .lnt! g.mlL'''', 36. ~7
bomb..;. 22. ::;S-39
bool-.:
occupied. 1~
C\','ClK'C<;. 10.16
HI \ '1.1g inol Line. 10
\1<11",'" (\I "I.n· ... i.,).1-4
()Ccllp<ltion 01. i4
re . . i.,tancL'. 16
po..,ter,;,. 10. I I. 34, 3~. ·n,
TUring. AI.ln, 10
I I.lgelin. Bon .... 11 \I,ltll~attan Projl..:OCt. :;8
RAF,26.18.
. . no\\' boot". 43 1l,'ilc Sel<w.,ic. Emp\'>rur oS n"'t(hbo'L' .... 27
-l6. 47. ~1. ::;2
UVWy
Britclin.8. 10.2-4, -l0
Blitz. 22. 11
F h,lnlmer <llld ..,i..::kk., n,; 1
li e ..... Rud olph, h2
O1cd.lb. 34. -46. 60
\kill Kalllpf. 7
pr<lyl'r il,lg"', 18
prejab hou"lIlg, 62
pri.,onL'r., of W<lr. 18, 1':1. L-bo.lt ..... "L't..' . . lIbmarinc . .
dL'dclr<ltion of Wel r. 9. 11 jeKlorie!., 3:!, -47 I llmmler. l leinri(h. Iq \l cngeiL'. Dr Jo...ef, :;~ ~I. 62
undercover d~L'nh. Ih. 16
d ('..crt \\'.u, -l8 t.l.,ces.6 I lirohiLo. [Ill~x-ror, ::;q m icrodoh. J I proptlgtlnd ,l. :;0-31. ;1 uniform .... C('r01,'I1, lR, 19
Britain, 13(11I1e of. 20-21 f.hci<;m,6 lli ro .. hima, 41. 58 ~q. hJ \ lid\\·a,'. battk' ot, 23, .11, Purple Ciphe r, 10.31 Lnltl'd ,,,lIOlh (U~) 61
Bm\\'nshirt", 19 jidd telephonL'!., ~O I h tler, Adoli, S. 9, 18.-l-l 18 - Qui ... ling, \'idkun, 1-4 L'~A, 8, 62. h~

Burma. -lO.:;(, FlIll<lnd. 46 ,lI1d ' "zi Part\'. 7 mine.... II. 4-.." .lir fOrcl~. 31. 1~
Ru ...... o-Finni ... h WM.-l' propag<lIltlol. :;0 \ lololm (()(ktail'J,-l7 Mm\". 13,;4

c fire iighter ..... 12

11.11.. j,lCkd. :n
11.1me-thrO\\L'r .... :n
c.lml~rcl, nlcltchbox. 27 Fleming. I.ln, 3 1
cMtoon~, 50 tood, 19. -l0. 42. -l7
e,'\,lln·. ~5 rr<lIlcC'.8. 10. 2-l
Ch,ln,berl.,lll. \:e\'illc. 9 Allied i",·a~ion. 54
chi ldren. 36-17 dCcJM<1tion 1..11' WM, 9, 12
Chinel, S. ~O. ::; 1
Chri.,ticln \, King, I~. 16
tfl"'(' French, 16,17.14.
;f" 57
Churchill. PL'tc r. 26 IIl\'iI~ion oj. 10, 11. J1
Churchi ll, Winston, 20.
24.61
liberation 01, ::;6, ~7
occurIL·d. 1-4. 15
ci phcr.,. 30. 11 Re.. i. . t.lIlcc. 16, 17, :m
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I litlN Youth. 17
\l untL' Ca., . . lIlo. 56
\ 10ntgolllL'ry. Field
R r.lC(fic \\M, 38-39, -4ll. 41
PeMI I l'Hbor. 2-l ..11.12
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I lomL' GUMd. 10 r.1LillI ..., 14, ~I\ ~; VI DelY. on-hi
~ lo<;co\\,. -l6. 60
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N Rh ineland. 8
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Itl:>(.'ration 01. ;0 '.ui P.lr"~ h. " 8 •.14. 63 Rommel. Fidd ~ I M . . h,,1 )eQ- I hom,l". r.F r. Ifi
in ,mlh AlriciI, ,~h tlL'Il.'Zilic,ltlon.37 Emin. ~8 )lI~n ... lcl\i.l. i4, 17.1:;

Acknowledgements <"1~1l.11 Curf'. . I'!l\lln~r"ph :;.lcr

Dorling KindersJey would like to
Ihank :
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The publis h er would like 10 th.:tnk Ihe
fo llowi ng fo r Ihei r k ind permission 10
re produ ce thei r pho togra phs:
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Airbo urne Fo rces Museum. Ald ersho l 1:!-11
AK C Lo ndo n -I'5cr.l. :;It. G,.'rm.lll l'r"·..... C\lrp...
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Ch drle<; Frdser S mith 2f>cr,1
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DORLING KINDERSLEY II EYEWITNESS GUIDES
£9.99

Here is an original and fascinating guide to a ferocious

conflict that changed the course of history.
Full~colour photographs and illustrations of tankS,
secret documents, maps, uniforms, and weapons offer the
reader a unique "eyewitness" view of the catastrophic events
that changed the lives of millions of people.
See
inside an air~raid shelter . the cramped conditions of a
submarine . a collapsible motorbike used by airborne
troops . Montgomery's desert tank • the formidable
Russian T~34 tank . a S flame~thrower
Learn
how people survived on rations . about the cruelty inflicted in
concentration camps . how Rosie the Riveter inspired women
• what life was like for children during the war years . why
people had to black out their windows
Discover
how a "little Boy" wiped out a city . the secrets behind the
Cipher machine . where spies concealed their equipment
• the cunning escape plans devised by prisoners
of war . the deadly V~2 rocket

ISBN 0-7513-2876-6

IQ'E] www.dk.com 9 7 >

A DORLING KINDERSLEY BOOK