Every former serviceman or woman carries a little piece of history in his or her pocket. The fragment is just a small part of an immensely colourful landscape, a montage composed from each individual's experiences of a unique lifestyle.

Generals and war leaders may write dusty memoirs, provide an overview and, with calculated detachment, describe strategy in volumes which have considerable significance for the historian. The real stories, however, are contained within this book and come from those at the sharp end who can produce personal snapshots of everyday life. They reflect the experiences of millions of ordinary people who were plunged into a hostile environment which came to dominate their everyday lives.

Their narratives are powerful and graphic and, with the exception of a POW who kept a secret diary during his two and a half years in captivity, they are told here in retrospect. Therefore they can be seen as being objective.