With Sky Warriors, Saul David has written an excellent account of British Airborne Forces during the Second World War, from their inception in the dark days of June 1940 through to the successful airborne drop to support the crossing of The Rhine in March 1945. As befits one of the leading military historians in this country, David’s book is well researched and written, using both established and hitherto unpublished private accounts.
Professor David’s skill as an author is a brilliant ability to transform nonfictional material into a highly digestible story, using the first-hand accounts of those that fought on the ground. The result is an easy-to-read account of each of the key operations that the British Airborne Forces were involved in – from the initial and disastrous Operation COLOSSUS, the raid on the Italian aqueduct in Tragino in Italy (where the whole party were captured) through to the successful drop by 6th British Airborne Division to support the Rhine Crossings at the end of the war. David captures imaginatively the high and lows of the evolution of British Airborne Forces, the rudimentary start to military parachuting, with the inevitable fatal casualties, and the inter Service rivalry and tensions between the Army and the Royal Air Force, the latter more focussed on the use of resources for the strategic bombing of Germany, rather than transporting paratroopers into battle. The ‘”game changer” was the introduction of the United States Air Force transport command in 1943, which meant that large scale parachute operations became possible. The US Air Force Transport Command “grew” in knowledge and experience with the evolution of the Airborne Forces, the first operation using US Air Force pilots was not a success, with the airborne element of Operation HUSKY – the invasion of Sicily – going horribly wrong, with British paratroops scattered over a wide area and gliders missing their landing zones and landing into the sea.
Professor David balances up a strategic assessment of British Airborne Forces operations during the Second World War – providing a detailed assessment of the reasons for the failure at Arnhem – against some classic down to earth vignettes, such as the German commander of the detachment at Pegasus Bridge being caught out on D-Day with his French lover rather than manning his post and Lieutenant Colonel Otway (commander of the Parachute Battalion that, despite overwhelming odds, took Merville Battery) “planting” attractive women amongst his troops on the eve of D-Day to see if any of them would reveal the plan. None did.
David also charts the careers of many of the officers and men of the British Airborne throughout the Second World War – their successes and failures and the inevitable tensions and friendships that arose in a highly “alpha male” environment. Following that theme, David includes a postscript which explains what the key characters ended up doing after the Second World War was finished.
Accompanied by clear and useful maps and a good collection of photographs, this is a superb book, well worth its price, and a must read for any student of British Airborne Forces during the Second World War.
Rupert Hague-Holmes is a historian and the author of The Soldier’s General.
