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A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game that Revolutionised the War (Paperback)
  • A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game that Revolutionised the War (Paperback)
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A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game that Revolutionised the War (Paperback)

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£10.99
Paperback 320 Pages
Published: 05/11/2020
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Waterstones Says

The jaw-dropping yet little known saga of Operation Raspberry is detailed in Simon Parkin’s pacy, meticulously researched volume of military history. A desperate gamble to try and crack German U-boat tactics via the highest stakes game of battleships imaginable, A Game of Birds and Wolves possesses the tension and jeopardy of the finest thriller.

1941. The Battle of the Atlantic is a disaster. Thousands of supply ships ferrying vital food and fuel from North America to Britain are being torpedoed by German U-boats. Britain is only weeks away from starvation - and with that, crushing defeat.

In the first week of 1942 a group of unlikely heroes - a retired naval captain and a clutch of brilliant young women - gather to form a secret strategy unit. On the top floor of a bomb-bruised HQ in Liverpool, the Western Approaches Tactical Unit spends days and nights designing and playing wargames in an effort to crack the U-boat tactics. As the U-boat wolfpacks continue to prey upon the supply ships, the Wrens race against time to save Britain.

With novelistic flair, investigative journalist Simon Parkin shines a light on Operation Raspberry and these unsung heroines in this riveting true story of war at sea.

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
ISBN: 9781529353211
Number of pages: 320
Weight: 240 g
Dimensions: 196 x 128 x 28 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

[A] splendid new history of the war in the Atlantic . . . Simon Parkin's book rips along at full sail and is full of personality and personalities. Above all, it brings a barely known aspect of the sea war out into the light. Which is a triumph in itself. - John Lewis Stempel, Sunday Express

Sheds compelling new light on the ferocious struggle being played out in the mid-Atlantic ... [A Game of Birds and Wolves] has all the elements of a film - Sunday Times

In a riveting, intricately researched book, Simon Parkin tells the previously unknown story behind the Allied victory in the Atlantic during World War II. It's an underdog's tale - not only of British supply fleets trying to outrun German U-boats, but also of the women game designers who made that victory possible.

Engaging and skilful . . . [Parkin] writes with real flair and the human side of this story is brought out with fine vignettes and character sketches . . . If the place of women in Britain's naval war has been played down, Parkin's vivid story recovers it handsomely . . . Inside his narrative is a desire to show how ordinary people did extraordinary things in wartime . . . this is a good read on a corner of the war and the men and women who peopled it - one very much worthy of our attention. - Richard Overy, Guardian

A triumph - Daily Mirror

History writing at its best - Booklist (starred review)

With novelistic flair, Parkin transforms material gathered from research, interviews, and unpublished accounts into a highly readable book that celebrates the ingenuity of a British naval 'reject' and the accomplishments of the formerly faceless women never officially rewarded for their contribution to the Allied defeat of Germany. A lively, sharp WWII history. - Kirkus Reviews

This is a thrilling story, compellingly told - History Revealed

Enthralling . . . a pacey read with some wonderfully vivid set pieces - Literary Review

Gripping . . . a great read. - Sorted Magazine

A hugely enjoyable and exciting book . . . A compelling and important new story, lucidly and humanely told. - Roland Phillipps, author of A Spy Named Orphan

Simon Parkin describes brilliantly the key role of WATU in the Battle of the Atlantic. I was proud to read of my mother's role as a Wren with influence far beyond her age and experience, and of my father's application of WATU-designed tactics in the key anti-U boat battle of the Atlantic. - Vice Admiral Mike Gretton, son of Judy Du Vivier and Sir Peter Gretton

This is the riveting true story of war, amazing women, and one of the most important games in history. - Major Tom Mouat MBE, Simulation and Modelling Technology School, Defence Academy of the United Kingdom

A stunning book about an unknown part of the largely forgotten Battle of the Atlantic, which is a must read. - Niall Kilgour, chairman of the Submariners Association

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“History book that reads like a thriller...”

This is the story of “ Operation Raspberry “ not many people know about it , but it enabled the British navy to beat the German U-boats and win the Battle of The Atlantic.

“Operation Raspberry “ was a strategy game... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 67
Kev McCready

“Chalk, string and cotton wool”

WREN’s, war gaming The Battle Of The Atlantic; on the floor of an office in Liverpool. Being Scouse, I knew some of the details, but not this. It’s a fascinating, moving and gripping piece of non-fiction. In that... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 27

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