World War II: The Autobiography

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Authors: Jon E. Lewis

Tags: #Military, #World War, #World War II, #1939-1945, #History

BOOK: World War II: The Autobiography
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Jon E. Lewis is the author of numerous books in the Autobiography series including
England: The Autobiography, London: The Autobiography
and
The Autobiography of the British Soldier.

Praise for his previous books

England: The Autobiography:
‘A triumph.’
Saul David, author of
Victoria’s Army

The British Solider: The Autobiography:
‘This thoughtful compilation . . . almost unbearably moving.’
Guardian

‘[A] compelling tommy’s eye view of war.’
Daily Telegraph

‘What a book. Five Stars.’
Daily Express

WORLD WAR II

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY

Edited by JON E. LEWIS

 

Constable & Robinson Ltd
3 The Lanchesters
162 Fulham Palace Road
London W6 9ER
www.constablerobinson.com

First published in the UK as
The Mammoth Book of How It Happened: World War II,
by Robinson, an imprint of Constable & Robinson, 2002 This revised and updated edition published by Robinson, an imprint of Constable & Robinson Ltd, 2009

Collection and editorial material
copyright © J. Lewis-Stempel, 2002, 2009

The right of J. Lewis-Stempel to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out or otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

A copy of the British Library Cataloguing in Publication data is available from the British Library

ISBN: 978-1-84901-003-0

Printed and bound in the EU

First published in the United States in 2009
by Running Press Book Publishers

All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions

No part of this work may be produced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Digit on the right indicates the number of this printing

US Library of Congress Control Number: 2009920967
US ISBN: 978-0-7624-3735-1

Running Press Book Publishers
2300 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103-4371

www.runningpress.com

 

We may be destroyed, but if we are, we shall drag a world with us – a world inflames.

Adolf Hitler, 23 November 1939

 

For those in my family who fought the good fight:
E.J. Lewis, R.I.J. Stempel, G. Charles, F. Williams, H. Knowles, J. Stempel, M.P. Jessop, A. Jessop, S. Parry, H.A.G. Stempel.

 

CONTENTS

Foreword

Part I Blitzkreig: The War in Europe, September 1939-October 1940

INTRODUCTION

HITLER ORDERS WAR, 31 AUGUST 1939

Adolf Hitler

THE HOUSE OF COMMONS DISCUSSES WAR AND PEACE, LONDON, 2 SEPTEMBER 1939

Ralph Glyn, MP

BRITAIN DECLARES WAR ON GERMANY, 3 SEPTEMBER 1939

Neville Chamberlain

HOME FRONT: LONDON AT WAR, 3 SEPTEMBER 1939

Mollie Panter-Downes

POLAND: “WE MARCHED AROUND IN CIRCLES”, 3 SEPTEMBER-5 OCTOBER 1939

Private K.S Karol, Polish Army

FINLAND: GUERILLA WAR IN THE SNOW, 2 FEBRUARY 1940

Virginia Cowles

NORWAY: THE ROUT OF THE BRITISH EXPEDITIONARY FORCE, 14 APRIL-5 MAY, 1940

General Sir Adrian Carton

THE HOME FRONT: THE PROTECTION OF YOUR HOME AGAINST AIR RAIDS

Sir John Anderson

OPERATION YELLOW: THE GERMAN ATTACK ON ROTTERDAM, 10-11 MAY 1940

Dirk van der Heide

OPERATION YELLOW: CROSSING THE MEUSE, FRANCE, 13 MAY 1940

Erwin Rommel 7th Panzer Division

CHURCHILL OFFERS “BLOOD, TOIL, TEARS AND SWEAT”, House of Commons, 13 MAY 1940

Winston Churchill

THE BATTLE OF FRANCE: SERGEANT PEXTON IS TAKEN PRISONER, 20 MAY 1940

Sergeant L.D. Pexton

DUNKIRK: THE VIEW FROM THE BOATS, 1 JUNE 1940

Commander C.H. Lighloller, RNR (Retd)

ONE MAN’S WAR: PRIVATE JACK TOOMEY IN FRANCE, MAY-JUNE 1940

Private Jack Toomey 42nd Postal Unit, British Army

FRANCE SURRENDERS, 21 JUNE 1940

William Shirer, war correspondent

BATTLE OF BRITAIN: A BRITISH FIGHTER PILOT’S DIARY, 19 AUGUST-7 OCTOBER 1940

P/O D.H. Wissler RAF

BATTLE OF BRITAIN: DOGFIGHT OVER SOUTH-EAST ENGLAND, 2 SEPTEMBER 1940

P/O Roger Hall, 152 Sguadron RAF

BATTLE OF BRITAIN: A SPITFIRE PILOT BALES OUT, 3 SEPTEMBER 1940

Richard Hillary 603 Sguadron RAF

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN: THE BLITZ, LONDON, SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 1940

