The World Goes to War

Outbreak: 1939

A unique record of an extraordinary year in British history, coinciding with a major exhibition at the Imperial War Museum

Terry Charman is the Senior Historian at the Imperial War Museum, where he has worked since 1974. He is a frequent lecturer on the First and Second World Wars and has contributed to magazines and journals on a range of subjects. He has also worked as a consultant for a wide range of publications and has appeared on and been associated with numerous documentaries, television and radio programmes and films, including Foyle's War and Schindler's List. He is the author of The German Home Front 1939-1945.

11:15 am, 3 September 1939. The nation gathers around their radios to hear Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain make the announcement they have feared for months: Britain is at war with Germany. Seventy years on from that historic day, this is the definitive history of the build-up to, outbreak and first few months of World War Two, from the events of early 1939, right through to the first war-time Christmas. 
 
Drawing on the Imperial War Museum's extensive archives, this book will feature the personal stories of real men and women who lived through the startling events of that year, as well as those who were actively involved in the political negotiations and their aftermath. 
 
Featuring numerous photographs and the voices of key players, as well as contributions from well-known figures who were directly affected by the build up to an outbreak of war, this will be a unique document of an extraordinary year in our history.

Terry Charman

A compelling new book based on diaries and eye-witness accounts

Weaves together the memories of those who were intimately involved in the politics and planning of war and those so-called ordinary men and women who would also bear its privations and dangers for nearly six years

Gas-proof dog kennels, fines for striking matches, intimate liaisons in the blackout - the Home Front vividly recalled by ordinary Britons

11:15 am, 3 September 1939. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain confirms the nation's fears by announcing that Britain is at war with Germany. Outbreak is the definitive history of the build-up to, outbreak and first few months of the Second World War. Drawing on the Imperial War Museum's extensive archives, this book features the personal stories of real men and women who lived through the startling events of that year, as well as those who were actively involved in the political negotiations and their aftermath. Featuring numerous photographs and the voices of key players, as well as contributions from well-known figures who were directly affected by the build up to war, Outbreak is a gripping record of an extraordinary year in British history.

The Day We Went to War

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Praise for The Day We Went to War

A compelling new book

A compelling new book based on diaries and eye-witness accounts

Weaves together the memories of those who were intimately involved in the politics and planning of war and those so-called ordinary men and women who would also bear its privations and dangers for nearly six years

A compelling new book

A compelling new book based on diaries and eye-witness accounts

Weaves together the memories of those who were intimately involved in the politics and planning of war and those so-called ordinary men and women who would also bear its privations and dangers for nearly six years

A compelling new book

A compelling new book based on diaries and eye-witness accounts

Weaves together the memories of those who were intimately involved in the politics and planning of war and those so-called ordinary men and women who would also bear its privations and dangers for nearly six years

Books by Terry Charman

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