Churchill's Hellraisers

From the award-winning, internationally bestselling author Damien Lewis, the heart-stopping, little-known story of a team of courageous oddballs who stormed a Nazi fortress--in one of the most daring raids of World War II...

By the author of The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare - now a major motion picture.

It is the winter of 1944. Allied forces have succeeded in liberating most of Axis-occupied Italy--with one crucial exception: the Nazi headquarters north of the Gothic Line. Heavily guarded and surrounded by rugged terrain, the mountain fortress is nearly impenetrable. But British Prime Minister Winston Churchill is determined to drive a dagger into the "soft underbelly of Europe." The Allied's plan: drop two paratroopers into the mountains--and take the fortress by storm...

"One of the most dangerous and effective attacks ever undertaken by this Regiment against the enemy."
--Lt. Col Robert Walker-Brown, MBE DSO, senior SAS commander

The two brave men knew the risks involved, so they recruited an equally fearless team: Italian resistance fighters, escaped POWs, downed US airmen, even a bagpipe-playing Scotsman known as "The Mad Piper." Some had little military training, but all were willing to fight to the death to defeat the Nazi enemy. Ultimately, the mission that began in broad daylight, in the enemy's line of fire, would end one of the darkest chapters in history--through the courage and conviction of the unsung heroes who dared the impossible...

Bracingly tense, brilliantly researched, and truly unforgettable, Churchill's Hellraisers is a must-have for every World War II library.


The two brave men knew the risks involved, so they recruited an equally fearless team: Italian resistance fighters, escaped POWs, downed US airmen, even a bagpipe-playing Scotsman known as "The Mad Piper." Some had little military training, but all were willing to fight to the death to defeat the Nazi enemy. Ultimately, the mission that began in broad daylight, in the enemy's line of fire, would end one of the darkest chapters in history--through the courage and conviction of the unsung heroes who dared the impossible . . .
Bracingly tense, brilliantly researched, and truly unforgettable, Churchill's Hellraisers is a must-have for every World War II library.Damien Lewis is an award-winning historian, war reporter, and bestselling author. He spent over two decades reporting from war, disaster, and conflict zones around the world, winning numerous awards. He has written more than a dozen books about World War II, including The Ministry for Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Dog Who Could Fly, SAS Ghost Patrol, and The Nazi Hunters. His work has been published in over forty languages, and many of his books have been made, or are being developed, as feature films, TV series, or as plays for the stage. Lewis is a Fellow of the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society. Visit him online at DamienLewis.com.