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The Jedburghs: The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944 Paperback – October 10, 2006

by Will Irwin (Author)

4.5 172 ratings

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The story of the Special Forces in World War II has never fully been told before. Information about them began to be declassified only in the 1980s.

Known as the Jedburghs, these Special Forces were selected from members of the British, American, and Free French armies to be dropped in teams of three deep behind German lines. There, in preparation for D-Day, they carried out what we now know as unconventional warfare: supporting the French Resistance in guerrilla attacks, supply-route disruption, and the harassment and obstruction of German reinforcements. Always, they operated against extraordinary odds. They had to be prepared to survive pitched battles with German troops and Gestapo manhunts for weeks and months while awaiting the arrival of Allied ground forces. They were, in short, heroes.The Jedburghs finally tells their story and offers a new perspective on D-Day itself. Will Irwin has selected seven of the Jedburgh teams and told their stories as gripping personal narratives. He has gathered archival documents, diaries and correspondence, and interviewed Jed veterans and family members in order to present this portrait of their crucial role - a role recognized by Churchill and Eisenhower - in the struggle to liberate Europe in 1944-45.

This is narrative history at its most compelling; a vivid drama of the battle for France from deep behind enemy lines.

Editorial Reviews

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"A gripping and authoritative account of the soldiers whose exploits formed the basis for modern special warfare." -- General Wesley K. Clark

"Will Irwin's timely chronicle of [the Jedburgh's] many hair-raising missions will delight both military history buffs and those looking for a genuine page-turner." -- Alex Kershaw

About the Author

Will Irwin retired from the United States Army in January 2000 after a career of more than twenty-eight years, half of that in Special Forces. He received a B.A. in history from Methodist College and a master of military arts and sciences degree from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He has done graduate work in modern European history at the University of Kansas and has served as a research fellow at the RAND Corporation. He now works as a defense contractor. Born in Iowa, Irwin lives in Valrico, Florida.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs (October 10, 2006)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1586484621
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1586484620
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.14 x 0.81 x 9.21 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #650,855 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #621 in Intelligence & Espionage History
- #1,328 in WWII Biographies
- #5,930 in World War II History (Books)

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4.5 172 ratings

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Customers find the book well-written and informative about WWII. They appreciate the factual presentation of the history and stories from the men involved in the program. Readers describe the stories as gripping, epic, and true.

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Readability Information quality Storytelling

22 customers mention "Readability"20 positive2 negative

Customers find the book well-written and engaging. They say it's a good read for WWII enthusiasts and a nice case study.

"Very good read regarding the history of the Jedburghs during WWII...." Read more

"...If you are interested in history of this era "The Jedburghs" is well worth the read." Read more

"...I had never heard about the Jedburghs either. It is a good read with a great deal of information about how the Jedburghs were recruited and trained..." Read more

"...This isn't a military history case study--this is entertaining AND factual." Read more

10 customers mention "Information quality"10 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and well-written. They say it chronicles the training and history of the Jedburgh program. The facts are presented accurately, though not in a chronological order. Some readers mention that the book is tied to their family history.

"Very informative...." Read more

"...The facts are well presented just not in a chronological order. The landing at Normandy and the Jeds missions were tough to follow at times as well...." Read more

"...This isn't a military history case study--this is entertaining AND factual." Read more

"...The Jedburghs is a well written and informative history of a little known Allied special operations force in World War II...." Read more

5 customers mention "Storytelling"5 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the gripping tales of bravery told in this book. They find the stories well-written and epic, with follow-ups on many of those mentioned. The book is a great anthology of declassified stories from some of the men who trained, equipped, and fought behind enemy lines during World War II.

"...Excellent stories and even includes follow up on many of those mentioned in the narrative." Read more

"...This book tells the tales of several teams--from initial selection to mission completion...." Read more

"...I knew well one of the men who had been a Jedburgh and greatly enjoyed his story and the others who served...." Read more

"...This is a great anthology of declassified stories from some of the men who trained, equipped and employed gorilla forces in Nazi-occupied Europe...." Read more

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Libby
Excellent History of the Jedburghs
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2024
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Very good read regarding the history of the Jedburghs during WWII. Excellent stories and even includes follow up on many of those mentioned in the narrative.

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Bill Brown
Learned new info about French resistance during WWII
Reviewed in the United States on November 4, 2020
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Jedburghs was particularly interesting to me because I have a friend who was a Jedburgh. I have discussed this operation with him, but this book gave so much new information and corrected several mis-understandings I have always had about the resistance. I had always thought about the French Maquis (resistance). I had always thought about them as strictly small element teams for recon and sabotage, but many of them were battalion and even regimental size. If you are interested in history of this era "The Jedburghs" is well worth the read.

