Episode 194: British Airborne in World War II
Guest: Saul David
Sunday, April 21, 2024
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This Week on History Happy Hour: The legendary ‘Red Devils’, British Airborne troops, were created at Winston Churchill’s instigation in June 1940. They started with just 500 men and grew into three 10,000-strong airborne divisions.
British military historian Saul David returns to History Happy Hour to talk about his new book Sky Warriors: British Airborne Forces in the Second World War. We’ll talk about their role in iconic operations such as Pegasus Bridge, Arnhem Bridge, and Operation Varsity, the biggest parachute drop of World War II.
Saul David is a professor military history at the University of Buckingham, and the author of numerous history books. He was on History Happy Hour in 2020 to talk about his Okinawa book, Crucible of Hell. Other titles include The Indian Mutiny, 1857, Operation Thunderbolt, and The Force: The Legendary Special Ops Unit and WWII’’s Mission Impossible. He has also written three bestselling historical novels, Zulu Hart, Hart of Empire and, The Prince and the Whitechapel Murders. He has appeared in numerous documentaries in the UK.