Heist From The Sky: The Raid Begins (Part 2)

Summary

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Podcast Summary: WW2 Pod: We Have Ways of Making You Talk

Episode: Heist From The Sky: The Raid Begins (Part 2)

Hosts: Al Murray & James Holland
Date: May 18, 2026

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Episode Overview

This episode dives into the build-up and execution preparations for Operation Biting, known as the Bruneval Raid—a bold British airborne operation in February 1942 aiming to “snatch” a German Wurzburg radar from the French coast. Al Murray (comedian and honorary colonel) and James Holland (historian) blend sharp historical insight and trademark camaraderie to explore the raid's technical, strategic, and personal dimensions. The hosts dissect the British need for a morale-boosting victory amid a grim phase of WWII, detail the operational challenges, and bring alive the characters—ordinary soldiers, scientists, and commanders—who shaped this daring mission.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Context: The Winter of British Discontent (02:57–09:10)

• The Bruneval Raid was set against a backdrop of repeated British setbacks: loss of Singapore, Hong Kong, and ongoing difficulties in North Africa and the Atlantic.
• James Holland contextualizes:

  “By the middle of February [1942]... with in terms of the numbers put into the bag, the worst single defeat ever in British history.” (04:38)

• The public mood in Britain is grim, demoralized by defeats and bombings, with Churchill’s leadership facing mounting criticism and diminishing reserves of goodwill.
• Memorable Quote:
  Al Murray explores the political angle:

  “Churchill knows he needs to face the public and say something went well because he’s sick of facing the public and saying something’s gone wrong.” (07:51)

• The raid, though tactically minor, takes on heightened symbolic importance.

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2. The Target and Stakes: Technology Wars (09:10–10:59)

• The Germans’ Wurzburg radar at Bruneval is identified as a technological boon—its capture would grant the Allies significant intelligence.
• R.V. Jones (boffin legend) is highlighted as driving the mission to secure the device.
• New leadership energizes Combined Operations (Lord Louis Mountbatten) and the Airborne forces (Boy Browning), both seeking a signature victory.

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3. The Plan and the Sappers’ Role (10:12–13:11)

• Major John Frost’s C Company is chosen; the formation is divided into groups named after famous naval figures (Rodney, Nelson, Drake, Jellicoe, Hardy)—a nod to joint-force British traditions.
• Sappers (Royal Engineers) are central to the operation: they must disassemble the radar under cover of night and remove or destroy it.
• Notable Anecdote:
  Al Murray on engineer importance:

  “The Corps of Engineers... the most important foundational corps in the British Army. Every specialist part of the army... has come out of the Royal Engineers.” (11:02)

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4. Recruiting Expert Help: The Specialists (13:11–16:32)

• Cox, a pre-war cinema projectionist and top RDF (radar) technician, is recruited (with great reluctance)—an ordinary man drawn into an extraordinary task.
• Humorous Re-enactment:
  James and Al role-play the Air Ministry’s interview with Cox, who has not volunteered but is told, “Now that you are here, will you volunteer?”
  Cox:

  “Very well, sir. I volunteer. What do you people want? Hey.”
  (15:15)

• Cox is immediately promoted and rushed into parachute training.

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5. Friction & Training: The British Airborne Way (16:32–21:46)

• Frost is frustrated by the imposed plan that splits his company into ten-man ‘sticks’, which he feels undermines his ability to command effectively.
• The organizers don’t initially reveal the raid’s true nature; Frost only learns the real objective after challenging the plan.
• A pattern of over-complication in British airborne plans is noted—a tradition that would continue into later operations like Arnhem and Sicily.
• Insightful Observation:

  "A hallmark of British airborne operations: they have a tendency to overcomplicate things, to divide resources and leave lots to timing..." – Al Murray (18:26)

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6. Last-Minute Rehearsals, Mishaps & Nerves (21:46–25:25)

• Rehearsals are plagued by mishaps, including botched container drops and disastrous exfiltration practices at Loch Fyne.
• Mountbatten proves incapable of keeping secrets, “spilling the beans” to observers during preparations.
• Sappers train on disassembling the radar under tight timelines, practicing with trolleys and all necessary kit.
• The presence of a German-Jewish interpreter (Private Peter Newman/Nagel) and a technical expert from Swanage is noted—adding to Frost’s wariness about unknown attachments.

