Night Raid

Night Raid tells the gripping tale of the first successful British para raid of World War II. The Bruneval Raid, as it came to be known, was a daring mission to capture a German Würzburg radar set located on the French coast. The mission was of immense importance in the war and marked the birth of the legend of the ‘Red Devils’. Night Raid is a rich and pacey account, from the planning stages, to the failed rehearsals when the odds seemed stacked against the men, to the night of the raid itself and the scientific secrets that were discovered. Taylor firmly places the Bruneval Raid into the science war. The technology seized at Bruneval and analysed by British scientists provided a turning point in the understanding of how the German radar shield operated and consequently how to jam it. Taylor draws on oral testimonies as well as previously unseen documents about the media management of the reporting of the Raid to provide a rich and gripping drama. 

‘The Bruneval Raid was the start of the airborne brotherhood. Taylor Downing’s vivid account brings it alive…with flair and pace.’ Andy McNab