h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Having done considerable research into my local wartime Home Guard units, I can assure you that "Dad's Army" was far more accurate than you would think possible.
The Home Guard hold the uneviable record of being the only army in history that killed more of their own people than they did the enemy!

Given the large numbers of men, a lot of them at the best, semi-trained, armed, and extremely jumpy about a German invasion, spys, and sabotueres,this is not suprising. My local HG unit shot a Policeman in uniform after he rode past their roadblock on his bike without stopping. Fortunately he survived, but many did not.

Not that it was all the fault of the HG members, a lot of people refused to take the HG seriously, working on the basis that they were only "Playing" at soldiers, and not believing for a moment that "Halt, or I fire!" meant just that!

Regardless of all this, the members of the Home Guard were all prepared, if an invasion HAD taken place, to die in defence of their own little bit of Britain, and for this we should salute every one of them.