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7. Ruthlessness and Realities (25:25–27:29)

• Cox, the RDF specialist, is reportedly assigned a bodyguard whose covert job is to kill him if capture by the Germans is imminent, to protect British secrets:

  “While he might be under the impression it’s the job of that sapper to keep him safe, his role actually is to kill Cox if it seems that he might be captured...” – Al Murray (25:25)

• Hosts debate whether this story is myth or fact, but both agree it reveals the operation’s high stakes.

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8. Go or No Go: The Weather Gods (28:49–30:40)

• Multiple nights of abortive preparation as poor weather postpones the raid, fraying nerves and dulling morale—until the weather finally clears on February 27th.
• Notable Moment:
  Company Sergeant Major Strachan (“from the Black Watch”) remains steadfastly optimistic:

  “On the 27th he’s going, ‘oh, no, today’s the day, don’t you worry, pal.’ And he’s absolutely convinced that it’s going to happen. And he’s right.” (29:15)

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9. Raid Night: Final Checks and Take-off (30:41–36:52)

• The mission is launched; the men draw their chutes, Piper Ewan pipes them onto their planes, and rum is passed around for nerves.
• The snow in Bruneval presents an unforeseen clothing challenge—lacking snow smocks, the men will stand out, but Frost considers this might aid in regrouping.
• The cold and tension are palpable as the men wait in the Whitleys; some play cards, some nap, all keenly aware of the dangers ahead.
  Al:

  “They’re sat on the aluminium floor... I can almost feel the cold going up through my bum just thinking about it.” (33:55)

• As they fly across the channel, two aircraft carrying a crucial portion of the Nelson group are knocked off course by flak—immediately demonstrating the inherent chaos and risk of airborne operations.

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10. Vulnerability, Ticking Clock, and Jump (36:10–37:16)

• The plan’s fragility: limited heavy weapons, utter dependence on Navy punctuality for extraction, susceptible to surprise by German armor.
• The paratroopers’ readiness on the brink:
  “As they approach, Frost hears the call. Action stations... The leading man dangles his legs in the hole as the rest prepare for the green light. And it is go.” (36:52)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On morale and politics:
  “Churchill’s run out of Battle of Britain good vibes by this point, they’re not really around anymore in terms of his political capital...” – Al Murray (06:59)
• On airborne over-complication:
  “They have a tendency to overcomplicate things, to divide resources and leave lots to timing and lots to drops going right.” – Al Murray (18:26)
• On ruthlessness:
  “...his [Cox’s] role actually is to kill Cox if it seems he might be captured because he knows all about British RDF.” – Al Murray (25:25)
• Humour amidst tension:
  “One of the officers has even bought a cricket jumper, which will come into play later.” – Al Murray (33:46)
• On fear and leadership:
  “In his memoir, [Frost] talks an awful lot about fear and its effects. And, you know, this man’s a renowned warrior, yet that’s one of the things he keeps coming back to.” – Al Murray (22:14)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 02:57 — Episode content begins: Introduction to the context of 1941–42 setbacks
• 09:10 — What’s at stake: The radar and its technological significance
• 10:12 — Sappers and airborne structure explained
• 13:11 — Recruitment and the Cox interview re-enactment
• 18:26 — British airborne tendencies towards overcomplicated plans
• 21:46 — Rehearsal misadventures and training realities
• 25:25 — Deadly contingencies: Cox’s ‘bodyguard’
• 28:49 — Weather delays and morale challenges
• 30:41 — The “go” order and final hours
• 33:46 — Vivid descriptions of raid preparations, cold, and nerves
• 36:52 — The jump and cliffhanger ending

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Episode Tone & Final Thoughts

The hosts maintain a lively, irreverent yet deeply knowledgeable tone—balancing military minutiae, historical context, and human detail ("rum laced with tea", miscreant Sten guns, cricket jumpers in combat). Their banter brings the tension, improvisation, and improvisational British spirit of early airborne warfare vibrantly to life, driving home how much was risked (and how much could be lost) for “some good news” in WWII’s darkest months.

