Operation Suicide by Robert Lyman
During the Second World War, it is hard to imagine a situation where the British High Command could think that one of the only ways they could attack Hitler was to send ten canoeists with limpet mines to paddle one hundred miles up the Gironde estuary, in the middle of winter, in an attempt to sink German blockade ships in Bordeaux harbour. Yet this is precisely what happened in 1942. The man who gave the go-ahead for the audacious commando raid - Lord Louis Mountbatten, head of Combined Operations - fully anticipated that all ten men would die in the attempt. Mountbatten wasn't far wrong - two ripped their collapsible canoes as they were manhandling them out of the submarine; two drowned when their canoes capsized entering the Gironde estuary; and a further six were captured by the Germans and later executed. By complete chance, the two canoeists who managed to escape - Major 'Blondie' Hasler and Marine Bill Sparks - stumbled into the arms of the French resistance. Once in their care, Hasler and Sparks made their way across France and into Spain, crossing the Pyrenees in the company (though they did not know it) of a Gestapo agent intent on bringing down the resistance network. Operation Suicide will be the first account of this enthralling raid for over fifty years. In utilizing primary source material, including detailed German records captured by the British in 1944 (which remained censored until 1976), Robert Lyman brings to life one of the most courageous and dramatic events to take place in the darkest days of the Second World War.
'Lyman's account of their feat of endurance and of their comrades' sacrifice will make you feel proud to be British' Daily Express'a good read and contains some detail not in previous titles, in particular Hasler and Sparks' escape to Spain with the French resistance' Royal Canoe Club. 'a compelling story: this cockleshell will float' Daily Mail. 'I enjoyed reading this book very much ... it achieves the very difficult objective of shedding new light on a very-well known and intensely studied event in history' Daly History. 'This is an excellent account of the raid and everything that surrounded it ... An excellent study of an incredibly daring raid' History of War. 'It rips along at a cracking pace, bringing the raid and protagonists vividly to life' Navy News. 'an attention to detail coupled with a relaxed, readable style for a non-fiction work ... Don't wait for the paperback' ARRSE. 'Robert Lyman has uncovered a wealth of new material. His book paints a vivid picture of this extraordinary episode' Mail on Sunday. 'readable, detailed, well-written ... This book certainly deserves a place on your bookshelf, if you want a good up to date account of the raid' Globe and Laurel.
Robert Lyman is a respected military history specialist and his previous books include The Longest Siege: Tobruk and the Battle for Africa, 1941 and Slim, Master of War. He lives in Berkshire, England.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780857382405 |
| ISBN 10 | 0857382403 |
| Title | Operation Suicide |
| Author | Robert Lyman |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Hardback |
| Publisher | Quercus Publishing |
| Year published | 2012-02-02 |
| Number of pages | 352 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |