History of the Second World War


The History of the Second World War is the official history of the British contribution to the Second World War and was published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The immense project was sub-divided into areas to ease publication, United Kingdom Military Series, the United Kingdom Civil Series for the civilian war effort; the Foreign Policy series, the Intelligence series and the Medical series are eponymous. Other volumes not under the aegis of the series but published by HMSO may be read as adjuncts, covering matters not considered in great detail or at all, in one case, in the main series. Further volumes, published after the privatisation of HMSO or in the series about the Special Operations Executive, are also useful.
The volumes were intended to be read individually, rather than in series, which led to some overlapping. In their introductions to their parts of the series, Sir Keith Hancock and Sir James Butler wrote that this was to obviate a need to read more volumes than those covering that part of the war effort. Hancock edited the Civil Series and Butler the Military Series. The first volume appeared in 1949 and the last in 1993, with a revised edition of one volume appearing in 2004. An unorthodox decision was to cover the conflict from a theatre of operations point of view rather than by service, to acknowledge that military operations were intimately linked.
The works published before 1970 lack references to unpublished sources until government archives were opened, to an extent, by the Public Records Act 1958 and the Public Records Act 1967. The works were published with only references to published sources because British constitutional conventions on the anonymity of government officials and ministers were followed, leading to a somewhat detached narrative style in some cases. A parallel series of volumes for official use were printed, which referenced the unpublished sources in manuscript, in red ink. A few official copies 'escaped' into public libraries and these additions can be seen.

Volumes

United Kingdom Military Series

Grand Strategy

United Kingdom Civil Series

Foreign Policy

British Foreign Policy in the Second World War
  • * ', Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1970
  • * ', Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1971
  • * ', Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1971
  • * ', Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1975
  • * , Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1976
  • * Abridged Version, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1962

Intelligence

British Intelligence in the Second World War
  • * Volume I: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley, E. E. Thomas, C. F. G. Ransom, R. C. Knight, 1979
  • * Volume II: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley, E. E. Thomas, C. F. G. Ransom, R. C. Knight, 1981
  • * Volume III, Part 1: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley, E. E. Thomas, C. F. G. Ransom, R. C. Knight, 1984
  • * Volume III, Part 2: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley, E. E. Thomas, C. F. G. Ransom, R. C. Knight, 1988
  • * Volume IV: Security and Counter-Intelligence, F. H. Hinsley, E. E. Thomas, C. F. G. Ransom, R. C. Knight, 1990
  • * Volume V: Strategic Deception, Michael Howard, 1990
  • * Abridged Version, F. H. Hinsley, 1993, M. R. D. Foot, 1966

Medical Volumes

The Emergency Medical Services

Supplementary HMSO works

The Royal Air Force, 1939–45

Other official departmental histories

A number of official histories were produced by government departments. The authors worked under the same conditions and had the same access to official files but their works did not appear in the History of the Second World War.Britain and Atomic Energy 1939–1945 Margaret Gowing, 1964.

Supplementary works from other publishers

  • SOE Histories
  • * SOE in the Far East, Charles Cruikshank, 1983
  • * SOE in Scandinavia, Charles Cruikshank, 1986
  • * SOE in the Low Countries, M. R. D. Foot, 2001Secret Flotillas
  • * Volume I: Clandestine Sea Operations to Brittany 1940–44, Sir Brooks Richards, 2004
  • * Volume II: Clandestine Sea Operations in the Mediterranean, North Africa and the Adriatic 1940–44, Sir Brooks Richards, 2004Army Series, printed by the War Office, 30 volumes
  • * Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
  • ** Volume I Organisation and Operations, Rowcroft, E. Bertram
  • ** Volume II Technical, Bloor, F. R.
  • * Supplies and Transport 2 volumes, Boileau, D. W.
  • * Works service and Engineer stores, Buchanan, A. G. B.
  • * Fighting, support and transport vehicles and the War Office provision for their provision
  • ** Part 1 Common Problems, Campagnac R. & Hayman P. E. G.
  • ** Part 2 Unarmoured Vehicles, Campagnac R. & Hayman P. E. G.
  • * Maintenance in the field 2 volumes, Carter, J. A. H.
  • * Maps and Survey, Clough, A. B.
  • * The Auxiliary Territorial Service, Cowper, J. M.
  • * Movements, Higham, J. B. & Knighton, E. A.
  • * Signal Communications, Gravely, T. B.
  • * Quartering, Magnay, A. D.
  • * Miscellaneous Q services, Magnay, A. D.
  • * Mobilization, McPherson, A. B.
  • * Discipline, McPherson, A. B.
  • * Transportation, Micklem, R.
  • * Army welfare, Morgan, M. C.
  • * Ordnance services, Officers of the directorate
  • * Airborne Forces, Oatway, T. B. H.
  • * The development of artillery, tactics and equipment, Pemberton, A. L.
  • * Manpower problems, Pigott, A. J. K.
  • * Army Radar, Sayer, A. P.
  • * Morale, Sparrow, J. H. A.
  • * Personnel selection, Ungerson, B.
  • * Military Engineering , Pakenham-Walsh, R. P.
  • * Administrative planning, Wilson, H. W.
  • * Special Weapons and types of warfare 3 volumes, Wiseman, D. J. C.
  • ** Volume I Gas Warfare
  • ** Volume II Screening smoke, signal smoke, flame warfare insecticide & insect repellent & special common use equipment
  • ** Volume III Visual & Sonic warfareRoyal Air Force Series, printed by the Air Ministry
  • * Airborne Forces
  • * Air/Sea Rescue
  • * Air Support
  • * Armament
  • ** Volume I Bombs & Bombing Equipment
  • ** Volume II Guns, Gunsights, Turrets, Ammunition and Pyrotechnics
  • * Maintenance
  • * Signals
  • ** Volume I Organisation and Development
  • ** Volume II Telecommunications
  • ** Volume III Aircraft Radio
  • ** Volume IV Radar in Raid Reporting
  • ** Volume V Fighter Control and Interception
  • ** Volume VI Radio in Maritime Warfare
  • ** Volume VII Radio Counter-Measures
  • * ''Works''