Night Raid: The True Story of the First Victorious British Para Raid of WWII - Softcover

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'.

By 1941 the loss of British bombers over Occupied Europe had reached an alarming rate. Although some British scientists thought the Germans did not have radar, others argued they were very good at this newly developed science. Could it be that the Germans were using a sophisticated form of radar to direct their fighter planes and anti-aircraft guns at the British bombers with terrifying accuracy?

British aerial reconnaissance had uncovered what seemed to be a small rotating tower on a remote clifftop at Bruneval, near Le Havre. The lives of thousands of Allied aircrew depended on understanding how the German early warning system operated and how it could be jammed. But who would capture the German technology, dismantle it and bring it safely home?

The small band of men picked for the daring task were an entirely new breed of soldier - the first British paratroopers. The parachute regiment had only been formed a year before on Churchill's insistence. The planned airborne assault would be extremely risky. Every practice mission had ended in spectacular failure. The raid would test the men to the very limits of their abilities.

Taylor Downing draws on a wide range of contemporary sources to provide a truly gripping account of the mission, from the planning stages and the failed rehearsals to the night of the raid itself and the scientific secrets that were revealed thanks to the paratroopers' precious cargo. Night Raid fills an important gap in the historiography of the Second World War.