Attack Warning Red!
How Britain Prepared for Nuclear War
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Attack Warning Red!
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Narrated by:
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Julie McDowall
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By:
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Julie McDowall
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
There have been many histories of the Cold War but Attack Warning Red! is the first book to tell the domestic story of day-to-day life on the nuclear home front.
The dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945 changed the nature of war forever. The awesome power of the atomic blast and its deadly fallout meant that nowhere was safe: every town, village, street and home in Britain fell under the nuclear shadow, and the threat of annihilation coloured every aspect of ordinary life for the next forty years. As the media reported on the inevitability of approaching conflict with the Soviet Union, the British people were told to prepare for the coming apocalypse.
Families were taught how to construct makeshift shelters in their homes and stockpile food and medicines; vicars and pub landlords were instructed to sound hand-wound sirens to deliver the Four Minute Warning. Schools and hospitals prepared for the worst, and thousands volunteered for civil defence organisations to be trained in nuclear first aid. And while the British people were expected to look after themselves, bunkers were prepared for government officials and experts needed to ensure that life continued after the catastrophe.
Looming nuclear war and the planning for it affected people's everyday lives: it informed their childhoods, structured their work, and inhabited their dreams and nightmares. Today, more than thirty years after the end of the Cold War, we read this story - with its Dad's Army comedy, endearing amateurism and futile measures for a war that was not survivable - with a sense of relief that the worst did not happen; but it is also a timely - and frightening - reminder that the nuclear threat will always be with us.
©2023 Julie McDowall (P)2023 Penguin AudioListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about Attack Warning Red!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- rambling rose
- 08-05-23
wow! shocking and fascinating!
As a child born in 1973 I was aware of nuclear war as a child as a scary prospect. This book (accompanied by watching Threads) really is a mind opener in terms of what was really happening at the time. Not to mention the propaganda! scary, enthralling and compelling this is an engaging and fascinating listen!
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- Tim Stevens
- 25-04-23
A blast
For those of us old enough to remember the Cold War, this is both a terrifying reminder of how close we came to obliteration, and a depressing exposé of how utterly futile the preparations on both sides of the Atlantic were in the face of the looming catastrophe. As the subtitle suggests, the book focuses on Britain, but the US government’s approach to civil defence was hardly more impressive. Particularly chilling is the use of descriptions by survivors and witnesses of both the atomic bombings of Japan and non-nuclear firestorms such as those in Hamburg and Tokyo.
There’s gallows humour throughout, which works well to offset the otherwise relentlessly grim subject matter. (Brain soufflé and sheep’s head in caper sauce, anyone?) And it’s a treat to listen to an audiobook read by the author, especially one who’s as skilled a narrator as Ms McDowall.
Read or listen to this book, then check out the author’s podcast. Both highly recommended.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Chorlton Dragon
- 11-04-23
A very detailed look at a very British apocalypse
This book is a wide randing overview of how Britain, still recovering from the ravages of the second world war, began to prepare tentatively at first but with increasing urgency for a nuclear war that, thankfully, didn't happen.
It's a very well constructed overview and very listenable. You don't need to be a nuclear nerd (!) to be fascinated and appalled at the preparations it describes. And maybe a bit concerned at a nuclear threat which is still with us today,..
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- Guy F.
- 18-01-24
Informative and insightful
A great listen and really informative. Julie brings everything she does so well with Atomic Hobo and expands on it.
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- MattWPBS
- 15-04-23
A feature length version of the podcast
It's great to see what can be done with the wider canvas of a book, as opposed to the short form podcast format. This allows McDowall to pull various threads (no pun intended) together, and follow them through different parts of the wider topic.
Heartily recommended for anyone interested in the cold war, nuclear preparations, or listeners of the podcast.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- neilr1975
- 17-04-23
Very Interesting - But
I really love stories about the cold war and this was an excellent insight to the UK home front.
I found the narration a bit difficult at times and I wish there had been some more technical details in the book and some more in depth analysis of the politics at the time.
Overall a decent enough listen and a real bit of cold war history
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- Matt Wennington
- 12-04-23
A great read for any child of the nuclear era...
A fascinating and frightening insight into British nuclear arms history and preparation (or lack of)...
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- Nick
- 23-04-23
Incredible
Loved this, Probably the fastest I’ve devoured an audiobook. Didn’t want it to end. Amazing work Julie!
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- Sock Monkey
- 07-02-24
Informative and Terrifying in Equal Measures
Fascinating and current (published and listened to in 2023). The author's voice takes a bit of getting used to but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this title.
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- edward
- 18-09-24
Fascinating and Scary
I really enjoyed the narrator, I wish she did more books! a very well researched topic which more people should engage with
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