THE BRUNEVAL RAID
Eighty years ago, 120 paratroopers mounted a daring raid behind enemy lines, achieving a rare success amidst a string of defeats. Graham Goodlad reveals the details of Operation Biting to seize an advanced German radar
For Britain, February 1942 was one of the lowest points of the war. In the so-called ‘Channel Dash’, two German capital ships and a heavy cruiser sailed from Brittany to Germany through the English Channel in broad daylight, evading the Royal Navy and the RAF.
Soon after, Japanese forces inflicted an even worse humiliation by capturing the allegedly impregnable fortress of Singapore and taking 60,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers captive. It was the largest surrender in British military history, a defeat on the scale of Yorktown and Kut, and one with severe consequences for the future of the Empire. In North Africa, Rommel continued to press home his attack in the desert, while at sea, Allied victory in the Battle of the Atlantic seemed further away than ever.
