For months, ‘The Few’ had defended Britain against the might of the Luftwaffe. Then, on 7 September 1940, everything changed. Instead of targeting airfields, the German bombers turned their attention to London. The Blitz had begun.

For two months, London was systemically attacked in one of the most sustained aerial bombing campaigns in history. The onslaught soon spread to other cities, including Liverpool, Bristol, Cardiff, Hull, Birmingham and Belfast, causing widespread destruction. In the face of this extreme devastation and heartbreak, however, came stories of survival, heroism and courage from the people of Britain. With sections examining life in the shelters, Britain’s air raid defences and bomb disposal, citizen heroics and the rise of crimes such as looting, this book takes a look back at the Luftwaffe’s unsuccessful attempt to break the British spirit and shares what life was really like during the Blitz.