Overview

The ""gloriously exciting"" (The Times) dramatic new account of the most daring British commando raid of World War Two In the darkest months of the Second World War, Churchill approved what seemed to many like a suicide mission. Braving the defences of the seemingly impenetrable St Nazaire U-boat base on the Atlantic seaboard, British commandos undertook 'the greatest raid of all', turning an old destroyer into a live bomb and using it to ram the gates of a Nazi stronghold before exploding it. Churchill called the raid a 'deed of glory', but as Giles Whittell reveals, it was a fundamentally misconceived raid whose impact and legacy was only secured by the astonishing bravery of its commandos. Drawing on official documents, interviews, unknown accounts and the astonished reactions of French civilians and German forces, The Greatest Raid recreates in cinematic detail the hours in which the ""Charioteers"" fought and died, unearthing human stories in poignant detail. It offers irreducible proof of the courage, daring and defiance shown by British commandos throughout the war, securing a legacy that resonated for years to come.

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9780241992258

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Reviews

I loved this book, as I love any good adventure story sublimely told...This book has the same effect as that drug. It's a gloriously exciting high, followed by a crushing realisation of war's enormous waste -- Gerard deGroot * The Times * Enthralling . . . the heroism on display that night was unsurpassed, and Whittell is right to call his book The Greatest Raid -- Simon Griffith * Mail on Sunday * Absorbing . . . The extraordinary bravery of the participants shines out from the narrative -- Patrick Bishop * Sunday Telegraph * A story of extraordinary courage . . . Without Chariot there might have been no further raids such as the much larger, and ultimately disastrous, attack on Dieppe five months later -- Jonathan Boff * Spectator * A compelling page-turner, the work of a master storyteller. The drama of the March 1942 operation is cinematic in its sweep and detail -- and Whittell's detective work on the real reasons for the raid is extraordinary. It is also beautifully written -- Matthew d'Ancona A spellbinding account of one of the most astonishing episodes of the whole war. Thrilling and tragic in equal measure, it is a story of self-sacrifice, comradeship and courage on an unimaginable scale -- Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third Reich Churchill called St Nazaire ""a deed of glory intimately involved in high strategy."" This vivid and moving book shows why -- David Reynolds, author of Island Stories: An Unconventional History of Britain Giles Whittell's crisp, tight, prose is perfectly suited to record one of World War 2's great moments of heroism: his journalistic skills tease apart the flaws in the plan, while expertly bringing back to life the rich cast of protagonists -- Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship World War Two's Operation Chariot against Nazi Germany's battleship repair facility is the greatest commando raid of all time. So bravo to Giles Whittell for this meticulously researched and utterly gripping account of the heroism at St Nazaire. The Greatest Raid does great justice to its subjects -- Dr Amanda Foreman

I loved this book, as I love any good adventure story sublimely told...This book has the same effect as that drug. It's a gloriously exciting high, followed by a crushing realisation of war's enormous waste -- Gerard deGroot * The Times * Enthralling . . . the heroism on display that night was unsurpassed, and Whittell is right to call his book The Greatest Raid -- Simon Griffith * Mail on Sunday * Absorbing . . . The extraordinary bravery of the participants shines out from the narrative -- Patrick Bishop * Sunday Telegraph * A compelling page-turner, the work of a master storyteller. The drama of the March 1942 operation is cinematic in its sweep and detail -- and Whittell's detective work on the real reasons for the raid is extraordinary. It is also beautifully written -- Matthew d'Ancona A spellbinding account of one of the most astonishing episodes of the whole war. Thrilling and tragic in equal measure, it is a story of self-sacrifice, comradeship and courage on an unimaginable scale -- Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third Reich Churchill called St Nazaire a deed of glory intimately involved in high strategy. This vivid and moving book shows why -- David Reynolds, author of Island Stories: An Unconventional History of Britain Giles Whittell's crisp, tight, prose is perfectly suited to record one of World War 2's great moments of heroism: his journalistic skills tease apart the flaws in the plan, while expertly bringing back to life the rich cast of protagonists -- Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship World War Two's Operation Chariot against Nazi Germany's battleship repair facility is the greatest commando raid of all time. So bravo to Giles Whittell for this meticulously researched and utterly gripping account of the heroism at St Nazaire. The Greatest Raid does great justice to its subjects -- Dr Amanda Foreman

