Ming smiled, and Tang came to join them, the three friends watching as the humans celebrated. She liked to think that the zoo and its inhabitants reflected the humans’ struggles: they, too, were evacuated, their food rationed, and they, too, lost their homes and their loved ones. She had heard some of the humans call it the “people’s war,” but to Ming, Francis, and all the others, it would always be known as their war. A struggle fought and overcome not just by the humans, but by the animals, too.
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Francis and Ming’s story is set during what became known as the Battle of Britain and the Blitz. But this battle waged against London by Nazi Germany was only a small part of World War II and just one of thousands of battles that were fought all across the world. Almost every country in the world became involved in the war in some way. Many joined the side of the Axis powers, which included most notably Germany, Japan, and Italy; others joined the side of the Allies, which included Great Britain, France, Canada, the United States, China, and the Soviet Union.
The war lasted six years, from 1939 to 1945, and many cities and towns were destroyed during that time, and many lives were lost. In less fortunate countries and rural areas, there were no armies, navy, or air force to come to the rescue when under attack or invaded. Until the Allies came to their aid, they had no one but themselves to stand up and fight for their homes and their lives. In Great Britain and around the world, many animals lost their lives, too, not only those caught in air raids, bombings, and fires, but when food was rationed, there was less to eat for everyone, including family pets; many were set free to fend for themselves.
At Whipsnade Zoo, land was put aside for farming so that the zoo could feed both human and animal inhabitants, providing food for the animals at London Zoo that had otherwise been imported from abroad. The craters left behind by bombs hitting land at Whipsnade and then being turned into ponds also actually happened. With many of the men away at war, it became too much work to fill in the craters.
Bletchley Park played a big role during the war. It was the central site for the Allied forces code breakers and was where intelligence officers were able to hack into and decode information about the Axis powers’ movements. This enabled the Allies to stay one step ahead at times and to prevent attacks before the enemy reached their intended targets, preventing the loss of many more lives. It has even been said that the work done at Bletchley shortened the length of the war by two years, as without the vital information the code breakers were able to procure, the Germans and Axis powers would have certainly invaded more countries and been more successful in their attacks.
In this book, Francis is able to alert those in power of the Nazis’ plans to blitz London so that the Royal Air Force could respond in time. In real life, there were many pigeons like Francis who risked their lives along with the human soldiers to get important messages where they needed to go, and so they, too, had a part in helping to end what was, hopefully, the last world war our planet will ever see.
London Zoo opened in 1828 and is still a thriving zoo today at the heart of Regent’s Park in London. It houses more than twenty thousand animals and over seven hundred different species, including endangered species such as pygmy hippos, pangolins, tigers, and Asian elephants.
Through the years, it has been home to many special animals, some who became famous and much-loved, such as Ming. A black bear called Winnie lived at the zoo at the beginning of the First World War. It was then that the author of the classic Winnie-the-Pooh stories, A. A. Milne, visited the zoo with his son and inspiration struck.
A gorilla named Guy lived at the zoo from 1947 to 1978, and there is now a statue in his honor. Apparently Guy was a bird lover and used to gently pick up small birds that entered his enclosure and then release them.
In 1865 an elephant named Jumbo was brought to London Zoo. He was trained by zookeepers and would give visitors rides around the park. The zoo also housed animals that are sadly now extinct, such as the quagga, which looked similar to a zebra and was hunted to extinction, and the thylacine, also known as a Tasmanian tiger, which looked similar to a striped wolf or dog with a long, thin tail.
Jacky and Chiney were named after chimpanzees who lived at London Zoo during World War II. Monkey Hill was hit by a bomb, as depicted in this book, but there were no casualties. Rather than try to capture the monkeys, the zookeepers waited for them to return for food, which they eventually did.
The zebra house received a direct hit from the bombing during the Blitz, and miraculously none of the animals were harmed. They had somehow managed to escape alive. I like to think, as I have imagined in this book, they had a bit of help from some friends!
The zoo provided visitors the opportunity to see animals that Londoners had never seen before, which is why animals such as Ming the giant panda became so popular and well loved.
