THE G.I.'s: The Americans in Britain 1942-1945

by Norman Longrnate ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 1976

To many Englishmen in January 1942 when the first American G.I.'s arrived, they'd come from a place of covered wagons, cowboys, Indians, ten-gallon hats, Chicago gangsters, skyscrapers, and Puritans. The G.I.'s were no better informed about their new hosts and allies. Every woman under 50 at a Red Cross canteen was apt to be told, ""You've got great big, beautiful bedroom eyes""--a remark not common among the English. Longmate had first-hand experience with Yanks when his hometown blossomed as an American supply depot in 1942. The Yanks were immortalized forever as ""over-fed, over-paid, over-sexed--and over here."" Their ranks swelled until the mass exodus just after D-Day on June 6, 1944. By autumn 1945 they were gone--and 70,000 British war brides soon set off for the States. The free-and-easy Americans shocked many Britons out of their inhibitions and challenged much in the British way of life. Most G.I.'s remember Britain with pleasure--a feeling that's mutual, as this cheerful chronicle reveals.

Pub Date: May 1, 1976

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Scribners

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1976

Categories: NONFICTION