Hello and welcome to this edition of Between the Lines, the podcast that desiphers the

handwriting, unfolds faded pages and dips into the details of Diaries, logbooks and letters

written during this same week, there or thereabouts, in 1943, some 80 years ago.

Let's start with a quick recap of the situation.

All too often we hear the phrase this was a turning point in the Second World War,

but don't worry, I'm not about to argue that the invasion of Sicily was pivotal,

but this week does have its moments. The battle for Munder Point begins on New Georgia.

Mussolini has resigned, the US joint chiefs of staff have just voted to invade the Gilbert

Islands, and the five-month-long battle of the Ruhr ends in Allied victory.

This is the week that Bomber Command directs 2,355 sorties over Hamburg in three huge night-time

raids, and the US Air Force aligned another 235 daylight sorties to press home the attack.

In Operation Gomorrah, the combination of 1,000 tons of incendiary bombs and many,

many tinder-dry buildings creates a horrendous firestorm. More than 40,000 people are killed,

in and around Hamburg, most of them die of carbon monoxide poisoning.

The flames could be seen 100 miles away, and Germany's largest city was devastated.

It was a catastrophe for Germany and for Hitler and the Nazi regime.

To put it into perspective, around 500 people died in the Luftwaffe's raid on Coventry in November

1940. Also this week, in Britain, the government announced that women under the age of 50

must register for war work, while once again checking with Vier Hodson first,

keeping up to date with a diary in Notting Hill Gate. As we found out last week,

when she's not engaged in social work, Vier spends much of a time listening to the radio,

and picking up news about the Allies' progress in Italy.

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