GIANT PANDAS
• The giant panda, also known simply as panda, lives in the bamboo forests of Central China.
• Although they do eat meat and fish, their diet consists almost entirely of bamboo shoots and leaves.
• They usually live for around twenty years and can weigh up to 285 pounds!
PIGEONS
• Baby pigeons are known as squabs and are ready to leave the nest when they are around two months old.
• Pigeons can fly up to seven hundred miles in a single day and at speeds of up to ninety miles per hour.
• They have extraordinary navigating abilities, and it doesn’t matter how far they fly, they can almost always find their way back home.
SQUIRREL MONKEYS
• Although the squirrel monkey is one of the smallest monkeys, it is considered to be one of the smartest.
• They are found in South America and eat fruit and insects.
• They love company and usually live in very large groups, often with up to hundreds in a single group.
The Blitz, or blitzkreig as it was called by the Germans, means “lightning war.” During World War II, the Blitz attack on Great Britain started during the Battle of Britain. The Germans had begun a series of air raids on Great Britain in 1940, starting with ports, industrial cities, and factories. Anything that might weaken Britain and also show that the Luftwaffe—the German air force—was superior to the British Royal Air Force—the RAF. But after the RAF proved to be the stronger force, Adolf Hitler set in motion Operation Sea Lion, an all-out attack on London, its civilians and populated areas, intending to bring the capital to its knees.
From September 7, the Luftwaffe bombed London both night and day for a continued period of fifty-seven days, during which much of London was destroyed. People took to their air-raid shelters in their gardens or below their houses, and those who had no shelter of their own fled to the underground stations to take refuge from the continuous onslaught of bombs. The assault on London finally ended in May 1941 when German soldiers were sent to invade Russia. When the Luftwaffe failed, they began to bomb the ports to hit navy resources and industrial cities in an attempt to hurt Britain in a different way.
In the first night of the Blitz, over two thousand civilians were either killed or injured. Hitler intended to break the morale of the British people, but he failed. One example during the Blitz was when the Nazis targeted Saint Paul’s Cathedral in the center of London. Despite the Nazis’ best efforts and much of London burning to the ground around the cathedral, firefighters and civilians alike worked together to save the famous cathedral and its dome. And at the end of the Blitz, many evacuees returned home, and London, like many other
cities and villages affected by the war, began rebuilding the city.
1939
September 1: The Second World War starts in Europe when Germany invades Poland.
September 3: France and Britain declare war on Germany. Those countries fighting alongside the United Kingdom and France are known as the Allies. Australia and New Zealand also join the Allies against Germany.
September 5: The United States declares that they will not be taking sides and would remain neutral at this point in the war.
September 6: South Africa declares war on Germany.
September 10: Canada declares war on Germany.
September 17: The Soviet Union joins Germany in invading Poland, becoming known as the Axis powers working against the Allies.
September 19: The Japanese Imperial Army attacks the Chinese Revolutionary Army.
November 30: The Soviet Union invades Finland.
1940
April 9: Germany invades Norway and Denmark. Both countries eventually surrender to Germany.
May 10: Winston Churchill becomes the new prime minister of Britain after Neville Chamberlain resigns.
May 12: German forces enter France.
May 26: Around 340,000 British, French, and Belgian soldiers are evacuated from the beaches of Dunkirk in the north of France.
June 10: Italy enters the war against Britain and France, joining the Axis powers.
June 14: Germany invades Paris and takes control.
July 10: Germany launches nightly air attacks on Great Britain. These attacks last until the end of October and are known as the Battle of Britain.
September 7: The German blitz on London starts and doesn’t end until May 1941.
September 27: Germany, Italy, and Japan sign the Tripartite Pact, creating the Axis Alliance.
October 28: Italy invades Greece.
November: Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia join Germany and the Axis powers.
1941
March 1: Bulgaria joins the Axis powers.
April 6: Germany invades Greece and Yugoslavia.
June 22: Germany and the Axis powers attack Russia.
December 7: Japan attacks the US Navy in Pearl Harbor.
December 8: The United States declares war on Japan and joins World War II on the side of the Allies.
December 11: Germany and Italy declare war on the United States, and the US responds accordingly.
