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Never surrender : lost voices of a generation at war
In Never Surrender Robert Kershaw captures the authentic voices of the ordinary heroes of the Second World War, from the soldiers fighting abroad to those battling on the home front, and creates an extraordinary portrait of a generation fighting for survival. Beginning with first-hand accounts of the reaction to Chamberlain's declaration of war in 1939, Kershaw portrays the many aspects of war through the words of those who were there, from the sailors of the little ships of Dunkirk to German soldiers preparing for Operation 'Sea Lion'. He takes us from the nightly horrors of the Blitz to battles in the limitless desert of North Africa, and from jungle war in Burma to Lancaster bombers over Germany and the beaches of Normandy. Featuring new interviews with veterans and civilians from Britain, the Commonwealth and Germany as well as diaries, letters, and first-hand accounts, this is a testimony to the remarkable men and women who lived through the Second World War -- whose refusal to surrender changed them, and Britain, forever.
389 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2009
14 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Robert Kershaw
17 books69 followersBorn in 1950 and a graduate of Reading University, Robert Kershaw joined the Parachute Regiment in 1973.
He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA). He attended the German Staff College (Fuhrungsakademie) spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He speaks fluent German and has extensive experience with NATO, multinational operations and all aspects of operations and training.
His active service includes several tours in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War and Bosnia. He has exercised in many parts of the world and served in the Middle East and Africa. His final army appointment was with the Intelligence Division at HQ NATO in Brussels Belgium.
On leaving the Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has written a paper on the military impact of HIV AIDS for Cranfield University and more recently was the historical editor for ParaData, an on-line archive for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.
He served numerous regimental appointments until selected to command the 10th Battalion The Parachute Regiment (10 PARA). He attended the German Staff College (Fuhrungsakademie) spending a further two years with the Bundeswehr as an infantry, airborne and arctic warfare instructor. He speaks fluent German and has extensive experience with NATO, multinational operations and all aspects of operations and training.
His active service includes several tours in Northern Ireland, the First Gulf War and Bosnia. He has exercised in many parts of the world and served in the Middle East and Africa. His final army appointment was with the Intelligence Division at HQ NATO in Brussels Belgium.
On leaving the Army in 2006 he became a full-time author of military history as well as a consultant military analyst. He has written a paper on the military impact of HIV AIDS for Cranfield University and more recently was the historical editor for ParaData, an on-line archive for the Parachute Regiment and Airborne Forces.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 4, 2021
A friend of mine lent this book to me, somewhat of a rarity, this book is essential to those looking for info and stories of those who were in the thick of battle during the second World War, Robert Kershaw has done a tremendous amount of research on this subject.
With accounts of battle from countless different soldiers, mostly young men with the world at their feet, this is an often heartbreaking tale of the horrors of war, and some of the things these lads went though (and for the civilians at home), was beyond horrific.
From the declaration of war by Neville Chamberlain, through the battles of Dunkirk and North Africa, to horrors of the Blitz and the bombings of Germany, all told from the land air and sea, this is no holds barred stuff, and one can only imagine the things they had seen and done, in order to survive.
Told both from soldiers and civilians alike, as the civilians often had it just as bad, this is a must read, not just for World War II or War history buffs, even just people who like hearing the stories from a generation now almost all gone, and the tales of yesterday, some extremely personal accounts, if you have a chance to read this, do it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars, strong recommendation.
With accounts of battle from countless different soldiers, mostly young men with the world at their feet, this is an often heartbreaking tale of the horrors of war, and some of the things these lads went though (and for the civilians at home), was beyond horrific.
From the declaration of war by Neville Chamberlain, through the battles of Dunkirk and North Africa, to horrors of the Blitz and the bombings of Germany, all told from the land air and sea, this is no holds barred stuff, and one can only imagine the things they had seen and done, in order to survive.
Told both from soldiers and civilians alike, as the civilians often had it just as bad, this is a must read, not just for World War II or War history buffs, even just people who like hearing the stories from a generation now almost all gone, and the tales of yesterday, some extremely personal accounts, if you have a chance to read this, do it.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars, strong recommendation.
November 1, 2018
Lost Voices
Good read and well delivered book . Liked the different aspects of the book with the testimony of the views of military personnel as well as the general public plenty of facts and figures.
Good read and well delivered book . Liked the different aspects of the book with the testimony of the views of military personnel as well as the general public plenty of facts and figures.
March 29, 2020
Excellent
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews