June 1940 and Western Europe is under German domination. German bombers shell channel convoys and the RAF is drawn into battle. The British public contribute saucepans and scrap metal to build aeroplanes. The Local Defence Volunteer Force (Home Guard) numbers 1.5 million men but only 70,000 rifles.
As Italy enters the war, Americans predict that British defeat is inevitable. Heavy losses are sustained as Germans bomb aircraft factories. Air raid shelters become part of everyday life as bomber raids over London become a nightly event. The Blitz has begun.