Operation Biting. The 1942 Parachute Assault to Capture Hitler`s Radar wer. angielska

The Sunday Times bestseller by Max Hastings offers a gripping narrative that reads with the intensity of a thriller. Titled for its focus on Operation Biting, this book explores one of the most daring and triumphant British commando raids of World War II. In February 1942, a mysterious radar system known as Würzburg had drawn the attention of RAF intelligence on the Nazi-occupied European coast. Dr. RV Jones, a brilliant scientist, proposed a bold plan to secure its critical components. The target was located at Bruneval, Normandy, where the radar installation stood atop a formidable cliff. Winston Churchill and Lord Louis Mountbatten, the chief of Combined Operations, were enthusiastic supporters of this mission. They mobilized a contingent from the fledgling Airborne Forces, setting the raid for the night of February 27-28. Despite heavy snow and a logistical mishap that saw some troops landing nearly two miles off target, 120 determined men launched their assault. They dismantled the German radar and, following an intense three-hour skirmish against Wehrmacht forces, made a dramatic escape. The commandos returned via landing craft across turbulent waters to Portsmouth, just in time. Hastings paints vivid portraits of the operation's key figures: the ingenious 'boffin' RV Jones, the flamboyant Mountbatten, and Gen. 'Boy' Browning of the Airborne Division. The narrative also highlights 'Colonel Remy', the audacious French secret agent, Major John Frost who commanded the paratroopers, the unlikely hero Charlie Cox, an RAF technician, and Wing-Commander Charles Pickard, the legendary pilot leading the drop squadron. This meticulously detailed account not only captures the bravery and strategic finesse that characterized Operation Biting but also shines a spotlight on the extraordinary personalities who contributed to this remarkable victory. Even amidst a string of British setbacks, this operation became a celebrated success story, one that Max Hastings passionately argues deserves recognition in the annals of history's greatest conflicts.