An Evening With Max Hastings

We are thrilled to welcome renowned journalist and historian, Max Hastings to Waterstones Nottingham to celebrate the release of his new book, Operation Biting: The 1942 Parachute Assault to Capture Hitler’s Radar.

Operation Biting was one of the most thrilling British commando raids of World War II, and probably the most successful.

In February 1942 RAF intelligence was baffled by a newly-identified radar network on the coast of Nazi-occupied Europe, codenamed Würzburg. The brilliant scientist Dr.R.V. Jones proposed an assault to capture key components. The nearest accessible enemy set stood upon a cliff at Bruneval in Normandy. Winston Churchill enthused, as did Lord Louis Mountbatten, chief of Combined Operations. A company of the newly-formed Airborne Forces was committed to the operation, which took place on the night of 27/28 February.

Amid heavy snow 120 men landed, some of whom were mis dropped almost two miles from their objective. They nonetheless launched the assault, dismantled the German radar, and after three nail-biting hours in France and a fierce battle with Wehrmacht defenders, escaped in the nick of time by landing-craft across stormy seas to Portsmouth.