Red Devils: The Trailblazers of the Paras in World War Two
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‘Riveting . . . Full of daring action, standout characters and cutting edge operations, this is unputdownable’ Damien Lewis
‘Gripping and authoritative. Family men, circus performers, solicitors, communists, and reactionaries all fought together and shed blood for their country – a true and moving story of war’ Andy McNab
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Their German enemies called them the ‘Red Devils’. Montgomery described them as ‘men apart – every man an Emperor’. The cards they received on qualifying began: ‘You are the elite of the British army’.
The Parachute Regiment.
In this gripping, authorized account, bestselling historian Mark Urban tells the story of the wartime creation and development of Britain’s elite airborne infantry – who ranged from circus performers to solicitors, policemen to gravediggers, Christians and Jews to communists.
Through the fates of six men – including recently widowed Geoffrey Pine-Coffin, who had to leave his little boy at home to head to the front, and Mike Lewis, whose photographs became iconic images of war – Urban vividly shows what it took to succeed in this new regiment. All six men would shed blood for their country in daring actions at D-Day, Arnhem and across the Second World War; two would not survive, and one would face disgrace.
Based on deep archival research, British and German sources and new material from the men’s families, and giving overdue recognition to the North African campaign, Urban’s unvarnished history is a compelling and moving depiction of the highs and lows of battle.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (20 July 2023), Penguin |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 384 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0241995221 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0241995228 |
| Dimensions | 12.85 x 2.54 x 19.84 cm |
by Sean
I loved this book as its well written and well research by the author. I am a massive fan of Mark Urban and wasn’t disappointed when I read his latest book.
It the story of the founding of the Parachute Regiment and their battles during the Second World War.
Its well written and enjoyable and recommended to any military historical.
Best wishes Sean ex RE Sapper
by Fred Hipkiss
Book is very well written and informative.
by Mark
good
by Mat
This is an informative account of the Parachute Regiment’s history during the Second World War (note – it does not go beyond 1945 to the modern era and barely mentions the non-Parachute Regiment Airlanding battalions). There were a number of things I had not known of before so came away with the overall impression that it is a good, useful addition and overview of set operations and of the men and their character.
There were however a few clumsy errors in my paperback edn that could and, IMHO, should have been caught. One startling clanger on one page was of the 101st US Airborne being responsible for the Nijmegen bridge(!)
There is also a somewhat particular focus on certain units. The author has chosen to follow specific individuals and is also of course slightly influenced by the availability of sources. This works okay in some places but some important events in well-recounted battles and occasionally entire units are glazed over with brief mentions (or none whatsoever, ie the 14th & 16th Parachute Battalions in Burma). Other events are retold in detail for the umpteenth time but without adding much that is new (ie Frost & 2nd Battalion at the Arnhem bridge).
Also as a personal annoyance I didn’t like the use of the word “conchie” to describe the conscientiousness objectors in the 225th PFA. While some in the airborne may have used it as joking ‘banter’, at the time and in WW1 the term was also more often used as a perjorative, insulting word and I don’t think those brave medics deserve its casual use applied to them eighty years later by someone who wasn’t there. I have no objection to its use in quotes from those who were there, or its brief appearance as a flat ‘explainer’ in the text – but examples like “…the influence of conchies among…” and various others do not fall into either category and are the author’s own use to add to his narrative. Again, just a personal irritation, it marred the otherwise respectful treatment by the author of all the men in the wartime Airborne divisions and to stress my overall impression of the book after reading was that it is good and an interesting addition to the bookshelf regardless of level of previous subject knowledge.
by Amazon Customer
Informative and well written, couldn’t put it down.
by anastasia
There’s a lot of information in the book which I haven’t heard about previously. Good research and a good read! I know much more about the subject now in a very interesting way. Thoroughly enjoyed this book.
by Mark Time
Mark Urban has written a really good account that deals with the formation of the Parachute Regiment and its early successes and failures.
by Amazon Customer
Bought as a gift