London's Burning

Ballantine's Illustrated History of World War II / the Violent Century: Battle #17

by Constantine FitzGibbon

Vintage WWII softcover

160 pages, Paperback

Published November 1, 1970

About the author

Robert Louis Constantine Lee-Dillon FitzGibbon

Reviews

[Martin Koenigsberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

London's Burning is the story of the 1940s assaults on the City by Hitler's Luftwaffe from the ground and bunker point of view. Several other books in the Ballantine's Illustrated History of WWII cover the Battle of Britain and and V-1 and V-2 attacks from military POVs- this is a book about the people of London and their Governments, both National and local and the efforts to save lives and livelihoods in the London and its suburbs. My mother was one of those citizens of London, so I have heard some of this lore before- but Constantine FitzGibbon, a veteran of both American and British Armies in WWII- and a writer of both fiction and history does a very good job of giving the reader a feel for the struggle- especially given the limits of the 160 page format of the series- littered with excellent b/w pictures as the book is. With liberal use of quotes from participants and witnesses, the author takes the reader along as he tells a story of working London under attack.
Along the way, we see how Government approaches changed as war grew near and Spanish and Chinese war experience was applied to previous theories. Daylight raids give way to night time assaults- and the people demand access to the Subway stations. The Anti Aircraft defenses first fire a semi-random "Barrage" as much for citizen morale as for effect- then begin to get Radar and Visual "Predictor"(Computer assisted) guidance. FitzGibbon explains how the Fire Warden and Air Raid Warden system worked and gives a lot of anecdotes and memoir passages that you can almost hear. I have read other books on this topic- and this one more than held its own, given the limitations of the format. A strong recommendation, although era readers may want longer and deeper coverage.

This book is best read by the Junior Reader 11/12 years of age or older- with some adult themes and a little bit of graphic casualty description. For the Gamer/Modeler/Military Enthusiast- a really mixed result. I've never seen a game of the actual damage of a raid- not sure how useful this is other than to get a feel for how decisions were made in the period. For a modeler there are a tonne of ideas for builds and dioramas- an interesting area where Military and Civilian units meet. The Military Enthusiast- is the overall winner getting a much better understanding of how Civil Defense was lived for 6 years- functions and failures. I do wish I had been able to discuss this book on the period with my mum to get more background...

[Alex MacKenzie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Blitz affected London from 7 September 1940, until 11 May 1941. 20,000 people died despite the heroic, almost herculean efforts of the Firemen, Wardens, Doctors, Nurses and other volunteers. Pre-War over-estimates of casualties & damage aside, the Luftwaffe were able to destroy the better part of London, but not the spirit of the Londoners themselves. Their endurance and resilience in the face of what must have seemed like constant bombing was, and still is, truly remarkable.
Specific incidents like the Hallsville School, the Great Fire of 29 October, Chelsea Old Church and Cafe de Paris are highlighted.
Could only read one chapter at a time.

[John E · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the better books in the Ballantine/Purnell series. Great storytelling along with a brief history of the Blitz. Many illustrations that were totally appropriate.