Night Raid, Taylor Downing
Night Raid, Taylor Downing
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Night Raid
The True Story of the First Victorious British Para Raid of WWII

Author: Taylor Downing

Narrator: Gordon Griffin

Unabridged: 11 hr 58 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 05/01/2014


Synopsis

The loss of British bombers over Occupied Europe began to reach alarming levels in 1941. Could it be that the Germans were using a sophisticated form of radar to direct their night fighters and anti-aircraft guns at the British bombers? British aerial reconnaissance discovered what seemed to be a rotating radar tower on a clifftop at Bruneval, near Le Havre. The truth must be revealed.

The decision was taken to launch a daring raid on the Bruneval site to try and capture the technology for further examination. The planned airborne assault would be extremely risky. The parachute regiment had only been formed a year before on Churchill's insistence. This night raid would test the men to the extreme limits of their abilities.

Night Raid tells the gripping tale of this mission from the planning stages, to the failed rehearsals when the odds seemed stacked against them, to the night of the raid itself, and the scientific secrets that were discovered thanks to the paras' precious cargo - the German radar. Its capture was of immense importance in the next stages of the war and the mission itself marked the birth of the legend of the 'Red Devils'.

About Taylor Downing

Taylor Downing is a writer, historian and award-winning television producer. He read History at Cambridge University and worked at the Imperial War Museum and Thames Television before going on to become managing director and head of history at Flashback Television, a leading independent production company. His books include the bestselling Cold War (with Jeremy Isaacs), 1983, Breakdown, Secret Warriors, Night Raid, The World at War, Olympia, Spies in the Sky and Churchill's War Lab.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Jesper on March 01, 2022

Very interesting book and I think it's well written. Interesting part of WW2, and until I read this book I didn't hear of this particular raid (and I do know quite a lot about this topic). I would recommend though, for those who will start reading about WW2 to first start with this book. Or at least......more

Goodreads review by Alistair on May 30, 2019

This book provides a wonderful recount of the Bruneval raid and the actions taken by the British military to pull it off. But where this book truly excels is in the way it puts the raid in context. The first half of the book shows the development of radar by the British, the challenges they faced and......more

Goodreads review by dean on May 20, 2017

a good read if you skip the padding. some chapters were excellent like the conception and development of radar and the raid itself. but the rest i found tedious.......more

Goodreads review by Mark on June 03, 2024

Well written, and moving account of a little known event in WW2......more