Saul David – Sky Warriors

The legendary ‘Red Devils’ were among the finest combat troops of the Second World War.

Created at Churchill’s instigation in June 1940, they began as a single parachute battalion of 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions: the 1st, 6th and 44th Indian, each composed of parachutists and glider-borne troops.

Wearing their distinctive maroon berets, steel helmets and Dennison smocks, they served with distinction in every major theatre of the conflict – including North Africa, Sicily, mainland Europe and the Far East. They played a starring role in some most iconic airborne operations in history: the Bruneval Raid of February 1942; the capture of the Primasole, Pegasus and Arnhem Bridges in July 1943, June 1944 and September 1944 respectively; and Operation Varsity, the biggest parachute drop in history, near Wesel in Germany in March 1945.

This is a stunning and gripping new history of the British airborne experience across the Second World War.

SAUL DAVID is a historian, broadcaster and the author of several critically acclaimed works of fiction and non-fiction, including most recently Silent Warriors and Devil Dogs. His history books have been shortlisted for the Westminster Medal for Military Literature and variously named a Waterstones Military History Book of the Year and an Amazon History Book of the Year. He is Professor of Military History at the University of Buckingham.

This event is kindly sponsored by Dorchester Town Council

Tickets £12.00/£6.00 (students)