Churchill’s Shadow Raiders: The Race to Develop Radar, World War II’s Invisible Secret Weapon

In 1941, Great Britain had their backs against the wall in their battle against Nazi Germany. Their combined forces had yet to achieve a victory. Their cities were bombarded by Germany’s powerful Luftwaffe. A mass evacuation from Dunkirk was successful, but it was still a defeat. Operation Colossus, the first nighttime raid behind enemy lines, aimed to turn the tide. The objective was to sabotage an aqueduct in Italy with commandos undertaking the mission. The dicey reconnaissance photographs along with sporadic word of mouth evidenced a failure, yet the opposite was true. The mind of the British Government churned with ideas of how to thwart the Nazi war machine. The British Air Force had been stymied in efforts to attack Axis power positions, and the German Radar proved superior in pinpointing British planes. A plan was hatched to steal the Wurzburg radar and access its secrets. If successful, the momentum would be altered.

Churchill’s Shadow Raiders engages the reader immediately in detailing the British strategy to strike at the Axis powers. The tension depicted in the stealth actions of the Special Air Service is electric and palpable. Author Damien Lewis reignites the past with a passion and eye for detail in this spellbinding narrative. This is a notable inclusion in World War II literature.