Night Raid cover art

Night Raid

The True Story of the First Victorious British Para Raid of WWII

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Night Raid

By: Taylor Downing
Narrated by: Gordon Griffin
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About this listen

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'.

©2013 Taylor Downing (P)2014 Soundings Air Forces Armed Forces Europe France Germany Great Britain Military World War England

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Critic reviews

"The Bruneval Raid was the start of the airborne brotherhood. Taylor Downing's vivid account brings alive this important turning point in military history with flair and pace." (Andy McNab)
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After parachuting onto the Bruneval DZ in Feb 2013 and looking around Lone House (what’s left of it!) and the Freya site nearby I can say that Taylor Downings book has filled in the blanks in a thoroughly accurate entertaining way!

Spellbinding !

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spends much time on the technical aspects of radar..but non the worse for that..great yarn

excellent

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A brilliant telling of what was a 3 hour action. By telling the backstory of RDF and the creation of British Airborne forces, Taylor Downing paints a brilliant picture.

A brilliant and in depth study

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This review is brief, but salient. This book clearly, and without melodrama, shows how wars, unfortunate as they are, are won. Its not the pseudo John Wayne hero who wins in the end. It's the ordinary guys who have guile in abundance and are unquestionably brave. They are the people who will eventually triumph.

Two different types of hero are featured here. Those real life characters who show patience and determination throughout the development stage and those who throw caution to the wind (Literally) in the execution phase. Thank god people like these guys existed, who knows! Their type may yet be called upon again.

Should be entitled 'Real Life Heroes'.

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A very detailed, captivating and and entertaining well rounded account to what led to significant changes in history. Utrique Paratus

Superb

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why we never hear of these heroic - sort of story that needs telling . Untill I read this I didn't even know the Germans had Radar in 1940 let alone invented it ! and the achivement of these men who were mainly just regular folks in the pre war world is quite outstanding and heroic

good story well told and well read

Gripping

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Covers a lot of history, in a really interesting way… the formation of the Paras, development of radar, Operation Biting, and much more besides. The narration is excellent too, and I’ve strongly recommended the book to my family and friends.

Absolutely fascinating

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More than just a story of this raid .. covers the history of the paras, commandos AND radar. An awesome read.

Surprisingly Brilliant

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I was in the mood for an undemanding Jack Reacher when I downloaded Night Raid.
What I got,while a little more demanding was the exciting true story of the development of both radar and airborne forces in ww2 culminating in the first successful joint operations raid of the war.

A true story in the genre of a Jack Reacher novel

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the story not only follows the planning of the raid but covers the invention and use of radar throughout the war and beyond.

packed with detail

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