Red Devils
Play sample
  • Published: 27 October 2022
  • ISBN: 9780241996225
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $26.00
Categories:

Red Devils

The Trailblazers of the Parachute Regiment in World War Two: An Authorized History

Formats & editions
Paperback
10 Oct 2023
Audiobook
27 Oct 2022
Buy from…
Apple Books Audible Google Play Kobo Libro.fm Spotify

The gripping authorised history of the Parachute Regiment in WW2 told through the fates of six heroes, for the 80th anniversary

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.
  • Published: 27 October 2022
  • ISBN: 9780241996225
  • Imprint: Penguin Audio
  • Format: Audio Download
  • RRP: $26.00
Categories:

Also by Mark Urban

Tank
See all

Praise for Red Devils

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

Julia Boyd

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

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

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

Patrick Bishop, 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

Adrian Weale, 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

Paul de Zulueta, Spectator

Does not disappoint . . . A story of courage and adversity, Red Devils is a must-read

Who Do You Think You Are Magazine
penguin pop image
penguin pop image