Soldier P: Night Fighters in France

In September 1944, following the successful 'Anvil' landings of the previous month, the Allies were planning airborne landings in the Orléans Gap. In order to 'soften' the enemy before the landings, they decided to drop a squadron of men and jeeps by parachute in central France. These men were tasked with engaging in a series of daring hit-and-run night raids against enemy positions to distract attention from the landings taking place elsewhere. Only one group of men was deemed resourceful enough for such a high-risk mission: the legendary Special Air Service the SAS! Operation Kipling began when 46 jeeps and 107 well-armed SAS men from C Squadron were parachuted in with orders to establish a base and make contact with the Maquis Frenchmen living in makeshift camps in the forest, having fled from the Germans to conduct sabotage missions behind enemy lines. Even as the SAS men were setting up their secret base camp, the airborne landings were cancelled, and the SAS was ordered to conduct 'aggressive' patrolling. Over the next six weeks, C Squadron carried out a succession of perilous raids against the Germans, racing into occupied towns I jeeps, firing on the move, and racing out again. The SAS continually harassed the enemy and inflicted heavy casualties. By the Operation Kipling had ended, the very mention of the SAS was enough to make even the crack troops of the German Army tremble with feat and, in many cases, throw down their arms and surrender. Soldier P SAS: Night Fighters in France is the story of this daredevil World War Two operation little know, but utterly vital.