We were young and at war : the first-hand story of young lives lived and lost in World War II

Never before have the diaries and letters of young people from all sides of World War Two been woven together to provide an account of what it was like to grow up amidst the daily struggles and horrors of this devastating war. We Were Young And At War follows the stories of sixteen teenage boys and girls who write with a disarming directness about their reactions to and experiences of a very adult war. They are British, French, American, Japanese, Polish, German and Russian, each with a unique and heart-rending tale to tell. Only two of them are alive today. Some of them fought and died in the war, others starved to death; many were separated from their families. All were forced to grow up quickly, their lives changed beyond all recognition by their experiences. This is their story. Non-Fiction Swastikas & Sling Shots tells the story of the Second World War through the vivid experiences of those who grew up amongst the air-raids and occupations, the rationing and evacuations.Beyond politics and behind combat, the children of the 1930's kept unique records of their daily lives; first loves, games and pranks and school life all carefully hand-written and innocently illustrated. With the outbreak of world-wide conflict the war crept into the awareness of children around Europe and snuck into the pages of their treasured diaries.For every frightened, lonely soldier writing poetry in the trenches there was a frightened lonely evacuee writing home to his mum. Swastikas and Sling Shots is a collection of diaries and first-hand accounts from children who wrote with a disarming directness about a child's reactions to a very adult war.A rare perspective on all aspects of war from the home front, to the armed forces, to internment and occupation, seen through the eyes of the children who were profoundly affected by them. This book allows readers to navigate the timeline of conflict through the experiences of children who witnessed key events during the war. Let yourself be guided through these years of pain and fighting by the very personal words of a headstrong German farmer's son who turns boy soldier in Hitler's army; a resilient Jewish boy hiding in the woods in Czechoslovakia for three years until his death, just days before war's end; a patriotic Soviet 'young pioneer' who becomes a resistance fighter; a French adolescent boy rebelling against the German occupation; a compassionate Polish girl from Warsaw enjoying life in a flat taken from a Jewish family - and a Jewish girl on the other side, interned in the Warsaw Ghetto.In different countries and on opposite sides, each child author has their own fascinating story and point of view. Alongside newspaper reports, radio broadcasts and propaganda cartoons these dairies help build a truly touching picture of the hope, prejudice, fear and joy of a wartime childhood.