"I loved this book, as I love any good adventure story sublimely told...This book has the same effect as that drug. It's a gloriously exciting high, followed by a crushing realisation of war's enormous waste -- Gerard deGroot * The Times * Enthralling . . . the heroism on display that night was unsurpassed, and Whittell is right to call his book The Greatest Raid -- Simon Griffith * Mail on Sunday * Absorbing . . . The extraordinary bravery of the participants shines out from the narrative -- Patrick Bishop * Sunday Telegraph * A story of extraordinary courage . . . Without Chariot there might have been no further raids such as the much larger, and ultimately disastrous, attack on Dieppe five months later -- Jonathan Boff * Spectator * A compelling page-turner, the work of a master storyteller. The drama of the March 1942 operation is cinematic in its sweep and detail -- and Whittell's detective work on the real reasons for the raid is extraordinary. It is also beautifully written -- Matthew d'Ancona A spellbinding account of one of the most astonishing episodes of the whole war. Thrilling and tragic in equal measure, it is a story of self-sacrifice, comradeship and courage on an unimaginable scale -- Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third Reich Churchill called St Nazaire ""a deed of glory intimately involved in high strategy."" This vivid and moving book shows why -- David Reynolds, author of Island Stories: An Unconventional History of Britain Giles Whittell's crisp, tight, prose is perfectly suited to record one of World War 2's great moments of heroism: his journalistic skills tease apart the flaws in the plan, while expertly bringing back to life the rich cast of protagonists -- Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship World War Two's Operation Chariot against Nazi Germany's battleship repair facility is the greatest commando raid of all time. So bravo to Giles Whittell for this meticulously researched and utterly gripping account of the heroism at St Nazaire. The Greatest Raid does great justice to its subjects -- Dr Amanda Foreman"

I loved this book, as I love any good adventure story sublimely told...This book has the same effect as that drug. It's a gloriously exciting high, followed by a crushing realisation of war's enormous waste -- Gerard deGroot * The Times * Enthralling . . . the heroism on display that night was unsurpassed, and Whittell is right to call his book The Greatest Raid -- Simon Griffith * Mail on Sunday * Absorbing . . . The extraordinary bravery of the participants shines out from the narrative -- Patrick Bishop * Sunday Telegraph * A story of extraordinary courage . . . Without Chariot there might have been no further raids such as the much larger, and ultimately disastrous, attack on Dieppe five months later -- Jonathan Boff * Spectator * A compelling page-turner, the work of a master storyteller. The drama of the March 1942 operation is cinematic in its sweep and detail -- and Whittell's detective work on the real reasons for the raid is extraordinary. It is also beautifully written -- Matthew d'Ancona A spellbinding account of one of the most astonishing episodes of the whole war. Thrilling and tragic in equal measure, it is a story of self-sacrifice, comradeship and courage on an unimaginable scale -- Julia Boyd, author of Travellers in the Third Reich Churchill called St Nazaire a deed of glory intimately involved in high strategy. This vivid and moving book shows why -- David Reynolds, author of Island Stories: An Unconventional History of Britain Giles Whittell's crisp, tight, prose is perfectly suited to record one of World War 2's great moments of heroism: his journalistic skills tease apart the flaws in the plan, while expertly bringing back to life the rich cast of protagonists -- Charles Spencer, author of The White Ship World War Two's Operation Chariot against Nazi Germany's battleship repair facility is the greatest commando raid of all time. So bravo to Giles Whittell for this meticulously researched and utterly gripping account of the heroism at St Nazaire. The Greatest Raid does great justice to its subjects -- Dr Amanda Foreman

Author Information

Giles Whittell is the author of Bridge of Spies, Spitfire Women of World War II and Snow- A Scientific and Cultural Exploration. He is World Affairs Editor at Tortoise Media, and was previously a writer for The Times in Los Angeles, Moscow, Washington and London.

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