Blitz: When World War Two Came Home

by John Nichol

The Second World War was not only fought in the skies above Europe or on distant beaches – it crashed into lives across the UK night after night as the bombs and missiles fell. 

May 2026 marks the 85th anniversary of the end of the Night Blitz. But the aerial assault on Britain did not stop in May 1941. 

For decades, ‘The Blitz’ – from the German ‘Blitzkrieg’ or lightning war – has been framed as a few desperate months beginning in September 1940 that mainly affected London. In reality, bombing continued, in one form or another, until the spring of 1945. BLITZ tells this broader, longer and more devastating story of one of the defining events of the twentieth century, in which more than 60,000 civilians were killed and millions made homeless.

From Eastbourne to Glasgow, from Cardiff to Newcastle, John Nichol uncovers forgotten tragedies and the extraordinary resilience of communities across the country. He tells of civilians at the forefront of war, heroic firefighters battling infernos, the unflinching bravery required to defuse unexploded bombs, families wiped out in an instant, and communities left bereft by a single blast.

Drawing on interviews with survivors, diaries, official records and eyewitness testimonies, Nichol gives voice to the men, women and children who endured nights of fire and fear, and to those who found the courage to run towards danger. He also brings the story up to date by speaking to people involved in similar situations mass casualty events, the terrible fire at Grenfell Tower, bomb disposal in modern warfare and individual acts of astonishing bravery.

At once gripping and compassionate, BLITZ will make you see this supposedly familiar history afresh. It is the definitive account of a nationwide struggle that shaped the course of the war and the spirit of a generation. 

The book includes maps and two plate sections with 38 photos and archival images.

‘The story of a whole nation as only Nichol can write, BLITZ  is a wonderful book perfectly anchored in the human experience’ Dr Robert Lyman MBE FRHistS, co-author of  Victory to The British Army 1918–40

‘A truly powerful and engaging narrative. The way Nichol weaves the story of the Blitz with more recent accounts makes for an excellent read’ Andy Saunders, military historian and author

448 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 21, 2026

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a unique look at the Blitz as author John Nicol looks beyond the usual time frame and geographic locations. He looks beyond London and the typical places assaulted during WWII, veering beyond those and using North Shields, where his family came from, as an example of a war that affected local civilian populations.

Indeed, he looks at the history of bombing civilians, going back to Zeppelins in WWI and then continues to branch out. When King George VI created the George Cross to honour civilian gallantry, he covers only wartime heroics but also more recent events. Indeed, this book veers from wartime rescues to Grenfell Tower and everything from major events to individual heroism. I felt it pulled me a little out of the wartime story, but I applaud the author for trying something new to explain and explore a part of our history which still remains in so many memories. My own mother was evacuated in the war, even during the Sixties, when I was a young child, bomb sites remained, and many streets bear witness to the loss of neighbours.

With war still affecting so many people around the world, this is a reminder of how it can suddenly appear and cause chaos amongst civilians who must cope with the upheaval, death and destruction that conflict causes.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well worth the read. A thought provoking book about wartime Britain with startling comparisons to more recent events