
Paras
Voices of the British Airborne Forces in the Second World War
Roger Payne(Author)
Amberley Publishing
Published on 15. September 2014
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-4456-3841-6 (ISBN)
Description
This book is full of untold short stories of men who created a legend, the legend of the British airborne forces during the Second World War.
Impressed by the performance of the German paratroopers in Belgium and the Netherlands in 1940, and on Crete in 1941, Winston Churchill ordered the creation of a British Airborne force of no less than 5,000 parachutists. Their task was to land behind enemy lines and take and hold or destroy key objectives while ground troops advanced toward them. The result was the 1st and 6th Airborne divisions, and this is their story, as told by the men themselves.
Covering everything from the initial training at Hardwick Hall and Ringway through their first operations in North Africa and Italy, to D-Day, Operation Market Garden and the crossing of the Rhine, this is a compelling account of the war fought by the paratroopers and their comrades in the glider units.
Impressed by the performance of the German paratroopers in Belgium and the Netherlands in 1940, and on Crete in 1941, Winston Churchill ordered the creation of a British Airborne force of no less than 5,000 parachutists. Their task was to land behind enemy lines and take and hold or destroy key objectives while ground troops advanced toward them. The result was the 1st and 6th Airborne divisions, and this is their story, as told by the men themselves.
Covering everything from the initial training at Hardwick Hall and Ringway through their first operations in North Africa and Italy, to D-Day, Operation Market Garden and the crossing of the Rhine, this is a compelling account of the war fought by the paratroopers and their comrades in the glider units.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Chalford
United Kingdom
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
16 Plates, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 234 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 38 mm
Weight
658 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4456-3841-6 (9781445638416)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
09/2014
1st Edition
Amberley Publishing
€9.19
Available for download
Person
Roger Payne survived the dreaded Selection for the Parachute Regiment in the early 1960s, serving in 1st Battalion the Parachute Regiment and as an instructor at the Parachute Regiment Depot before accepting a position in the Australian army, where he served for 22 years. He holds the Order of Australia (OAM).