The French call them 'the Dark Years'... This definitive new history of Occupied France explores the myths and realities of four of the most divisive years in French history. Taking in ordinary people's experiences of defeat, collaboration, resistance, and liberation, it uncovers the conflicting memories of occupation which ensure that even today France continues to debate the legacy of the Vichy years.

"wide-ranging ... The story is regularly enriched by nuggets of unexpected information." - Patrick Marnham, Spectator, 7 July 2001

"a valuable addition to the continuing debate over France's collapse in 1940 and the Vichy government's subsequent cooperation with the Nazis" - Contemporary Review

"this analysis reads very fresh, as though what happened might have turned out differently" - The Guardian