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CSMSGM
It is a good read with a great deal of information about how ...
Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2014
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Very informative. Until reading this book I knew very little about the role played by the French underground and even less about the "maquis" in the success of the invasions of Normandy and Southern France. I had never heard about the Jedburghs either. It is a good read with a great deal of information about how the Jedburghs were recruited and trained as well as descriptions about some of the numerous activities carried out by the Jedburghs while they were in France. Also interesting were the accolades written by many of the well known American generals who were involved as commanders in the invasions of Normandy and Southern France as well as the subsequent campaigns that drove the Nazi armies out of France. It was also interesting to note that these same generals were aware that the Jedburghs were of no use once the Allies reached the German borders because there was no large body of disaffected citizens to be recruited to work with the Jedburghs inside of Germany. The author is careful to put the contributions of these groups into proper perspective and I believe he is correct when he maintains that the Jedburghs were but one of the fore-runners of what are now known as Special-Ops troops.

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C. Bruhn
A bit long winded
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2024
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This was a tough read for me. It bounced back and forth especially in the beginning and was quite hard to follow. I actually quit reading it and came back to again after a few months. The facts are well presented just not in a chronological order. The landing at Normandy and the Jeds missions were tough to follow at times as well. Overall I'm glad I survived the read, these men deserve to be known about. It's definitely not a book everyone will enjoy.

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Alan D. Cranford
Epic Tale of Heroic Daring--and True!
Reviewed in the United States on November 14, 2013
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The Jedburghs were three-man teams that coordinated action between French irregulars and the Normandy Invasion forces. This book tells the tales of several teams--from initial selection to mission completion. Jedburghs didn't operate in a vacuum--there were other "special forces" in the area (and some of those are described briefly) and there was even a German military coup during the period covered in this book.
This isn't a military history case study--this is entertaining AND factual.

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Kindle Customer
The Jedburghs
Reviewed in the United States on April 27, 2010
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[[ASIN:1586484621 The Jedburghs: The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944]

The Jedburghs is a well written and informative history of a little known Allied special operations force in World War II. Their mission was the direct per-cursor to the U.S.Army Special Forces (The Green Berets); to organize, arm, train, and lead in battle, a guerilla force behind enemy lines.

A good read.

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Danny M. O'Dell
The Jedburghs
Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2013
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This was a fair to good read, however it did not go into much detail about the missions these men and women risked their lives on in Europe toward the end of the conflict in France.

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kris Patterson
World War Two history
Reviewed in the United States on August 23, 2014
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This books chronicles the training and history of the jedburgh program. It discusses the important part these brave individuals played in World War Two an how they helped destroy an enemy and win a war on tyranny. The outcome may have been different without these people. I also enjoyed the look at where some of the warriors wound up after the war still contributing to their country in new ways. A great book with great history.

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bruce cruickshank
Great for ww2
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 25, 2019
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Informative and well written

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Pierco
Une page de l'histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale très peu connue.
Reviewed in France on February 18, 2019
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Après "Le Jedburgh" qui raconte sous forme d'un roman la vie du capitaine français Jean Delwiche, j'ai souhaité connaître l'histoire des Jedburghs, des hommes qui se sont engagés à défendre la Liberté au risque de leur vie.

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Pierco

Une page de l'histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale très peu connue.

Reviewed in France on February 18, 2019
Après "Le Jedburgh" qui raconte sous forme d'un roman la vie du capitaine français Jean Delwiche, j'ai souhaité connaître l'histoire des Jedburghs, des hommes qui se sont engagés à défendre la Liberté au risque de leur vie.

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EX RN
Interesting book
Reviewed in Canada on May 1, 2015
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Good and informative read about a relatively unknown group of brave men and women. My edition was badly bound with repetitive pages throughout but otherwise enjoyed this book.

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C.R.Kirk
Real History
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 22, 2019
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Splendid book by the founder of the Jeds. A truly dramatic real life history of some very brave people. Pity de Gaulle was so uptight about their role, what a time to be standing on one's patrimony. All for 99p on mny Kindle, I hope Mr Buckmaster gets something out of it.

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DA Rees
Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 24, 2017
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interesting book!

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The Jedburghs: The Secret History of the Allied Special Forces, France 1944 Paperback – October 10, 2006

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5.0 out of 5 stars Great for ww2

5.0 out of 5 stars Une page de l'histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale très peu connue.

Une page de l'histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale très peu connue.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting book

5.0 out of 5 stars Real History

4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars

Great for ww2

Une page de l'histoire de la seconde guerre mondiale très peu connue.

Interesting book

Real History

Four Stars