THIS year marks the 80th anniversary of when Southampton suffered its darkest hours at the hands of the German Luftwaffe. Nazi bombers rained fire onto the town during terrifying bombing raids, yet through it all the close-knit community took the advice to keep calm and carry on.

To mark the anniversary of the attack the Daily Echo has produced a commemorative book that takes a look back over the raids on Southampton in 1940, the Battle of Britain and the bravery of the city and its residents.

The Blitz of Southampton Remembered - in shops from Friday - also reveals some personal accounts and looks into how the city, almost destroyed, rose from the ashes.

Through 52 pages we recall the courage, tenacity, and doggedness of Southampton and it people of eight decades ago and the legacy from that time which has shaped the city of today.

Throughout the Second World War, the Daily Echo remained at the heart of a bomb-blasted Southampton despite the newspaper’s Above Bar offices taking a direct hit.

Hundreds of homes, dozens of churches, and countless numbers of Southampton’s buildings and workplaces were razed to the ground, and more than 600 lives were tragically lost as a result of Nazi bombing raids that began in the summer of 1940 and lasted until July 1944.

It was true that the many German raids, especially those in the last week of November 1940, shook the citizens of Southampton. But, it was also claimed by many at the time, that the viciousness had not broken the spirit of the people

The Blitz of Southampton Remembered can be purchased for £2.95 from select shops across the region from tomorrow, ordered for £4, including post and packaging, by phone on 0800 731 4900 or online at dailyecho.co.uk/theblitz.