After the outbreak of World War II, Nazi Germany occupied major countries on the European continent, and Britain became a safe haven for dignitaries from seven countries, including Norway, the Netherlands, Poland, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Czechoslovakia, who were unwilling to surrender. The heads of state and leaders of the seven countries fled to the British Isles, and London became the center of the European anti-fascist war and the island of hope for the people of all European countries.
"New York Times" best-selling author Lynne Olson visited the parties and their relatives, consulted a large amount of archives, and restored the difficult journey of the European people uniting as one to resist aggression during the war years when the Nazis were raging, and finally winning the anti-fascist war. Lynne Olson's writing is vivid and touching, and the lines are full of human warmth.
─20% Of the Royal Air Force pilots who participated in the Battle of Britain were from Poland and the Czech Republic.
─Thousands of Norwegian and Dutch merchant ships provided maritime transportation support to help Britain cope with the blockade and indiscriminate bombing by Nazi Germany in the early stages of the war.
──The National Codebreaking Center in Bletchley Park successfully cracked the German Enigma cipher system, with the French and Poles making the greatest contributions.
──Intelligence about the German army mostly comes from the underground intelligence system in the occupied areas, not MI6.
─The Belgian government-in-exile lent its gold reserves to help Britain survive the dark financial period from 1940 to 1941; the abundant uranium in Belgium's Congo colony, heavy water from Norway, and the ingenuity of scientists from the Collège de France provided important guarantees for the United States' "Manhattan Project."
Reader comments
This book reminded me of my grandfather, who experienced World War II. The description in the book of the European people uniting as one and resisting aggression resonated with me very much. I also hate those who choose to sit on the sidelines and compromise during the war, just like the British in the book, whose arrogance and selfishness almost caused the fall of the entire Europe. Fortunately, everyone finally united and won the anti-fascist war. This book is worth reading. It allows us to see the warmth and strength of human nature.
This book reminded me of my grandfather, who experienced World War II. The description in the book of the European people uniting as one and resisting aggression resonated with me very much. I also hate those who choose to sit on the sidelines and compromise during the war, just like the British in the book, whose arrogance and selfishness almost caused the fall of the entire Europe. Fortunately, everyone finally united and won the anti-fascist war. This book is worth reading. It allows us to see the warmth and strength of human nature.