Blitz Kids: the Childrens War Against Hitler Free

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Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Preview — Blitz Kids by Sean Longden. From the dangers of London streets during the Blitz to working on the high seas during the Atlantic Convoy, children were on the frontline of battle during the Second World War. In Sean Longden's retelling of the conflict, he explores how the war impacted upon a whole generation who lost their innocence at home and abroad. Get A Copy. Hardcoverpages. More Details Other Editions 3. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Blitz Kidsplease sign up. Lists with This Book. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 3. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. May 19, John rated it it was amazing Shelves: book-drive, biographicalnon-fictionww2. Most of the time when you read about British teens during WW2 they are plane spotting and collecting scrap metal, going through evacuations and generally observers of the conflict. The teens in this book are totally involved in the war. The youngest were in the Royal Navy or the Merchant Navy, they could sign up at age 14 and become sailors with very little training, much less than the Army or Air Force training. Some 15 year olds lied about their age to get into the Army. By D-Day some were thr Most of the time when you read about British teens during WW2 they are plane spotting and collecting scrap metal, going through evacuations and generally observers of the conflict. By D-Day some were three to four year veterans of North Africa and Italy and sharing their knowledge of how to stay alive with much older fresh recruits. One fellow had been a prisoner of war from age 14 to Incredible stories of very young men and women growing up in ways they never could have envisioned. I will certainly look for more books by Longden. Dec Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler, Caroline rated it liked it Shelves: british-historyworld-war I was disappointed with this book. Not because it's not an excellent book, well-written, comprehensively researched, sympathetic and engaging. It is indeed all of those things. Sean Longden really succeeds in bringing to life, through his engaging narrative and first-person accounts, what life must have like for the youth of Britain growing up during wartime, suffering through the Blitz, being evacuated, volunteering for service, being bombed, under fire, ships sunk, kill or be killed. For an Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler I was disappointed with this book. For an account of life as a young boy at war, I would imagine this book has few rivals. Reading this book you wouldn't know that women or more appropriately girls, given the topic were involved in WW2 at all. Where are the girls training as nurses and being posted to field hospitals in the thick of the fighting? Where are the references to the thousands of young women and girls in the Women's Land Army? Where are the munitions girls? Where are the young girls who stayed at home with their mothers when their fathers and brothers went to Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler Where are the girls raising Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler younger siblings whilst their mothers worked all day? Quite frankly, where are the girls? There is one single chapter that focuses exclusively on girls and young women, Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler the topic? I appreciate that the story of the young girls of Britain is not as exciting as that of the boys - probably both for the writer as much as the reader. The girls were not being sunk at sea aged fourteen; were not teenage cadets being trained with rifle and bayonet; were not running away to join the Navy or Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler Commandos Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler the infantry; were not seeing the horrors of war before they'd even reached eighteen. But to neglect their story so entirely can only be a deliberate decision on the part of either the writer or the publishers, and that is shameful. The story is only half-told in this book, and as such, for all its other excellent qualities, I was disappointed. It really ought to be entitled 'Blitz Boys'. Oct 11, Rory John rated it liked it. This book was interesting and taught me a lot about the efforts of children and teenagers during the war that I wasn't previously aware of. In particular the effects of blast from bombings, the work of merchant navy boys, and the Bethnal Green disaster stood out to me. I barely knew anything about these topics going in, but feel I have a basic understanding Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler even some specific knowledge now I've finished reading. However, I do think the book covered too wide a range of topics to be fully enjo This book was interesting and taught me a lot about the efforts of children and teenagers during the war that I wasn't previously aware of. However, I do think the book covered too wide a range of topics to be fully enjoyable and immersive to many readers. Those who want to read historical accounts of prostitution and those interested in the commandos, for example, are not necessarily going to have a massive overlap. However, this is just a small criticism and didn't hinder my enjoyment of the stories too much. The main reasons I couldn't rate this book higher were 1 the pacing 2 the way certain parts were phrased. I felt that the author didn't have a completely clear idea of which sections were meant to be about which specific topics; many times I found myself confused as I learned more about an event I thought was finished with several chapters before. In terms of phrasing, the use of certain sentences made