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Review Of Stansky, Peter, The First Day Of The Blitz: September 7, 1940., James V. Koch Oct 2009

Review Of Stansky, Peter, The First Day Of The Blitz: September 7, 1940., James V. Koch

Economics Faculty Publications

(First Paragraph) Was fall 1940 truly Britain's "finest hour," as Winston Churchill memorably suggested? More particularly, are time-honored stories of stiff-lipped Londoners refusing to buckle under the onslaught of the Luftwaffe on the first day of the Blitz (September 7, 1940) myth or reality? These are the questions Peter Stansky addresses in this well-written, occasionally almost sentimental, essay. He concludes ultimately that the popular version of Blitz history substantially reflects reality, but nevertheless contains many elements of heroic, comforting, and somewhat off-target mythology.