Introduction: Paris: June 1940 ; Part One: Exodus ; 1. The Invasion of Paris ; 2. On the Road ; Part Two: Reactions to Defeat ; 3. Death of the Third Republic ; 4. The People's Decisions ; Part Three: Home or Exile ; 5. Summer-Autumn 1940 ; 6. Back to 'Normal'? ; Afterword: Forgetting and Remembering the Exodus ; Further Reading

`Review from previous edition For many French people in 1940, the arrival of the German army meant the collapse of civilization. Seven decades later, the specifics of that collapse are largely forgotten; this book is the remedy... Diamond's book ably addresses these long-ago events, which merit remembrance.' Kirkus Reviews `The strength of Diamond's book is to convey the poignancy, drama and ambiguity of an experience that directly touched the lives of many more people than the Resistance ever did... her readable book superbly conveys the strange unreality of those hot summer days of 1940.' Julian Jackson, Times Higher Education Supplement `A fascinating story, rich in biblical drama, and one that has not been previously told in English. [Diamond] is excellent at describing the political machinations that culminated in Paul Reynaud's resignation...[a] valuable book.' Walter Cook, Tribune `Gripping reading.' Max Hastings, Sunday Times (Culture) `Hanna Diamond...tells the story vividly and even-handedly. [This] book benefits greatly from the vast number of eyewitness memoirs.' Allan Massie, Literary Review `A vivid and poignant account... a forgotten moment of the devastation of war brought to life.' Robert Gildea, author of 'Marianne in Chains' `Diamond has an excellent eye for the striking detail...as a work of history, this book is an invaluable account of the fall of France, seen through the lens of the sufferings of its citizens.' Carmen Callil, Financial Times (FT Magazine) `a major contribution' Modern and Contemporary France, Volume 15, Number 4

Describes in moving detail the effects of invasion and early days of occupation on the people of France Brings the trauma of the refugees of 1940 vividly to life using eyewitness accounts, memoirs, and diaries Shows how the shock of defeat opened the way for the establishment of the Vichy regime

Hanna Diamond is Senior Lecturer in French History in the Department of European Studies at the University of Bath. She lived and taught in Paris for many years and has spent her career researching into the lives of the French people during the twentieth century. Her previous book, Women and the Second World War in France 1939-48: choices and constraints is also based on personal narratives and oral history. It was the first to explore the range of women's experiences of the war. She is currently working on a micro history of a mining community in southern France.

Describes in moving detail the effects of invasion and early days of occupation on the people of France Brings the trauma of the refugees of 1940 vividly to life using eyewitness accounts, memoirs, and diaries Shows how the shock of defeat opened the way for the establishment of the Vichy regime