The Phoney War

 

The Phoney War

The Phoney War was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front,

Having failed to prevent the defeat of Poland in September 1939, Britain and France were faced with the prospect of a long and costly war with Germany. The rapid defeat of Poland was followed by a period of inaction and stalemate in western Europe.

On the home front, Britain braced itself for an all-out German air attack and its civil defence plans were immediately put into effect. Air raid precautions were rigorously imposed, but although the much-feared danger of aerial attack did not immediately materialise, people still had to abide by a host of government restrictions. Conscription, food rationing and the use of public transport for military purposes combined to make the 'Phoney War' a time of discomfort and anti-climax in Britain.

By September 1939 some 38 million gas masks had been given out, house to house, to families. They were never to be needed. ... Everyone in Britain was given a gas mask in a cardboard box, to protect them from gas bombs, which could be dropped during air raids.Add caption

 The Phoney War

The Phoney War was an eight-month period at the start of World War II, during which there was only one limited military land operation on the Western Front,

Having failed to prevent the defeat of Poland in September 1939, Britain and France were faced with the prospect of a long and costly war with Germany. The rapid defeat of Poland was followed by a period of inaction and stalemate in western Europe.

On the home front, Britain braced itself for an all-out German air attack and its civil defence plans were immediately put into effect. Air raid precautions were rigorously imposed, but although the much-feared danger of aerial attack did not immediately materialise, people still had to abide by a host of government restrictions. Conscription, food rationing and the use of public transport for military purposes combined to make the 'Phoney War' a time of discomfort and anti-climax in Britain.

By September 1939 some 38 million gas masks had been given out, house to house, to families. They were never to be needed. ... Everyone in Britain was given a gas mask in a cardboard box, to protect them from gas bombs, which could be dropped during air raids.