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A Game of Birds and Wolves
- The Secret Game That Won the War
- Narrated by: Elliot Fitzpatrick
- Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins
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A Game of Birds and Wolves
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Summary
1941. The Battle of the Atlantic is a disaster. Thousands of supply ships ferrying vital food and fuel from North America to Britain are being torpedoed by German U-boats.
Prime Minister Winston Churchill is lying to the country about the number of British ships sunk. He is lying about the number of British men killed. And worst of all, unless something changes, he knows that Britain is weeks away from being starved into surrender to the Nazis.
This is the story of the game of battleships that won the Second World War. In the first week of 1942 a group of unlikely heroes - a retired naval captain and a clutch of brilliant young women, the youngest only seventeen-years-old - gather to form a secret strategy unit. On the top floor of a bomb-bruised HQ in Liverpool, the Western Approaches Tactical Unit spends days and nights designing and playing wargames in an effort to crack the U-boat tactics.
A Game of Birds and Wolves takes us from the sweltering fug of a U-boat as the German aces coordinate their wolfpack, to the tense atmosphere of the operation room as the British team plot battles at sea on the map.
The story of Operation Raspberry and its unsung heroines has never been told before. Investigative journalist Simon Parkin brings these hidden figures into the light and shows the ingenuity, perseverance and love needed to defeat the Nazis in this gripping tale of war at sea.
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What listeners say about A Game of Birds and Wolves
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Christopher W.
- 14-05-20
A story that needs to be heard!
Fascinating listen with great narration. This is very much a book about the human story of this previously little known part of Britain’s WW2 story. You get a real sense of the people behind an effort and organisation that made a huge difference to Britain’s survival. This was clearly a work of great passion for the writer and I felt at times the stories of individuals (both German and British) tended to transgress from what I had expected the main focus of the book, that of the “nuts and bolts” work done by the Western approaches tactical unit, to be. That being said, overall this helped me gain a better sense of the total impact that the unit had on the conflict. A great listen for anyone interested in WW2 and its unsung heroes and heroines!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Aucher
- 20-09-24
So Glad I Finally got to this Fascinating and Important Account
We’re in a purple patch whereby SWW history is being rewritten or to change the facts per se but to include the women in it. And this book provides another key piece to the jigsaw which is quite possibly not half finished and will still have some pieces missing. There was perhaps not quite as much on the actual gaming as I had expected but again, in the modern way, he tells the story through a number of characters from all aspects of this crucial part of the War. Britain (including her then Empire) and then the US had to ensure that they didn’t lose the Battle of the Atlantic, and once achieved, then go on and win it. And this book, nicely paced and pitched well, places the reader right in the middle with the heroes and villains, protagonists and innocents and the jeopardy, dehumanisation and ultimate happy ending for the Allies. A fascinating account, well worth a read. Stuart
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Phil
- 21-11-19
Tense and intriguing
I absolutely loved A Game of Birds and Wolves, it was so interesting to hear a story about the Battle of the Atlantic and those who took part, both Axis and Allied.
It is respectful of everyone and tells a gripping tale of the formation of WATU and the turning of the tide.
Beautifully read and worth everybody's time.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Marcher Lord
- 28-05-24
unsung heroes of WW2
I stumbled across this story by accident, I knew about the U- boat menace with the efforts to defeat it by Bletchley Park, I had no idea about war games and how it played an equal part in the defeat of the U-boats . As for the people involved, they are national heroes and should be recognised as such. I thank the author for bringing this story to me , I really enjoyed it and recommend others to read/listen of this fascinating story.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Don't leave your toaster in the rain
- 02-03-20
A war game
This is in fact a potted history of the U boat war with a particular focus on the contribution of the Womens Royal Navy Auxiliary. There is an account of a tactical analysis and training unit based at the Liverpool Western Approaches Naval HQ but this is limited by its sources. The background about simulations in the military is thinner. An epilogue discusses the current work of the defence research establishment. I greatly enjoyed this audiobook
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Martin Scoley
- 21-08-21
Underrated Subject
Very interesting account of an undoubtedly vital role played in the survival of this country.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 01-04-21
fascinating story
narrator was superb and the story swaps between historic background and plot to keep you engaged. loved it.
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