SAS Shadow Raiders

In the icy winter months of 1941, amidst the chaos and destruction of wartime Europe, an isolated Spitfire pilot from the RAF braved perilous skies and ventured alone across the French coast. There, precariously perched on the rugged cliffs near Le Havre, he discovered a mysterious object that would ignite an urgent and desperate mission among Britain's military intelligence. This object, a formidable convex dish appearing to scan the British coastline, spurred intense intrigue and alarm.

With the relentless bombing of British cities by the Luftwaffe, the discovery of this 'Wurzburg Dish' prompted immediate analysis by the best minds in radar technology. Could this enigmatic structure be a sophisticated German radar, capable of altering the course of the war dramatically in favour of the Nazis? The implications were dire—the potential technological leap by Nazi Germany threatened to outstrip British advancements by a wide margin.

An audacious plan, codenamed Operation Biting, was urgently formulated to capture the Wurzburg Dish. This mission marked the first deployment of airborne forces by the Allies and was led by the charismatic and formidable Major John 'Johnny' Frost. Known for his ruthless demands for unwavering loyalty, Frost assembled an eclectic group of fearless soldiers. Despite numerous failed rehearsals and the near-certain knowledge that it was a suicide mission, the team persisted.

The Special Operations Executive (SOE), Winston Churchill's secretive agency responsible for acts of clandestine warfare, was crucial in providing intelligence on the target. Their agents, risking everything, meticulously mapped the defences of the French coastline where the dish stood. As the day of the raid approached, Frost's ensemble faced unexpected complications—the inclusion of a mysterious German operative and a vital British radar specialist, whose expertise was critical and whose capture by enemy forces was unthinkable.

Drawing on recently declassified files, verbatim accounts from those who witnessed the events, and the invaluable input from families of the individuals involved, Damien Lewis masterfully recounts this riveting and largely untold saga in SAS Shadow Raiders. The narrative is imbued with tales of unmatched bravery, relentless ingenuity, and the ferocity of warfare, painting a vivid picture of a mission that would resonate through history, influencing the outcomes of the war and shaping the future of military strategy in the 20th century.