me wince; the author sometimes linked topics in the same messy way I would in a GCSE history essay. However, despite its flaws, I enjoyed this book overall. I would definitely recommend it to those interested in the efforts of children during the second world war. In the introduction to this book, Longden explains that he is not offering another anthology of tales from the evacuation. This is not a real life Goodnight Mister Tom. Instead, what Blitz Kids offers is a searing and at times painful account of the lives and struggles of the young people caught up in World War II. While much has been written about the under-age volunteers during World War I, those in World War II have had far less coverage and indeed as Longden points out, they often still face In the introduction to this book, Longden explains that he is not offering another anthology of tales from the evacuation. While much has been written about the Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler volunteers during World War I, those in World War II have had far less coverage and indeed as Longden points out, they often still face suspicious looks at veteran events as if they cannot truly have been involved. From the Blitz-struck streets of London to the cold seas of the Atlantic, to those marching across central Europe, Longden is finally singing their song. The book does give a lot of focus to the experiences of the young men of the Merchant Navy which is not surprising given that particular service took boys as young as Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler. While many young men were able Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler lie about their age and serve in the army, very few were able to defraud their way into the RAF, meaning that its chapter is comparatively short. Equally, the book does concentrate on the stories of boys rather than girls, again because it was the boys who served overseas. Longden's book has a far-reaching scope and a deep sympathy for the lives of its subjects, it is highly readable and filled with the anecdotes and reminiscences of a generation caught in this catastrophic conflict. Longden details the enthusiasm which initially drew these young people Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler serve while under-age. Some were anxious to leave unhappy homes, others felt a patriotic desire to 'do one's bit' and as the war progressed, still others signed up to avenge the deaths of loved-ones. One young Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler volunteered after his brother was seriously injured. Upon confessing to his brother, he was frog-marched back to the recruiting office where his true age was declared. Unfortunately, the sergeant decided it was too late, the boy had signed on. Still, the passionate protective instinct of his sibling was truly affecting. Many parents did try to prevent their offspring from enlisting and on certain occasions they were successful - Stan Scott was turfed out of the army twice for being under-age. Still other families decided that it was their child's decision and ought to be respected and the responses of the regiment seemed to vary according to the district. Some turned a blind eye but others were more vigilant. The young John Chinnery was prevented by his captain from disembarking the ship when they visited Holland since his captain was aware that the rest of the crew planned to meet girls and others reported similar anecdotes of protective commanders yet still, this was total war. Everybody had to look after themselves. Sep 21, Kate B rated it it was ok. Interesting snippets but thrown together without an underlying Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler. Oct 14, Estelle rated it it was amazing. Very well documented. Jan Whyman rated it it was amazing Jan 01, Nicola Warner rated it it was amazing Dec 19, Chloe rated it liked it Aug 08, Blitz Kids: The Children's War Against Hitler by Sean Longden

Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read. Want to Read saving…. Want to Read Currently Reading Read. Other editions. Enlarge cover. Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Open Preview See a Problem? Details if other :. Thanks for telling us about the problem. Return to Book Page. Here, for the first time, Monica Porter gathers together their stories from many corners of occupied Europe, showing how in a variety of audacious and inventive ways children as young as six resisted the Nazi menace, risking and sometimes even sacrificing their brief lives in the process: a heroism that until now has largely gone unsung. These courageous youngsters came from all classes and backgrounds. There were high school drop-outs and social misfits, brainy bookworms, the children of farmers and factory workers. Some lost their entire families to the war, yet fought on alone. Often more adept and fearless at resistance than adults, they exuded an air of guilessness and could slip more easily under the Nazi radar. But as nets tightened, many were captured, tortured or imprisoned, some paying the highest price — a life cut short by execution before they had even turned eighteen. These children were motivated by different ideals; patriotism, political conviction, their Christian beliefs, or revulsion at the brutality of the Third Reich. But what united them was their determination to strike back at an enemy which had deprived them of their freedom, their dignity - and their childhood. Get A Copy. Paperbackpages. More Details Other Editions 1. Friend Reviews. