Little Known Heroes
A very interesting read on a little known subject, particularly for Americans. The time period known as the Blitz in London early in the war, was a pivotal one for England. Most people in America felt England was all but beaten by the unstoppaple juggernaut of Nazi oppression sweeping across Western Europe. But the protracted bombing of London itself, and more importantly, England's determination to fight on in spite of the apparently overwhelming military might of Hitler's forces, was key to Franklin Roosevelt's finally being able to convince Congress, and more importantly, the American voting public, to begin swinging away from it's isolationist views, and instead, gearing up it's production capabilities to become the "arsenal of democracy".
This book tells the inside story of what it was like to be on the firelines with the Auxilliary Fire Service volunteers, and the regular London Fire Brigades. These firefighters braved unspeakable dangers of collapsing buildings, multiple firestorms, broken water mains and exploding bombs, night after night during the Blitz attacks on London, and other capitol cities in England.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning just how Londoners of the Blitz could "Stay calm and carry on" in spite of their world literally being blown apart day by day. More specifically, for those who wish to see those times through the eyes of a firefighter, this is a must-read adventure, vividly illustrating their courage and determination to win out over the twin enemies of fire and Hitler.
