{"product_id":"sky-warriors-british-airborne-forces-in-the-second-world-war-9780008522162","title":"Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTHE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFrom bestselling historian Saul David, a riveting new history of the British airborne experience across the Second World War.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe legendary 'Red Devils' were among the finest combat troops of the Second World War. Created at Churchill's instigation in June 1940, they began as a single parachute battalion of 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions: the 1st, 6th and 44th Indian, each composed of parachutists and glider-borne troops.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWearing their distinctive maroon berets, steel helmets and Dennison smocks, they served with distinction in every major theatre of the conflict - including North Africa, Sicily, mainland Europe and the Far East. They played a starring role in some most iconic airborne operations in history: the Bruneval Raid of February 1942; the capture of the Primasole, Pegasus and Arnhem Bridges in July 1943, June 1944 and September 1944 respectively; and Operation Varsity, the biggest parachute drop in history, near Wesel in Germany in March 1945.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSky Warriors \u003c\/em\u003eis an accomplished act of storytelling; authoritative, far-reaching and deeply moving. Building the narrative from the ground-up, Saul David draws on multiple archives, published memoirs, unpublished diaries and letters, and interviews with participants. The end result is a dramatic narrative of the airborne forces' recruitment, training and wartime exploits.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the first time the complete wartime story of the British airborne forces has been told.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eSaul David is a historian, broadcaster and the author of several critically acclaimed works of fiction and non-fiction. His history books have been shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature and variously named a Waterstones Military History Book of the Year and an Amazon History Book of the Year. He co-hosts the Battleground podcast with Patrick Bishop.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"William Collins","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50900984725778,"sku":"9780008522162","price":24.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_feec2a7b-5521-4aa3-9c16-01dc01b8f329.jpg?v=1751969658","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/sky-warriors-british-airborne-forces-in-the-second-world-war-9780008522162","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}