Audiobook review: Britain’s War, Into Battle 1937-1941 by Daniel Todman

A weighty audiobook which runs at 35hrs 27mins long so is not one for the faint hearted or uncommitted especially as this is only part one. The book starts shortly before the outbreak of World War Two and ends just after Pearl Harbour. While this is a WW2 book, historian Daniel Todman considers only the impact on Britain, although this is in great depth. Primary sources such as letters and diaries of both the common person and important figures of the time as used to allow more rounded and wider views to incorporated.

I found this audiobook to be, in parts, incredibly detailed and that I gained a greater understanding about the thoughts and opinions of more ‘common’ people. There is a lot of emphasis upon the rationale behind some decisions made such as around bombing and learning at the time. I enjoyed understanding a bit more about the war coalition party and how despite a war being waged that there continued to be accountability and questions in Parliament.

Overall I massively enjoyed this audiobook and I’m looking forward to starting part two, although maybe not quite yet. While the audiobook is so large I found it interesting that some significant events were given little time, such as towards the end of the audiobook with the events of Pearl Harbour, although maybe this is because it happened in American and was primarily against the American people. I wonder how much of the other issues which I feel to missing in any depth may appear in the second part….we shall see and reflect in that review.