Читать книгу The Paras - The Inside Story of Britain's Toughest Regiment - John Parker - Страница 4

As will be evident, this book does not take the form of a conventional military history. The story of the Parachute Regiment is told, as far as possible, through the recollections of those who took part in some of the most outstanding events and actions since the formation of Britain’s airborne forces. These memories include numerous vivid, outspoken and very personal accounts of courageous, controversial and ultimately tough times. It is, in effect, ‘the Paras on the Paras’, with some interventions and observations on the surrounding history by the author en route through this journey.

I am deeply indebted to a large number of people for their time, cooperation and effort in the process of gathering material for this book. All the recollections presented here are the result of more than 50 lengthy tape-recorded interviews with men of all ranks, from privates to knighted generals, and wives too. Some of the tapes were made personally with myself or my colleague Alastair McQueen, who assisted as a researcher, while many others were provided by the Sound Archive of the Imperial War Museum; and in this way I have obtained memories of almost every major campaign in which the Paras have been involved. Sadly, several of those whose words are used are no longer with us. A debt of gratitude is also due to Rosemary Tudge and her colleagues in the Imperial War Museum’s Sound Archive, who went to very great lengths to meet my aspirations and deadlines.