Desmond Flower, Virginia Woolf Edward. R Murrow

THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN: THE VIEW FROM THE OPERATIONS ROOM, No. 11 Fighter Group RAF, Uxbridge, 15 SEPTEMBER 1940

Winston S. Churchill MP

Part II The Battle of the Atlantic: 1939-44

INTRODUCTION

THE
ROYAL OAK
IS TORPEDOED, SCAPA FLOW, 13 OCTOBER 1939

Gunther Prien

THE BATTLE OF THE RIVER PLATE, 13 DECEMBER 1939

Lieutenant-Commander R.E. Washbourn RN, HMNZS
Achilles

SURVIVAL, THE ARCTIC, 8-11 JUNE 1940

Ronald Healiss, Royal Marines

U-99 ATTACKS A CONVOY, THE ATLANTIC, 18-19 OCTOBER 1940

Kapitan-Leutnant Otto Kretschmer, U-99

HUNTING U-BOATS, 17 MARCH 1941

Captain Donald Macintyre RN, HMS
Walker

THE PURSUIT OF THE
BISMARCK,
24-27 MAY 1940

Lieutenant Ludovic Kennedy RN, HMS
Tartar

ONE MAN’S WAR: THE DIARY OF AN ASDIC OPERATOR, 19 JANUARY-13 FEBRUARY 1942

Frank Curry RCN, HMCS
Kamsack

VOYAGE TO MURMANSK, SEPTEMBER 1942

Able Seaman Robert Carse, Merchant Navy

A U-BOAT IS DEPTH-CHARGED, MID-ATLANTIC, 1942

Midshipman Heinz Schaefer, U-977

FATAL SIX WEEKS: THE LOG OF A U-BOAT KILLER, 31 JANUARY- 19 FEBRUARY 1944

Commander DEG Wemyss RN, HMS
Wild Goose

Part III The War in the Desert: North Africa, 1940-43

INTRODUCTION

THE ITALIANS SURRENDER AT BEDA FOMM, 7 FEBRUARY 1941

Cyril Joly 7th Armoured Division

ENTER ROMMEL, FEBRUARY-JULY 1941

Leutnant Heinz Werner Schmidt, Afrika Korps, General Erwin Rommel, Afrika Korps, Brigadier James Hargest, 5th New Zealand Infantry Brigade

A TANK IS “BREWED UP”, LIBYA, 15 JUNE 1941

Cyril Joly, 7th Armoured Division

ONE MAN’S WAR: DESERT WEARINESS, OCTOBER 1991

Private R. L. Crimp, 7th Armoured Division

PANZER LIED: “HEISS UBER AFRIKAS BODEN”

OPERATION CRUSADER: TANK BATTLE AT SIDI REZEGH, 28 NOVEMBER 1941

Captain Robert Crisp, 3rd Royal Tank
Regiment, 4th Armoured Brigade

IN THE CAULDRON, 12 JUNE 1942

Anonymous British Gunner

TOBRUK: THE CONQUEROR ENTERS, 21 JUNE 1942

General Erwin Rommel, Afrika Korps

MONTGOMERY TAKES OVER AS COMMANDER EIGHTH ARMY, AUGUST 1942

General Bernard Montgomery, Commander Eighth Army

SAS BATTLE REPORT: RAID ON TOBRUK, SEPTEMBER 1942

Anonymous SAS Soldier

ROMMEL’S AILING HEALTH, 26 AUGUST 1942

Leutnant Alfred Berndt, Afrika Korps

EL ALAMEIN: THE PLAN, SEPTEMBER 1942

General Bernard Montgomery, Eighth Army

EL ALAMEIN: THE VIEW FROM THE AFRIKA KORPS, 24-27 OCTOBER 1942

Field Marshal Erwin Rommel, Afrika Korps

EL ALAMEIN: GERMAN PRISONERS, 2 NOVEMBER 1942

Keith Douglas, Eighth Army

EL ALAMEIN: THE DEFEAT OF THE AFRIKA KORPS, 4 NOVEMBER 1942

General Fritz Bayerlain, Afrika Korps

ONE MAN’S WAR: THE DIARY OF A BRITISH SOLDIER AT EL ALAMEIN, 23 0CT0BER-10 NOVEMBER 1942

Corporal John Green, Military Police

A MEETING WITH THE FÜHRER RASTENBURG, 28 NOVEMBER 1942

Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, Afrika Korps

OPERATION TORCH: GI MEALS, NOVEMBER 1941

Ernie Pyle, war correspondents

“FIGHTING LIKE THE THE DEVIL”: THE US 26TH REGIMENT AT EL GUETTAR 23 MARCH 1943

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