**PUBLICATION DATE: MAY 2024** (Please refer to the Terms and Conditions of Pre-Order below)
- Written by two military historians whose close relatives took part in Operation Tonga
- Draws on a rich and unique collection of survivor testimonies
- This edition published to mark the 80th anniversary of the operation
Operation Tonga was vital to the success of D-Day. It included the famous attacks on the Merville Battery and the bridges over the Orne River and Caen Canal, as well as the lesser known, though equally important provision of an anti-tank screen to protect the southern and eastern flanks of the invasion beaches from German counterattacks. This account, the product of several years of research, includes the stories of the crews that evaded capture by the Germans and pays tribute to the help they received from local resistance fighters. The contribution of the nine gliders that took part in the ‘Coup de Main’ landings has been well-documented, but little has been written of the other eighty-nine gliders that participated. Operation Tonga—The Glider Assault: 6 June 1944 tells the full story.
| BOOK ISBN |
9781804200551 |
| FORMAT |
234 x 156 mm |
| BINDING |
Paperback |
| PAGES |
176 pages |
| PUBLICATION DATE |
May 2024 |
| TERRITORY |
World |
| ILLUSTRATIONS |
31 black and white photographs |
TERMS & CONDITIONS OF PRE-ORDER1. Pre-orders are charged at time of order and the order will be processed and posted to you as soon as the book becomes available.2. Current publication date for this title is MAY 2024. Publication date can change and you may be be informed via e-mail for any such changes or delays. Please subscribe to our newsletter or follow us on social media. The book will be shipped via DPD in the UK, Channel Islands and Republic of Ireland, and, DHL internationally. For security reasons, DHL cannot deliver to post boxes.3. Current format specifications including page extent and number of images could change and you will be informed via e-mail for any such changes.4. You can cancel the pre-order at any time and request a refund. 5. Marketing, Promotions and Discounts: where at times we may offer discount(s) on forthcoming ('preorder') books and that part of the order is cancelled, we do not guarantee the same discount will be available at a future date or at all at point of availability.5. Placing a pre-order with us means that you have acknowledged and accepted these Terms and Conditions as well as our General Terms and Conditions.
Kevin Shannon’s father, Bill, took part in Operation Tonga. Shannon spent ten years in the British Army, serving in a number of regiments. After many years of teaching history in a secondary school, he now works with young people with behavioural problems.
Stephen Wright is the nephew of Billy Marfleet who was killed on Operation Tonga. He is a former teacher and currently works as a youth officer in the fire and rescue service. It was through their mutual interest in the operation that the two spent three years gathering stories from survivors and reading official accounts.
