The History of the Second World War is the official history of Britain's contribution to the Second World War and was published by Her Majesty's Stationery Office (HMSO). This immense project was sub-divided into areas to ease publication. Military operations are covered in the United Kingdom Military Series, the United Kingdom Civil Series covers aspects of the civilian war effortand the Foreign Policy series; the Intelligence series and the Medical series are eponymous. There are other volumes not under the aegis of the series but were published by HMSO and may be read as adjuncts, as they cover matters not considered in great detail or in one case at all in the main series. Further volumes, published either 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 but 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 cover the part of the war effort being studied; 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 another volume appearing in 2004. An unorthodox decision was to cover the conflict from a theatre of operations point of view rather than by services, to acknowledge that military operations were intimately linked.
The original works lacked references to unpublished sources when published before 1970. Government archives were opened to an extent by the Public Records Act 1958 and the Public Records Act 1966. The works were published with only references to published sources. British constitutional conventions on the anonymity of government officials and ministers were also 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 A parallel series of volumes for official use were printed, which referenced the unpublished sources in manuscript, in red ink.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.
Grand Strategy
Volume I, N. H. Gibbs, 1976
Volume II, Sir James Butler, 1957
Volume III, Part 1, J. R. M. Gwyer, 1964
Volume III, Part 2, Sir James Butler, 1964
Volume IV, Sir Michael Howard, 1970
Volume V, John Ehrman, 1956
Volume VI, John Ehrman, 1956
The War at Sea
Volume I: The Defensive, Captain Stephen Roskill, 1954
Volume II: The Period of Balance, Captain Stephen Roskill, 1956
Volume III, Part 1: The Offensive, Captain Stephen Roskill, 1960
Volume III, Part 2: The Offensive, Captain Stephen Roskill, 1961
The Strategic Air Offensive Against Germany
Volume I: Preparation, Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland, 1961
Volume II: Endeavour, Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland, 1961
Volume III: Victory, Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland, 1961
Volume IV: Annexes and Appendices, Sir Charles Webster and Noble Frankland, 1961
Defence of the United Kingdom, Basil Collier, 1957
The Campaign in Norway, Thomas Derry, 1952
The War in France and Flanders, 1939–40, Major L. F. Ellis, 1954
Victory in the West
Volume I: Battle of Normandy, Major L. F. Ellis et al., 1962
Volume II: Defeat of Germany, Major L. F. Ellis et al., 1968
War Against Japan
Volume I: The Loss of Singapore, Major-General Stanley Woodburn Kirby et al., 1957
Volume II: India's Most Dangerous Hour, Major-General Stanley Woodburn Kirby et al., 1958
Volume III: The Decisive Battles, Major-General Stanley Woodburn Kirby et al., 1961
Volume IV: The Reconquest of Burma, Major-General Stanley Woodburn Kirby et al., 1965
Volume V: The Surrender of Japan, Major-General Stanley Woodburn Kirby et al., 1969
The Mediterranean and Middle East
Volume I: The Early Successes Against Italy, to May 1941, Major-General I. S. O. Playfair et al., 1954
Volume II: The Germans Come to the Help of Their Ally, 1941, Major-General I. S. O. Playfair et al., 1956
Volume III: British Fortunes Reach Their Lowest Ebb, Major-General I. S. O. Playfair et al., 1960
Volume IV: The Destruction of the Axis Forces in Africa, Major-General I. S. O. Playfair, Brigadier C. J. C. Molony et al., 1966
Volume V: The Campaign in Sicily, 1943 and the Campaign in Italy, 3 September 1943 to 31 March 1944, Brigadier C. J. C. Molony et al., 1973
Volume VI, Part 1: Victory in the Mediterranean: 1 April to 4 June 1944, General Sir William Jackson et al., 1984
Volume VI, Part 2: Victory in the Mediterranean: June to October 1944, General Sir William Jackson et al., 1987
Volume VI, Part 3: Victory in the Mediterranean: November 1944 to May 1945, General Sir William Jackson et al., 1988
Civil Affairs and Military Government
Central Organisation and Planning, Frank Donnison, 1966
North-West Europe, 1944–46, Frank Donnison, 1961
