Many Home Guard members had served in the First World War and brought military experience to local defence. Their knowledge of familiar ground included bottlenecks, concealed positions, and useful observation points. The discussion imagines these men holding their own districts while their families escaped. Their military experience, local relationships, and determination to protect those families underpin the assessment of their potential resistance. These are reasons to expect determined defence, although they cannot establish how a particular unit would have performed during an invasion.
Notable Point · 3:05:49-3:09:33
The Home Guard's veterans and knowledge of local ground
First World War experience and detailed knowledge of familiar ground are central to the case for the Home Guard's defensive value.