Awards

• Short-listed for Parliamentary Book Awards: Best Non-Fiction by a Parliamentarian 2016
• Shortlisted for Parliamentary Book Awards: Best Non-Fiction by a Parliamentarian 2016.

Overview

Full Product Details

9780008140847

Table of Contents

Reviews

`Fascinating and fast moving' Literary Review Praise for `The Cruel Victory': `A powerful account of an extraordinary story.' The Times `A fine account.' 5*, Daily Telegraph `Paddy Ashdown has produced not only the most thorough history to date of the Resistance in the Vercors, but also the startling new contention that, `The Germans did not win on the Vercors. They lost.' Written with pace, the detail is fine... and Ashdown is well-placed to write this book, which requires an understanding of military strategy, diplomacy and political shenanigans, as well as old fashioned story telling skill.' Spectator Praise for A Brilliant Little Operation: `The story of Operation Frankton is an extreme example of a plan brilliantly conceived and badly botched. The ten commandos who made a secret canoe raid in 1942 on German merchant ships have become icons of British wartime derring-do.' The Times `No doubt many more books will be written about the war, but I hope this becomes a model for them since, though the heroism of our boys is stirring stuff, history only makes real sense if you can see it from all sides.' Daily Telegraph `Paddy Ashdown has sifted the facts from the myths to write a fascinating and very personal account.' Independent `It moves at the pace of a thriller and it's real' Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express `Ashdown's insights and his extensive research in an impressive range of archives will ensure that yet another work on the subject will not be required in the foreseeable future.' Times Literary Supplement

‘Fascinating and fast moving’ Literary Review Praise for ‘The Cruel Victory’: ‘A powerful account of an extraordinary story.’ The Times ‘A fine account.’ 5*, Daily Telegraph ‘Paddy Ashdown has produced not only the most thorough history to date of the Resistance in the Vercors, but also the startling new contention that, ‘The Germans did not win on the Vercors. They lost.’ Written with pace, the detail is fine… and Ashdown is well-placed to write this book, which requires an understanding of military strategy, diplomacy and political shenanigans, as well as old fashioned story telling skill.’ Spectator Praise for A Brilliant Little Operation: ‘The story of Operation Frankton is an extreme example of a plan brilliantly conceived and badly botched. The ten commandos who made a secret canoe raid in 1942 on German merchant ships have become icons of British wartime derring-do.’ The Times ‘No doubt many more books will be written about the war, but I hope this becomes a model for them since, though the heroism of our boys is stirring stuff, history only makes real sense if you can see it from all sides.’ Daily Telegraph ‘Paddy Ashdown has sifted the facts from the myths to write a fascinating and very personal account.’ Independent ‘It moves at the pace of a thriller and it’s real’ Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express ‘Ashdown’s insights and his extensive research in an impressive range of archives will ensure that yet another work on the subject will not be required in the foreseeable future.’ Times Literary Supplement

'Fascinating and fast moving' Literary Review Praise for 'The Cruel Victory': 'A powerful account of an extraordinary story.' The Times 'A fine account.' 5*, Daily Telegraph 'Paddy Ashdown has produced not only the most thorough history to date of the Resistance in the Vercors, but also the startling new contention that, 'The Germans did not win on the Vercors. They lost.' Written with pace, the detail is fine... and Ashdown is well-placed to write this book, which requires an understanding of military strategy, diplomacy and political shenanigans, as well as old fashioned story telling skill.' Spectator Praise for A Brilliant Little Operation: 'The story of Operation Frankton is an extreme example of a plan brilliantly conceived and badly botched. The ten commandos who made a secret canoe raid in 1942 on German merchant ships have become icons of British wartime derring-do.' The Times 'No doubt many more books will be written about the war, but I hope this becomes a model for them since, though the heroism of our boys is stirring stuff, history only makes real sense if you can see it from all sides.' Daily Telegraph 'Paddy Ashdown has sifted the facts from the myths to write a fascinating and very personal account.' Independent 'It moves at the pace of a thriller and it's real' Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express 'Ashdown's insights and his extensive research in an impressive range of archives will ensure that yet another work on the subject will not be required in the foreseeable future.' Times Literary Supplement

`Fascinating and fast moving' Literary Review Praise for `The Cruel Victory': `A powerful account of an extraordinary story.' The Times `A fine account.' 5*, Daily Telegraph `Paddy Ashdown has produced not only the most thorough history to date of the Resistance in the Vercors, but also the startling new contention that, `The Germans did not win on the Vercors. They lost.' Written with pace, the detail is fine... and Ashdown is well-placed to write this book, which requires an understanding of military strategy, diplomacy and political shenanigans, as well as old fashioned story telling skill.' Spectator Praise for A Brilliant Little Operation: `The story of Operation Frankton is an extreme example of a plan brilliantly conceived and badly botched. The ten commandos who made a secret canoe raid in 1942 on German merchant ships have become icons of British wartime derring-do.' The Times `No doubt many more books will be written about the war, but I hope this becomes a model for them since, though the heroism of our boys is stirring stuff, history only makes real sense if you can see it from all sides.' Daily Telegraph `Paddy Ashdown has sifted the facts from the myths to write a fascinating and very personal account.' Independent `It moves at the pace of a thriller and it's real' Nick Ferrari, Sunday Express `Ashdown's insights and his extensive research in an impressive range of archives will ensure that yet another work on the subject will not be required in the foreseeable future.' Times Literary Supplement

Author Information

After service as a Royal Marine Commando Officer and a commander of a Special Boat Service unit in the Far East, Paddy Ashdown served as a diplomat in the Foreign Office before, in due course, being elected as the Member of Parliament for Yeovil, serving in that capacity from 1983 to 2001. In 1988 he became leader of the Liberal Democrats, standing aside after eleven years of leading his Party. Later he was appointed as the international community’s High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving from 2002 to 2006. He is the author of many books, including A Brilliant Little Operation which won the British Army Military History prize for 2013.

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