Life on the Home Front [antikvár]

Countdown to Conflict 'Peace in our time,' was the hope of British premier, Neville Chamberlain, and of millions of other people worldwide. But dark clouds had long been gathering over Europe -and the storm broke with Hitler's onslaught on Poland. 6 SHORTLY BEFORE 5am on Friday September 1, 1939, German forces stormed the Polish frontier. Tanks and motorised troops raced into the country over ground baked hard by a glorious summer. Supported by screeching Stuka dive-bombers, a total of 1.25 million men swept into Poland - and nothing could halt their advance. The world learned that day of a new and devastating tactic, known as the Blitzkrieg or 'lightning war'. Berlin radio carried a threatening proclamation by Hitler as early as 5.33 that morning, but many Germans first heard of the invasion at breakfast. It was a beautiful morning, with a tinge of autumn in the air. Loudspeaker vans decked with swastikas roared through towns: 'Achtung! Achtung! In the early hours of this morning the Ftihrer's troops have invaded Poland. Germany is at war!' The national anthem and the Horst Wessel song (the Nazi Party hymn) followed, at full volume. Families ran out onto the pavements. Schoolgirl Renate Ungewitter saw them lingering dazed and silent in front of their houses after a loudspeaker van moved on. 'Shocked, everybody stood for a while and then they went on with what they had been doing.' Later on that Friday morning Hitler addressed the Reichstag in Berlin, informing the assembly of the recent events. The capital's foreign correspondents were all there, and short-wave radio crackled out a simultaneous commentary upon his speech around the world. Feverish diplomatic activity followed these events, and it was only when all ultimatums had failed that Britain declared war on Germany. At 11am on September 3, British listeners tuned in to the BBC to hear an announcement to stand by for a speech by the Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain. All over the nation families gathered around their sets. 'While we were waiting, I glanced out of the window,' a woman recalls. 'There wasn't a soul in sight or a vehicle, there was just this lone cat stalking across the road.' At 11.15am, following a programme in which a lady was giving a talk about tinned-food recipes, Neville Chamberlain came on the air. His voice was tired and strained. Britain had called for an undertaking from Hitler to withdraw his troops from Poland. 'I have to tell you now that no such undertaking has been received and that consequently this country is at war with Germany.' Only a few minutes later, sirens wailed out all over London and many other parts of the country, as far north as Sheffield. People Sieg Heil Hitler addresses a pre-war rally. Above: the Führer's troops enter Prague in 1939 to be greeted with enthusiasm by some German residents of the Czech capital.