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Children Against Hitlerplease sign up. Be the first to ask a question about Children Against Hitler. Lists with This Book. This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Community Reviews. Showing Average rating 4. Rating details. More filters. Sort order. Apr 25, Simone rated it really liked it Shelves: arckindle-ownednon-fiction. Born and raised in Germany, I always love picking up books that feature World War II and historical figures during that time. So, it is actually not surprising that I requested an advance review copy of this book on NetGalley. It was super interesting to read about a lot of the less known and young heroes of WWII. There were a few stories that I hadn't heard before and names that didn't even seem familiar. I really enjoyed that the b Born and raised in Germany, I always love picking Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler books that feature World War II and historical figures during that time. I really enjoyed that the book was written in narrative format. If I hadn't known that I was reading true stories, I'd thought I was reading a novel. That made the book easy to read, but also gave the stories a great character building feel. What I was missing in the book were two young heroes that don't seem to be well-known outside Germany, but whose memory has a remarkable story to tell--Hans and Sophie Scholl. The Scholl siblings and their anti-Nazi activities including their death by guillotine are so popular in Germany that there is even a book award in the state of Bavaria in their honor, the Geschwister-Scholl-Preis awarded to books which "show intellectual Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler and support civil freedom, moral, intellectual and aesthetic courage and that gives an important impulse to the present awareness of responsibility. This book is written in language that can be understood by a wide range of readers. I'd say it's even a great book to introduce as additional reading to middle graders in history class. Feb 16, Jessika rated it really liked it. These unsung heroes of Nazi Germany deserve all the praise and honor! I would highly recommend that you check this book out and experience a world that we could never imagine living in! Mar 06, Sandra "Jeanz" rated it it was amazing Shelves:non-fictionnetgalley. I had also learnt a little about the female resistance members that were couriers and radio operatives through reading books and watching films. This book really opened my eyes to the other perhaps some Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler say smaller acts of defiance and acts of resistance carried out by the children of the areas the German Forces occupied and Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler over. I so want to talk about all the children in this book, and it is important to remember they were all children when they began their acts of defiance risking their Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler young lives along with the lives of their family if ever caught. I could seriously ramble on forever about these young heroes and each and everyone of them deserve to be remembered and talked about, but I want everyone to read the book, so I will mention just a few of them and try my best not to go into too much detail. Hopefully telling you just enough to have you desperate to read the book yourselves. The family were poor and were basically surviving on the very small handouts they were eligible for from the state. They had to stay under the radar as though not totally ruled over by Hitler yet, the Dutch government prohibited their citizens to have what were considered illegal lodgers. They met Kees Boekman and became more involved in resistance activities. On one occasion Anton Mussert who was in favour and supportive of Hitler was dues to speak. Kees Boekman decided they needed to take action he urged Truus, Freddie and other youth members to encourage high school pupils to attend the meeting and make their anti-Mussert feelings known. The following night a large crowd of boys and girls arrived at the rally, on their bicycles as requested. Mussert approached the podium to speak and a pre-organised signal was given for the youngsters to all started sounding their bicycle bells. As Mussert carried on speaking without sound, the crowd roared with laughter at him. Truus and Freddie were at one time the only female members in their section of the resistance group they were in. When deportations of Jews began the two young girls took on more dangerous missions, such as taking Jewish Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler to new homes where they could safely hide until the war was finally over. In taking part in this sort of activity, Truus and Freddie were defying the Nazis and were in danger of being caught by the Gestapo or being ratted on by Dutch collaborators. One young girl they moved ended up losing her whole family during the war and the couple who took her in hiding her ended up officially adopting her after the war was over. These innocent looking children were basically taking part in drive by shootings using their bicycles! Another girl, 17 years old, Hannie Schaft, was brought in to work with the two sisters. I would like to point out at this stage Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler the girls did not just obediently carry out missions they Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler told to, if they disagreed with something, they would have their say and could and would refuse the mission. This is just one story of three young females that were not afraid to carry out increasingly more dangerous missions to help those being persecuted by the Nazis escape capture, knowing full well that if caught they would be beaten and tortured in the hope they would reveal names of different members of their resistance group. Sadly, the trio of girls did not all survive the war, but they had become so close that when one of the surviving girls married and she named her daughter after the girl that had been shot. I read this book