How ENSA Entertained the Troops During World War II. Once the Second World War had broken out, it soon became clear that morale would be crucial in military effectiveness, so ENSA was born. The idea was to send the nation's best singers, dancers, musicians and comedians, from Noel Coward to Gracie Fields, to entertain the troops, however far away they might be. Over the course of the war ENSA gave their first break to such postwar stars as Tommy Cooper and Frankie Howerd as well as enshrining the young Vera Lynn as the forces' sweetheart. This is the extraordinary story of the young entertainers sent out to war to dance and sing.