Red Devils, Mark Urban
Red Devils, Mark Urban
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Red Devils
The Trailblazers of the Parachute Regiment in World War Two: An Authorized History

Author: Mark Urban

Narrator: Mark Urban

Unabridged: 10 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 10/27/2022


Synopsis

Brought to you by Penguin.

A GRIPPING AUTHORISED HISTORY OF THE DARING 'RED DEVILS', THE TRAILBLAZERS OF THE PARACHUTE REGIMENT

The Parachute Regiment is Britain's elite airborne infantry. On the 80th anniversary of their first crucial campaign, in Operation Torch in North Africa, historian and broadcaster Mark Urban combines perspectives from German and British sources to tell the gripping stories of the men who had the resilience, fitness and self-reliance to be "Red Devils" -- the name they were given by their German enemies.

The Paras comprised everyone from circus performers to solicitors, policemen to gravediggers, Christian Jews and communists. From recently-widowed Colonel Geoffrey Pine-Coffin, who had to leave his little boy to head to the front, to Mike Lewis, whose photographs became iconic images of war; from those who survived to those who longed for "a bloodbath" and died in action; Urban brings life to these men and their experiences, exploring what drove them and covering their daring actions at D-Day, Arnhem and across the Second World War.

Based on deep archival research and new material from the men's families, and giving overdue recognition to the North African campaign, this compelling account paints a true and moving picture of the heart of war.

© Mark Urban 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

About Mark Urban

Mark Urban is Diplomatic and Defense Editor of the BBC’s Newsnight. He has covered many of the world’s conflicts during the past twenty-five years, including the Iraq campaign that began in 2003. He lives in London.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Steve on January 24, 2024

Brilliant Wartime account of the Parachute Regiment's formation and actions.......more

Goodreads review by Johnny on June 09, 2024

I needed some time to work through the first half but then it grabbed me.......more

Goodreads review by Bill on November 22, 2022

Established on Winston Churchill's order in 1942, the Parachute Regiment's first success was a raid on a German radar station in Normandy. They fought in North Africa, Italy, D-Day, Arnhem and the Rhine crossing, forging a mixed bunch of blokes into an elite unit distinguished by their red beret and......more

Goodreads review by John on January 05, 2024

This is a very well written, and interesting account of a British parachute regiment, from it's beginnings to the end of the war. Brave soldiers, but on the unfortunate end of a number of "cock-ups". Still, they proved their worth in overcoming adversity. My grandmother's nephew, a glider pilot, was......more

Goodreads review by John on January 13, 2023

An interesting account of the regiment that became an anachronism with parachuting becoming a rite of passage rather than a means of entering battle. The experience of entering battle by glider must have been horrific.......more


Quotes

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

Riveting. Impeccably researched. Authoritative. Urban reveals the Red Devils in all their glory, as they forged the path for airborne forces to follow in WWII. Full of daring action, standout characters and cutting edge operations, this is unputdownable Damien Lewis

A detailed, fast-paced history of these remarkable men that reads like a thriller. Brilliantly researched and brilliantly told Julia Boyd

I couldn't put Red Devils down Amanda Foreman

Excellent . . . Mark Urban has brought an old soldier's insights and a fine journalist's clarity to tell this story resoundingly well, mixing superb accounts of the battles with a deep understanding of personalities, service politics and the paratrooper ethos Telegraph

If you want to get under the skin of the pioneers of airborne soldiering, this is it . . . fast paced, well written and attention-grabbing from start to finish Daily Mail Plus

Masterful . . . Mark Urban paints a colourful picture of the officers and men who volunteered for what in 1940 was a leap into the unknown Spectator

Does not disappoint . . . A story of courage and adversity, Red Devils is a must-read Who Do You Think You Are Magazine