The Manner of Men: 9 PARA's Heroic D-Day Mission
May 2013 · Hachette UK
3.8star
4 reviewsreport
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384
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About this ebook
In June 1944, an elite unit of British paratroopers was sent on a daring and highly risky behind-the-lines mission, which was deemed vital to the success of D-Day.
Dropping ahead of the main Allied invasion, 9 PARA were tasked with destroying an impregnable German gun battery. If they failed, thousands of British troops landing on the beaches were expected to die. But their mission was flawed and started to go wrong from the moment they jumped from their aircraft above Normandy. Only twenty per cent of the unit made it to the objective and half of them were killed or wounded during the attack.
Undermanned and lacking equipment and ammunition, the survivors then held a critical part of the invasion beachhead. For six bloody days, they defended the Breville Ridge against vastly superior German forces and bore the brunt of Rommel's attempt to turn the left flank of the Allied invasion.
The Manner of Men is an epic account of courage beyond the limits of human endurance, where paratroopers prevailed despite intelligence failures and higher command blunders, in what has been described as one of the most remarkable feat of arms of the British Army and the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War.
Dropping ahead of the main Allied invasion, 9 PARA were tasked with destroying an impregnable German gun battery. If they failed, thousands of British troops landing on the beaches were expected to die. But their mission was flawed and started to go wrong from the moment they jumped from their aircraft above Normandy. Only twenty per cent of the unit made it to the objective and half of them were killed or wounded during the attack.
Undermanned and lacking equipment and ammunition, the survivors then held a critical part of the invasion beachhead. For six bloody days, they defended the Breville Ridge against vastly superior German forces and bore the brunt of Rommel's attempt to turn the left flank of the Allied invasion.
The Manner of Men is an epic account of courage beyond the limits of human endurance, where paratroopers prevailed despite intelligence failures and higher command blunders, in what has been described as one of the most remarkable feat of arms of the British Army and the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War.
Ratings and reviews
3.8
4 reviews
Tim Warner
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June 14, 2019
Masterful selection and shaping of comprehensive research.Narrative is uncluttered and matter-of-fact, whisking us headlong from the preamble into the chaotic and brutal maelstrom.Brief technical and logistical detail helps our understanding of events.There are also glimpses of individuals.Sometimes, they are very brief but enough for us to recognise that they were real people.As were the most anonymous. So we can,in part, appreciate their confusion,fear and courage.Plain prose allows the horror and the happenstance to speak for themselves. It is a fitting memorial. As a boy,I was fortunate to come under the guardianship of one of these men.His bearing and steady gaze gave him an aura that commanded my respect and trust that remains unmatched and has given life-long service as a yardstick.I have just learned that my instincts,though correct,fell a long way short. Now,finally,I salute a hero.
Neil McGregor
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April 18, 2019
inspiring, no other words are possible
manav agarwal
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July 4, 2014
enough
1 person found this review helpful
About the author
Colonel Stuart Tootal has served in Germany, Northern Ireland, the Gulf War and during the invasion of Iraq. He also served in the MOD, for which he was awarded the OBE. In 2006 he commanded 3 PARA in Afghanistan and was awarded a DSO for outstanding leadership and gallantry. He subsequently set up the 3 PARA Afghan Trust charity, on leaving the army. He now works in the City and is a defence commentator for a major national TV network, numerous papers and radio programmes. He regularly lectures on leadership in challenging environments and his experiences in Afghanistan to forums. The Manner of Men is his second book.
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