The Elite RAF Force that Turned the Tide of WWII

The Pathfinders

The untold story of the elite force that spearheaded almost every British bombing raid over Nazi Germany by the Sunday Times bestselling author of The Kamikaze Hunters. Perfect for fans off John Nichol’s Spitfire, Patrick Bishop’s Fighter Boys and Dambusters

Book of the Year Bronze Award Winner

They were the bravest of the brave... [an] absorbing history

A sensitive, colourful and moving account... Compelling

Another excellent book by Will Iredale, delving into the story of Bomber Command's Pathfinder Squadrons with drama and pace. The human stories, and the incredible advancements in aerial warfare, leap from the page from start to finish

John Nichol, author of TORNADO - In the Eye of the Storm

Fascinating and utterly gripping ... Will Iredale's painstaking research is impeccable, as is his storytelling. This stunning book is scored with unforgettable characters, reminding us this is a human story of resourcefulness, ingenuity, and above all, extraordinary courage

Painstakingly researched and brilliantly told: Will Iredale has really captured the essence of the RAF's elite pathfinder force

Keith Lowe, bestselling author of SAVAGE CONTINENT

A highly-readable account of raw courage and technical innovation, brought to life by a master historian

Paul Beaver, historian and heritage pilot

A superb book full of evocative stories

Mesmeric ... their contribution to Britain's victory was vital ... skillfully interweaves details of the brave pilots' lives with a weighty account of British military strategy

Will Iredale is a bestselling author, journalist and media consultant. After a decade working at the Sunday Times specialising in news and investigations, he wrote the bestselling books The Kamikaze Hunters and The Pathfinders. 
He is currently a media consultant and lives 
in Kent with his family.

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER! 
 
Military History Matters Book of the Year Bronze Award Winner 
'Compelling... sensitive, colourful and moving' -- Saul David, Telegraph 
'Fascinating and utterly gripping' -- James Holland 
'Absorbing' -- Daily Mail Book of the Week 
 
The incredible story of the crack team of men and women who transformed RAF Bomber Command and helped the Allies deliver decisive victory over Nazi Germany. 
 
 The Pathfinders were ordinary men and women from a range of nations who revolutionised the efficiency of the Allies' air campaign over mainland Europe. They elevated Bomber Command - initially the only part of the Allied war effort capable of attacking the heart of Nazi Germany - from an impotent force on the cusp of disintegration in 1942 to one capable of razing whole German cities to the ground in a single night, striking with devastating accuracy, inspiring fear and loathing in Hitler's senior command. 
 
 With exclusive interviews with remaining survivors, personal diaries, previously classified records and never-before seen photographs, The Pathfinders brings to life the characters of the airmen and women - many barely out of their teens - who took to the skies in legendary British aircraft such as the Lancaster and the Mosquito, facing almost unimaginable levels of violence from enemy fighter planes to strike at the heart of the Nazi war machine.

Will Iredale

Fantastic. Iredale masterfully explains how command of the sea required little ships with rugged, swash-buckling crews, just as much as the castles of steel. Exciting and important.

Iredale's brilliant new book tells the revelatory and thrilling nautical tale of the 70,000 men of Churchill's pirate fleet - the Royal Naval Patrol Service - who risked life and limb to keep Britain's sealanes safe and ports open, and the hundreds of Wrens who supported them. A hugely welcome addition to Britain's wartime story.

Will Iredale has carved out a formidable reputation as a chronicler of overlooked corners of the Second World War, and Churchill’s Pirates is his finest achievement yet. This is history at full throttle: deeply researched, richly peopled, and propelled by a narrative energy that reveals the work of those who should be regarded as central protagonists in Britain’s fight for survival

Guy Walters, author of 'Stealing Hitler's Rocket'

This book breaks new ground whilst also building thoughtfully on existing scholarship. Drawing from a wide range of sources, this is both rigorously researched and highly readable. An engaging and valuable contribution to the field.

What a fabulous book! Will Iredale has done those forgotten heroes of Harry Tate’s navy a long overdue service, telling the story of these immensely courageous men - fishermen, coastal sailors and civilian seafarers - who toiled in often appalling conditions with little protection to protect our vital coastal waters. This is a tale, above all, of human endeavour, fortitude and ingenuity, told both compellingly and rich in human drama. Superb.

I became engrossed in a vivid book by Will Iredale, Churchill's Pirates ... Iredale details big wartime decisions and the halting, heartbreaking puzzle of every new device to rip a trawler to matchwood or sink a frigate. But in our soft and querulous age fascination lies in the words of seafarers, organisers or just women furiously knitting warm clothes and hats to keep the crews alive. It reminds you how, unlike us, Britain only had 20 years of peace after the parallel effort and toughness of the first war. People seemed conditioned to stand willingly together. Sentiment about this is often cheaply used, but moments of reality in this extraordinary account stop you dead...

The Seafaring Heroes Who Helped Win WWII

Churchill’s Pirates was the naval force whose “toils and tireless courage” - in the words of Churchill himself -helped the Allies defeat Hitler’s mighty war machine. At its heart was the Royal Naval Patrol Service (RNPS), a “navy within a navy” that was bought together to fight the Nazis and their fellow Axis nations across the world. 
 
The 70,000 men and women are largely forgotten today, but they played a vital role in winning World War II. Manning 6,000 ships, at least 3,218 men officially lost their lives, and more of their vessels were attacked and sunk by the enemy than any other branch of the Royal Navy. 
 
Drawing on fascinating first-hand accounts with surviving veterans, exclusive interviews, original papers and new archive material this will be the defining story of the overlooked unit who worked night and day to keep Britain safe in her darkest hour.

Will Iredale

Books by Will Iredale

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