Silent day
Subtitle: a landmark oral history of D-day on the home front
By: Max Arthur
Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton Ltd
Published: 2015
Language: eng
Number of pages: 324
ISBN-13: 9781444787528; 9781444787542; 9781444787535; 9781444787511
Subjects: Campaigns; Social aspects; Personal narratives; World War, 1939-1945; Military campaigns
Description: "On 6 June 1944 Britain woke up to a profound silence. Overnight, 160,000 Allied troops had vanished and an eerie emptiness settled over the country. The majority of those men would never return. This is the story of that extraordinary 24 hours. Using a wealth of first person testimonies, renowned historian Max Arthur recounts a remarkable new oral history of D-Day, beginning with the two years leading up to the silent day which saw the UK transformed by the arrival of thousands of American and Canadian troops. We also hear the views of the American troops, who quickly formed strong views of both the British military and civilian populations. Then, on that June morning, many Britain people woke up to discover that vast areas of the country, which had throbbed with life only the day before, were now empty and silent. Civilian workers found coffee pots still warm on the stove but not a soul to greet them. Many women - and children - felt bewildered and betrayed. Then, throughout that day and the days that followed, the whole population gathered around wireless sets, waiting for news. There are powerful testimonies from families of who lost loved ones on the beaches of Normandy, and dramatic personal accounts from young widows who had never had the chance to say goodbye."--Cover.
Notes: Includes index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction; title: Living with war : 1939-44; title: What the Americans thought of the war in Europe; title: Britain begins to get ready for D-day; title: The journey to Britain; title: Living side by side with the Americans and Canadians; title: Preparations for D-day 1) The evacuation of the Slapton area; title: Preparations for D-day 2) Rehearsals and dummy runs; title: Early June, 1944; title: Waiting to depart; title: The signal to depart is received; title: The silent day; title: D-day, 6 June 1944; title: 6 June 1944 : US and Canadian perspectives; title: 6 June 1944 : D-day is announced to the civilian population; title: Troops continue to leave, 6 June; title: The silence; title: 6 June 1944 : Casualties begin to arrive; title: Casualties after D-day; title: The return; title: Prisoners of war; title: The war continues : British perspective; title: The war continues : US and Allies perspective; title: Now the war is over; title: Reflections and remembrance.