The complete story of the remarkable canoe raid on German ships in Bordeaux Harbour - by the man who himself served in the Special Boat Squadron. In 1942, before El Alamein turned the tide of war, the German merchant fleet was re-supplying its war machine with impunity. So Operation Frankton, a daring and secret raid, was launched by Mountbatten' s Combined Operations and led by the enigmatic ' Blondie' Hasler - to paddle ' Cockleshell' ...
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The complete story of the remarkable canoe raid on German ships in Bordeaux Harbour - by the man who himself served in the Special Boat Squadron. In 1942, before El Alamein turned the tide of war, the German merchant fleet was re-supplying its war machine with impunity. So Operation Frankton, a daring and secret raid, was launched by Mountbatten' s Combined Operations and led by the enigmatic ' Blondie' Hasler - to paddle ' Cockleshell' canoes right into Bordeaux harbour and sink the ships at anchor. It was a desperately hazardous mission from the start - dropped by submarine to canoe some hundred miles up the Gironde into the heart of Vichy France, surviving terrifying tidal races, only to face the biggest challenge of all: escaping across the Pyrenees. Fewer than half the men made it to Bordeaux; only four laid their mines; just two got back alive. But the most damage was done to the Germans' sense of impregnability. Paddy Ashdown, himself a member of the Royal Marines' elite Special Boat Squadron formed as a consequence of Frankton, has always been fascinated by this classic story of bravery and ingenuity - as a young man even meeting his hero Hasler once. Now, after researching previously unseen archives and tracing surviving witnesses, he has written the definitive account of the raid. The real truth, he discovers - a deplorable tale of Whitehall rivalry and breakdowns in communication - serves only to make the achievements of the ' Cockleshell' heroes all the more heroic.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
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Seller's Description:
PLEASE NOTE, WE DO NOT SHIP TO DENMARK. New Book. Shipped from UK in 4 to 14 days. Established seller since 2000. Please note we cannot offer an expedited shipping service from the UK.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
New. 2013. PB Reissue. Paperback. The complete story of the remarkable canoe raid on German ships in Bordeaux Harbour-by the man who himself served in the Special Boat Squadron. Num Pages: 416 pages, 1 black & white illustrations. BIC Classification: 1DDF; 3JJH; HBJD; HBLW; HBWQ; JWL. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 199 x 131 x 35. Weight in Grams: 322......We ship daily from our Bookshop.
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New in New jacket. 6.1 x 1.6 x 9.2 inches. pp. 416. Brand new. Pristine. No markings. New history of the audacious small boat raid by the British on Bordeaux in 1942, one of the most daring special operations of World War II. The raid was the subject of a postwar film. 16 pages of b&w and color illustrations. // Shipped carefully packed in a sturdy box.