Dieppe, 1942: The Folly and the Sacrifice

Operation Jubilee

An exemplary account of this wartime fiasco

A story of heroism and futility that will live for the reader long afterwards

Andrew Roberts, author of ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’

A masterclass of heart-stopping historical narrative

Bishop's account of the operation is the best I've read

A fascinating, shrewd and timely reflection on leadership in a time of crisis

Henry Hemming, author of 'Our Man in New York'

Patrick Bishop is the author of two hugely acclaimed bestsellers about the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, Fighter Boys and Bomber Boys, and books including Wings, a history of the RAF, and Air Force Blue, which celebrated 100 years of the RAF and was a Sunday Times bestseller. He spent twenty-five years as a foreign correspondent covering conflicts around the world.

On the warm night of 18 August 1942, a flotilla pushed out into the flat water of the Channel. They were to seize the German-held port of Dieppe, destroy key installations, seize intelligence material and then sail for home. 
 
This was the greatest amphibious operation since Gallipoli, with the biggest accumulation of fighter power ever assembled. But by the morning of the attack, one of its architects already feared that the operation would "go down as one of the great failures in history". Its key players claimed it was essential to D-Day, with the media telling listeners that it was a success -- but the tragedy was all too predictable. 
 
Using first-hand testimony from combatants and civilians, and colourful analysis of the roles of Mountbatten and Montgomery, bestselling author Patrick Bishop's gripping account brings Operation Jubilee powerfully and vividly to life, in an epic demonstration of how ambition, folly and courage came together in one of the most tragic episodes of the war.

Patrick Bishop

Paris '44

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