The civilians´ war

Civilians had quite often found themselves involved in previous wars - especially civil wars. In the First World War civilians became part of the front line as Zeppelins (airships) and aircraft bombed several cities. This was a new and unwelcome experience for civilians in Britain. British civilians had become used to their wars being fought far away. The idea that they could become casualties of war came as a nasty shock. Nonetheless, the number of civilians killed in air raids and naval bombardment in Britain during the First World War was only about 500. The Second World War was to claim 66,000 in Britain alone and a staggering 30 million civilian lives across the world.

Neil Demarco: The era of the Second World War; Oxford University Press, 1993/2000, page 57