Allied Administration of Italy, Charles Harris, 1957
British Military Administration in the Far East, 1943–46, Frank Donnison, 1956
Introductory
British War Economy, Keith Hancock and Margaret Gowing, 1949
Statistical Digest of the War, Central Statistical Office, 1949
Problems of Social Policy, Richard M. Titmuss, 1950
British War Production, M. M. Postan, 1952
General Series
Coal, William B. Court, 1951
Oil: A Study of Wartime Policy and Administration, D. J. Payton-Smith, 1971
Studies in the Social Services, Sheila Ferguson, 1978
Civil Defence, T. H. O'Brien, 1955
Works and Buildings, C. M. Kohan, 1952
Food
Volume I: The Growth of Policy, R. J. Hammond, 1951
Volume II: Studies in Administration and Control, R. J. Hammond, 1956
Volume III: Studies in Administration and Control, R. J. Hammond, 1962
Agriculture, Keith A. H. Murray, 1955
The Economic Blockade
Volume I, William N. Medlicott, 1952
Volume II, William N. Medlicott, 1957
Inland Transport, Christopher I. Savage, 1957
Merchant Shipping and the Demands of War, C. B. A. Behrens, 1955
North American Supply, H. Duncan Hall, 1955
Manpower: Study of War-Time Policy and Administration, H. M. D. Parker, 1957
Civil Industry and Trade, Eric L. Hargreaves, 1952
Financial Policy, 1939–45, Richard S. Sayers, 1956
War Production
Labour in the Munitions Industries, P. Inman, 1957
The Control of Raw Materials, Joel Hurstfield, 1953
The Administration of War Production, J. D. Scott, 1955
Design and Development of Weapons: Studies in Government and Industrial Organisation, M. M. Postan, 1964
Factories and Plant, William Hornby, 1958
Contracts and Finance, William Ashworth, 1953
Studies of Overseas Supply, H. Duncan Hall, 1956
British Foreign Policy in the Second World War
Volume I, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1970
Volume II, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1971
Volume III, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1971
Volume IV, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1975
Volume V, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1976
Abridged Version, Sir Llewellyn Woodward, 1962
British Intelligence in the Second World War
Volume I: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley et al., 1979
Volume II: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley et al., 1981
Volume III, Part 1: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley et al., 1984
Volume III, Part 2: Its Influence on Strategy and Operations, F. H. Hinsley et al., 1988
Volume IV: Security and Counter-Intelligence, F. H. Hinsley et al., 1990
Volume V: Strategic Deception, Michael Howard, 1990
Abridged Version, F. H. Hinsley, 1993
SOE in France, Michael R. D. Foot, 1966 and 2004
The Emergency Medical Services
Volume I: England and Wales, Edited by Cuthbert L. Dunn, 1952
Volume II: Scotland, Northern Ireland and Principal Air Raids on Industrial Centres in Great Britain,
Edited by Cuthbert L. Dunn, 1953
The Royal Air Force Medical Services
Volume I: Administration, Edited by S. C. Rexford-Welch, 1954
Volume II: Command, Edited by S. C. Rexford-Welch, 1955
Volume III: Campaigns, Edited by S. C. Rexford-Welch, 1958
The Royal Naval Medical Service
Volume I: Administration, Jack L. S. Coulter, 1953
Volume II: Operations, Jack L. S. Coulter, 1955
The Army Medical Services
Administration
Volume I, Francis A. E. Crew, 1953
Volume II, Francis A. E. Crew, 1955
Campaigns
Volume I: France and Belgium, 1939–40, Norway, Battle of Britain, Libya, 1940–42, East Africa, Greece, 1941, Crete, Iraq, Syria, Persia, Madagascar, Malta, Francis A. E. Crew, 1956
Volume II: Hong Kong, Malaya, Iceland and the Faroes, Libya, 1942–43, North-West Africa, Francis A. E. Crew, 1957
Volume III: Sicily, Italy, Greece (1944–45), Francis A. E. Crew, 1959
Volume IV: North-West Europe, Francis A. E. Crew, 1962
Volume V: Burma, Francis A. E. Crew, 1966
The Civilian Health and Medical Services
Volume I: The Civilian Health Services; Other Civilian Health and Medical Services, The Colonies, The Medical Services of the Ministry of Pensions, Sir Arthur A. MacNalty, 1953
Volume II: Public Health in Scotland, Public Health in Northern Ireland, Sir Arthur A. MacNalty, 1955
Medical Services at War: The Principal Lessons of the Second World War, Sir Arthur A. MacNalty, 1968
Cope, Sir Zachary, ed. (1952). Medicine and Pathology. History of the Second World War United Kingdom Medical Series. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. LCCN 53017268. OCLC 458306589.
