The Trailblazers of the Parachute Regiment in World War Two: An Authorized History

Red Devils

The Trailblazers of the Paras in World War Two

A GRIPPING, AUTHORISED HISTORY OF THE DARING 'RED DEVILS' TOLD THROUGH THE FATES OF SIX HEROES. 
 
'Riveting . . . Full of daring action, standout characters and cutting edge operations, this is unputdownable' Damien Lewis 
 
'Gripping and authoritative. Family men, circus performers, solicitors, communists, and reactionaries all fought together and shed blood for their country - a true and moving story of war' Andy McNab 
 
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Their German enemies called them the 'Red Devils'. Montgomery described them as 'men apart - every man an Emperor'. The cards they received on qualifying began: 'You are the elite of the British army'. 
 
The Parachute Regiment. 
 
In this gripping, authorized account, bestselling historian Mark Urban tells the story of the wartime creation and development of Britain's elite airborne infantry - who ranged from circus performers to solicitors, policemen to gravediggers, Christians and Jews to communists. 
 
Through the fates of six men - including recently widowed Geoffrey Pine-Coffin, who had to leave his little boy at home to head to the front, and Mike Lewis, whose photographs became iconic images of war - Urban vividly shows what it took to succeed in this new regiment. All six men would shed blood for their country in daring actions at D-Day, Arnhem and across the Second World War; two would not survive, and one would face disgrace. 
 
Based on deep archival research, British and German sources and new material from the men's families, and giving overdue recognition to the North African campaign, Urban's unvarnished history is a compelling and moving depiction of the highs and lows of battle.

Gripping and authoritative. Family men, circus performers, solicitors, communists, and reactionaries all fought together and shed blood for their country-a true and moving story of war

Riveting. Impeccably researched. Authoritative. Urban reveals the Red Devils in all their glory, as they forged the path for airborne forces to follow in WWII. Full of daring action, standout characters and cutting edge operations, this is unputdownable

A detailed, fast-paced history of these remarkable men that reads like a thriller. Brilliantly researched and brilliantly told

I couldn't put Red Devils down

Excellent . . . Mark Urban has brought an old soldier's insights and a fine journalist's clarity to tell this story resoundingly well, mixing superb accounts of the battles with a deep understanding of personalities, service politics and the paratrooper ethos

If you want to get under the skin of the pioneers of airborne soldiering, this is it . . . fast paced, well written and attention-grabbing from start to finish

Masterful . . . Mark Urban paints a colourful picture of the officers and men who volunteered for what in 1940 was a leap into the unknown

Does not disappoint . . . A story of courage and adversity, Red Devils is a must-read

Mark Urban is a writer and columnist for the Sunday Times, specialising in defence and foreign affairs. Until 2024, he was the Diplomatic Editor of BBC's Newsnight programme. He formerly served in the British Army, both in the Royal Tank Regiment and in the Territorial Army. He is the author of several books, including Red Devils, Task Force Black (his deep-dive look at the SAS in the Iraq War, which was a Sunday Times number one bestseller) and The Skripal Files, a Sunday Times Best Politics Book of 2018.

In this gripping, authorised account, bestselling historian Mark Urban tells the story of the wartime creation and development of Britain's elite airborne infantry - who ranged from circus performers to solicitors, policemen to gravediggers, Christians and Jews to communists. 
 
Through the fates of six men - including recently widowed Geoffrey Pine-Coffin, who had to leave his little boy at home to head to the front, and Mike Lewis, whose photographs became iconic images of war - Urban vividly shows what it took to succeed in this new regiment. All six men would shed blood for their country in daring actions at D-Day, Arnhem and across the Second World War; two would not survive, and one would face disgrace. 
 
Based on deep archival research, British and German sources and new material from the men's families, Urban's unvarnished history is a compelling and moving depiction of the highs and lows of battle.

Mark Urban

Punchy. Trenchant. Heavyweight. Mark Urban’s Tank blows the doors off, just as you’d expect from such an accomplished author. Take cover!

Damien Lewis, author of SAS Great Escapes

Tank takes the reader deep into the heart of armoured shock action on the battlefield with all its horror and drama

Stuart Tootal, co-author of SAS: Sea King Down

A really accomplished blending of technology, tactics and politics, and it couldn’t be more relevant as we experience new phases of conflict . . . an engaging read

Dr Emily Mayhew, author of The Four Horsemen

Mark Urban brings his signature flair and vivid storytelling to Tank . . . essential reading for all students of war

An illuminating and exciting drive through the mud and blood of twentieth-century warfare . . . With his customary panache, Mark Urban demonstrates convincingly that tanks have been not merely armoured horses, but the key to enabling armies to manoeuvre through contested battle space

Dr Robert Lyman, author of Operation Suicide

The 10 War Machines That Changed the World and the Remarkable Men Behind Them

'Punchy. Trenchant. Heavyweight. Mark Urban’s Tank blows the doors off, just as you’d expect from such an accomplished author. Take cover!’ Damien Lewis, author of SAS Great Escapes 
 
An authoritative history of the tank and the remarkable individuals who designed them and fought in them, from a former officer and best-selling historian 
 
Tanks are the ultimate embodiment of industrial age warfare. In the popular imagination, they represent both a terrifying beast of destruction and a potent symbol of liberation. 
 
The technology behind these war machines has evolved relentlessly, and yet the coming of the information age has led many to predict that drones, missiles, and Artificial Intelligence have made the tank obsolete. Time and again, however, tanks have continued to shape – and be shaped by -- battles around the world, from their introduction in 1916, through the Second World War and tank-on-tank fights in 1990s Iraq, to the current conflict in Ukraine. 
 
In TANK, best-selling historian and former officer in the Royal Tank Regiment Mark Urban draws on wide-ranging accounts from soldiers, designers, and politicians, from Winston Churchill to Volodymyr Zelensky, to tell the remarkable story of one of the most important developments in military history. Through the ten most important vehicles ever made, Urban chronicles the incredible advances in tank technology – starting with the Mark IV, the first British tank to be used in large numbers in WW1, and following the story through the T-34 and Tiger to the M1 Abrams, a product of huge American Cold War investment that is still used to this day. 
 
Officially supported by The Tank Museum and using never-before-seen archival sources, interviews and declassified documents, this is a fascinating history of the vehicle that changed conflict forever. 
 
‘An illuminating and exciting drive through the mud and blood of twentieth-century warfare' Dr Robert Lyman, author of Operation Suicide

Mark Urban

Praise for Tank

Punchy. Trenchant. Heavyweight. Mark Urban’s Tank blows the doors off, just as you’d expect from such an accomplished author. Take cover!

Tank takes the reader deep into the heart of armoured shock action on the battlefield with all its horror and drama

A really accomplished blending of technology, tactics and politics, and it couldn’t be more relevant as we experience new phases of conflict . . . an engaging read

Punchy. Trenchant. Heavyweight. Mark Urban’s Tank blows the doors off, just as you’d expect from such an accomplished author. Take cover!

Tank takes the reader deep into the heart of armoured shock action on the battlefield with all its horror and drama

A really accomplished blending of technology, tactics and politics, and it couldn’t be more relevant as we experience new phases of conflict . . . an engaging read

Punchy. Trenchant. Heavyweight. Mark Urban’s Tank blows the doors off, just as you’d expect from such an accomplished author. Take cover!

Tank takes the reader deep into the heart of armoured shock action on the battlefield with all its horror and drama

A really accomplished blending of technology, tactics and politics, and it couldn’t be more relevant as we experience new phases of conflict . . . an engaging read

Books by Mark Urban

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