and it propelled me through a whole range of emotions, I felt proud of these children and their parents that knew what they were doing for being brave knowing what their fate would be if they were found out. I felt humour at some of the things the younger resistance members did to inconvenience the Nazis, then shock at some of the other acts these same youngsters committed, such as the using explosives to blow up bridges. It seems there was no act too small or too large for these young resistance members to willingly take on. So many of these young fighters had near brushes with death yet continued doing more and more missions. Things like stealing guns, hiding weapons, transporting weapons, or transporting radio parts, and messages. So many of these acts being the way the Allied Forces communicated with the resistance. Then you think of the lives these youngsters saved, the Allied force members they smuggled out, the Jewish children the moved to different homes one step ahead of the Nazis searching for them. These children did all of this for nothing in return. Years later some would be recognised, having streets named after them. Whereas others were completely overlooked, simply labelled as trouble makers. Then there are still some that just seem to have initially been forgotten and just not talked about as much. Every single one of them deserve recognition for what they did. They all deserve their stories to be Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler, to be remembered and handed down to future generations. My immediate thoughts upon finishing this book were just three words, interesting, informative and inspirational. I felt stunned, shell shocked by what I had just read and learnt. I usually read a non-fiction book alongside a fiction one, but I got to the point that I had to read this book. I felt compelled to continue reading and ended up finishing the book late one evening. I think this is a book that will stay with Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler forever. Every time I hear of a survivor dying, or an anniversary of a camp liberation's, or anniversary of a certain resistance act I will remember the children in this book, their bravery and actions. To sum up this book sheds a light on certain areas of the resistance that in my opinion were not widely publicised. In that the films about the era tend to be about the concentration camps, or the resistance blowing up transport links, which in this book some of the young resistance heroes do take part in. The young resistance members took part in so much more yet seem to have been forgotten and are not really talked or taught about in schools etc. To be honest I believe our schools should be teaching more about World War 2 and what went on than they are at the moment. This book really is a moving, emotion invoking read. Mar 15, Donna Maguire rated it it Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler amazing Shelves: to-add- review-on-amazonbooks-readkindle-readnet-galley-books-readpublisher-pen-and-swordwwi-and-wwii. Children Against Hitler: The Young Resistance Heroes of the Second World War by Monica Porter

A generation grew up during Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler Second World War but, beyond the far-from-universal experience of evacuation, Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler was wartime really like for those not yet old enough to take up arms? The extent to which the war affected them and was affected by them, has largely been unexplored. What Sean Longden uncovers in Blitz Kids is a complex picture of a generation for whom the death and destruction of the Blitz became the norm. For the large numbers of young people who saw active service despite being under-aged, the experience was perhaps even more shocking. Longden allows his many interviewees to tell their own stories while supplying enough context to knit their disparate accounts into a compelling narrative. The characters become familiar as we follow their stories through the war and beyond. The paradoxes are clear. Many missed crucial years of education as their schools closed, yet they Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler launched into a world where their skills were needed more than ever. They faced unprecedented levels of both freedom and responsibility. Debates raged about soaring rates of youthful delinquency while children barely into their teens scouts, guides, members of the Home Guard, Army Cadets and the Auxiliary Fire Service were busy unloading ambulances, putting out incendiary bombs, raising crops and guarding targets. By the end ofboy sailors alone, some as young as 14, had been killed in action. The experiences Longden has painstakingly unearthed range from the ridiculous for instance, a group of Guides planning to lure German invaders into clumps of nettles to the truly humbling. The liner was carrying 90 children to the safety of Canada when it was torpedoed by an enemy submarine. The year-old helped the sailor in charge of his lifeboat to boost the morale of the freezing and terrified survivors and then to dispose of their bodies as they gradually died around him. They played on bomb sites, collected shrapnel, went to the cinema and sometimes they incurred the wrath of their parents. Roy Bartlett recalls, at the age of 12, managing to extinguish an incendiary bomb in his garden just before it could ignite 50 gallon barrels of paraffin oil in the outhouse. His reward was a ticking off from his mother for swearing. The detail with which he and the others relive their war, more than 65 years later, is proof of just how profoundly their experiences Blitz Kids: The Childrens War Against Hitler them. The stories are by turns amusing, shocking and unbearably sad and Longden has done us all a great service in allowing them to be told.