Cope, Sir Zachary, ed. (1953). Surgery. History of the Second World War United Kingdom medical series. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office. LCCN 54001119. OCLC 459817464.
Medical Research, Edited by F. H. K. Green and Major-General Sir Gordon Covell, 1953
Casualties and Medical Statistics, Edited by William M. Franklin, 1972
The Royal Air Force, 1939–45
Volume I: Fight at Odds, Denis Richards, 1953
Volume II: Fight Avails, Denis Richards and Hilary St George Saunders, 1953
Volume III: Fight is Won, Hilary St George Saunders, 1954
British Military Administration of Occupied Territories in Africa During the Years 1941–1947, Major-General Lord Rennell of Rodd, 1948
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.
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, 2001
Secret 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, 2004
Army Series, printed by the War Office, 30 volumes
Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Volume 1 Organisation and Operations, Rowcroft, E. Bertram (1951)
Volume 2 Technical, Bloor, F. R. (1951)
Supplies and Transport. 2 volumes, Boileau, D. W. (1954)
Works service and Engineer stores, Buchanan, A. G. B. (1953)
Fighting, support and transport vehicles and the War Office provision for their provision
Part 1 Common Problems, Campagnac R. & Hayman P. E. G. (1951)
Part 2 Unarmoured Vehicles, Campagnac R. & Hayman P. E. G. (1951)
Maintenance in the field. 2 volumes, Carter, J. A. H. (1952)
Maps and Survey, Clough, A. B. (1952)
The Auxiliary Territorial Service, Cowper, J. M. (1949)
Movements, Higham, J. B. & Knighton, E. A. (1955)
Signal Communications, Gravely, T. B. (1950)
Quartering, Magnay, A. D. (1949)
Miscellaneous Q services, Magnay, A. D. (1954)
Mobilization, McPherson, A. B. (1950)
Discipline, McPherson, A. B. (1950)
Transportation, Micklem, R. (1950)
Army welfare, Morgan, M. C. (1953)
Ordnance services, Officers of the directorate. (1950)
Airborne Forces, Oatway, T. B. H. (1951)
The development of artillery, tactics and equipment, Pemberton, A. L. (1950)
Manpower problems, Pigott, A. J. K. (1949)
Army Radar, Sayer, A. P. (1950)
Morale, Sparrow, J. H. A. (1949)
Personnel selection, Ungerson, B. (1952)
Military Engineering (field), Pakenham-Walsh, R. P. (1952)
Administrative planning, Wilson, H. W. (1952)
Special Weapons and types of warfare. 3 volumes; 1. Gas Warfare. 2. Screening smoke, signal smoke, flame warfare insecticide & insect repellent & special common use equipment. 3. Visual & Sonic warfare, Wiseman, D. J. C. (1951–53)
Royal Air Force Series, printed by the Air Ministry
Airborne Forces (1951)
Air/Sea Rescue (1952)
Air Support (1956)
Armament
Volume I Bombs & Bombing Equipment (1952)
Volume II Guns, Gunsights, Turrets, Ammunition and Pyrotechnics (1954)
Maintenance (1954)
Signals
Volume I Organisation and Development (1958)
Volume II Telecommunications (1958)
Volume III Aircraft Radio (1956)
Volume IV Radar in Raid Reporting (1950)
Volume V Fighter Control and Interception (1952)
Volume VI Radio in Maritime Warfare (1954)
Volume VII Radio Counter-Measures (1950)
Works (1956)