{"product_id":"9780753560976-churchills-pirates","title":"Churchill’s Pirates","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe Seafaring Heroes Who Helped Win WWII\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF \u003ci\u003eTHE \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003ePATHFINDERS\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'SUPERB. RICH IN HUMAN DRAMA' \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003eJames Holland   \u003cb\u003e'\u003ci\u003eEXCITING AND IMPORTANT'\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eDan Snow   \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'REVELATORY AND THRILLING'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eSaul David   \u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003e'HIS FINEST ACHIEVEMENT YET. THIS IS HISTORY AT FULL THROTTLE'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eGuy Walters   \u003cb\u003e'\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cb\u003eRIGOROUSLY RESEARCHED AND HIGHLY READABLE'\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eKate Jamieson \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eJust after midnight on Saturday, 2 September 1939, under overcast skies at Wilhelmshaven naval base in north-west Germany, a German U-boat quietly slipped out of its berth and into the North Sea. This was the first of a concentrated onslaught of submarines and airplanes determined to win WW2 by transforming the peaceful shipping lanes and fishing spots around Britain into treacherous mine-studded waters.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAs those first mines found their marks, capsizing innocent shipping vessels just off the coast, the nation called its men and women to join in its defence. The result was a rag-tag group of sailors and volunteers that came to form a ‘navy within a navy’ – the Royal Naval Patrol Service.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThese motley crews grew into a force of 70,000 men and women manning and supporting a fleet of 6,000 ships. Using converted fishing vessels, pleasure yachts and trawlers, they cleared sea mines, escorted merchant vessels across frozen northern waters, hunted submarines off the coast of America, undertook secret missions in the Mediterranean and heroically rescued soldiers at Dunkirk, working day and night to keep Britain safe in her darkest hour.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDrawing on fascinating first-hand accounts with surviving veterans, exclusive interviews, original papers and new archive material, Will Iredale brings us onto the decks of these small brave ships, onto the beaches where boffins worked to crack German engineering and into clandestine war room meetings where Winston Churchill worked to coordinate the pivotal moments that transformed the war and helped secure victory for the allies to tell the defining story of an overlooked unit of ordinary people that played a pivotal role in saving the country and winning the war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56409871384950,"sku":"9780753560976","price":18.18,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/stand_41440965.jpg?v=1779934880","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/9780753560976-churchills-pirates","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}