1942
February: Japan invades and takes control of Singapore.
June 4: The US Navy defeats the Japanese Imperial Navy in the Battle of Midway, fought close to Hawaii.
August: The Allies enter North Africa, where they fight against the Germans and Italians.
August 23: The Battle of Stalingrad begins in Russia. Germany and the Axis powers fight for control of the Russian city.
1943
February 2: The Germans surrender to the Soviet Union after the defeat in Stalingrad.
May 13: In North Africa, the Axis forces surrender to the Allies.
May 16: RAF forces attack German dams, known as the Dambusters Raid.
September 8: Italy surrenders and changes sides to join the Allies, weakening the Axis powers significantly.
1944
June 6: D-Day and the Normandy Invasion. Allied forces invade France and push back the Germans.
August 25: Paris is liberated from German control.
December 16: The Germans launch the final large attack in the Battle of the Bulge. They eventually lose to the Allies.
1945
February 19: US Marines invade the Japanese island of Iwo Jima and eventually capture the island.
April 12: US President Franklin Roosevelt dies. He is succeeded by President Harry Truman.
April 30: Adolf Hitler commits suicide, as he knows Germany has lost the war.
May 7: Germany surrenders to the Allies, ending the war in Europe.
August 6: The United States drops the atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. The city is devastated.
August 9: Another atomic bomb is dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.
September 2: Japan surrenders to US General Douglas MacArthur and the Allies. The war is over.
AIR RAID: an assault from the sky, usually with bombs
AIR-RAID SIREN: a loud siren that warns large populations of approaching danger
ALLIES: a person, group, or country with a common cause
BARRAGE BALLOON: a large balloon anchored near or around a city with large wires, used as a defense from low-flying planes
BLETCHLEY PARK: the code-breaking facility in Britain
BLITZKRIEG: in German means “lightning war,” an intensive bombing often from the sky
BLITZ: shortened version of blitzkrieg
CODE BREAKER: a person who deciphers codes, working at a facility such as Bletchley Park
ENLIST: to join or enroll in something, often military service
EVACUATE: to leave a place, often due to potential danger
HOME GUARD: a volunteer force for when the army is located somewhere else
INCENDIARIES: bombs used to set things on fire
LIEUTENANT GENERAL: a high-ranking officer in the army
LUFTWAFFE: the German air force
MESSERSCHMITT: bomber plane used by the German air force
NAZI: a member of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party, led by Adolf Hitler during the Second World War
PILLBOX: a small, low concrete building that housed guns
RAF: the British air force, known as the Royal Air Force
SIGNAL CORPS: members of the army responsible for communications
SPITFIRE: fighter plane used by British and American air forces
TROOPS: a military group
WIRELESS: British name for radio
BOOKS
Adams, Simon. DK Eyewitness: World War II. New York: DK Children, 2014.
Deary, Terry, and Mike Phillips. Horrible Histories: Blitz. London: Scholastic, 2009.
Deary, Terry, and Martin Brown. Horrible Histories: Woeful Second World War. London: Scholastic, 2011.
Graham, Ian, and David Salariya. You Wouldn’t Want to Be a World War II Pilot. New York: Franklin Watts, 2009.
Malam, John, and David Salariya. You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Secret Agent During World War II. New York: Franklin Watts, 2010.
Thompson, Ben. Guts & Glory: World War II. New York: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2017.
WEBSITES
history.com/topics/world-war-ii
historyonthenet.com/world-war-two-the-blitz
natgeokids.com/uk/discover/history/general-history /world-war-two
MOVIE
Walt Disney’s Valiant (2005). (This animated movie tells the story of a group of war pigeons during World War II.)
Scott Palmieri
Katrina Charman
lives in a small village in the middle of Southeast England with her husband and three daughters. Katrina has wanted to be a children’s writer ever since she was eleven, when her school teacher set her class the task of writing an epilogue to Roald Dahl’s Matilda. Her teacher thought her writing was good enough to send to Roald Dahl himself. Sadly, she never got a reply, but the experience ignited her love of reading and writing. She invites you to visit her at katrinacharman.com.
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