Lawrence Paterson's groundbreaking new book is a detailed account of the
now legendary Operation Colossus, the first British airborne raid of the
Second World War, which took place in Basilicata, Italy on 10 February
1941.
Britain was one of the last major powers of the Second World War to
establish an airborne arm of service. Formed by a collection of
free-thinking army and air force officers, the fledgling British
paratrooper unit, known as the 'SAS', deployed trial and error in terms
of tactics and equipment, costing the lives of several volunteers before
an elite few were selected to make the first British parachute raid of
the war. Alongside the paratroopers were two veterans of the First World
War: an Italian SOE agent, formerly a banqueting manager in London
hotels, and an RAF reserve officer who held the Military Cross for
bravery.
Collectively known as 'X-Troop', these men were parachuted by specially
selected bomber crews into the heart of enemy territory, where they
successfully destroyed their target, the Tragino Aqueduct, before
becoming the object of an exhaustive manhunt by Italian troops and
civilians. Captured, they were variously interrogated, imprisoned, and
the Italian SOE agent placed on trial for treason and executed.
Given the distances that had to be covered, the logistical complications
and the lack of any precedent, the raid was a remarkable feat. Its
success or failure depended on a group of men using methods and
equipment thus far untried by the British Army. They were truly 'guinea
pigs' for those that would follow in their footsteps.
Often overlooked in British military history, Paterson brings this
extraordinary episode to light, drawing on verbatim testimony and
interrogating the truth of previous accounts. From the formation of the
unit and the build up to its first deployment, through Operation
Colossus and its aftermath, to its ongoing legacy today, this is the
fascinating story of the modern day British Parachute Regiment.