Cliffhanger Ending:
The episode closes as the jump light goes green for C Company—leaving listeners (and Patreon subscribers) at the threshold of the raid’s dramatic execution.

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Transcript

[Al Murray]

Thank you for listening to we have ways of making you talk. Sign up to our Patreon to receive bonus content, live streams and our weekly newsletter with money off books and museum visits as well. Plus early access to all live show tickets. That's patreon.com we haveways.

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[Al Murray]

We organized the company into four parties, each named after a famous sailor. This was to be a combined operation par excellence with the Navy, army and RAF all intimately concerned and we hoped that the senior service would appreciate our gesture. A small number of SAPAs were attached to the company and some in a B company had been sent down as reinforcements. We started vigorous training at once. Nearly every night we were to be found prowling across the plain and I'm afraid we caused the glider pilot regiment a good many headaches for we never knew exactly when we should appear for meals and they were sometimes horrified at the amount of food we ate. And there we are, Major John Frost there, of course, joining us again, the Cameroonian welcome to Way of Ways of Making youg Talk with me, Al Murray and James Holland for our second part of Operation Biting, the Bruneval raid. And we pitched this, didn't we, Jim? That's basically some good news from 1942, from February 1942. So I think it's worth possibly looking at why we might be clinging on to this crumb of comfort of the good news.

[James Holland]

Well, yes, because actually I think there's quite a lot of cheer in 1941, all things considered. I mean, you know, America's in the war right at the end of 1941. Things haven't gone disastrously in the desert by any stretch of imagination. We've rounded up two Italian armies, we've won an Ethiopia. That's a massive tick. We've cleared things up in the Atlantic to a large extent to the point where we're not going to lose that battle anymore. We still won it, but we're not going to lose it. So that's all. Good. Defense contracts are in with the Americans. Lend Lease has been signed off. So few, you know, that's all all right. And we've only got one front to deal with. All of which changes at the end of end of 1941 with the arrival of the Imperial Japanese on the scene. And this is where things start to go really, really badly wrong in a very, very big way. Hong Kong has been overrun. Malaya is in the process of being overrun. And by the middle of February, not only is Malaya been lost, so is Singapore in the middle of it. You know, it's just, it's with in terms of the Numbers put into the bag the worst single defeat ever in British history. It's not going terrible one and it's not even going particularly brilliantly in the desert either because Rommel has fought back after Operation Crusader and regained land and they've. And it's resettled on the Gazala Line and the British in the Western Desert in North Africa are starting to sort of run out of ideas. And yes, American troops arriving in Britain in January 1942, but, but it feels like a long way to go and they just haven't. And the Bomber Command isn't really working. They've got a new commander in chief, Air Marshal Salva Harris, who is taking. Takes over in February 1942. But, but they're a long way off being a full all out strategic air bombing campaign against Germany. It's all drips and drabs, it's all pretty, pretty loose stuff and you know, they're not doing terribly well.

[Al Murray]

You say that we're doing well in the battle, battle at the Atlantic essentially, but by this or Britain's doing very well in, by the end of 1941, they've got it kind of taped down as a situation, haven't they? That's not how it feels reading the newspapers though, is it? Because every ship sunk feels like a disaster, right? The loss of, the loss of Prince of Wales and Repulse at the end of 1941, 10-12-41, loss of capital ships because so much British prestige and imperial prestige is tied up with the Royal Navy. Loss of capital ships is a big blow. It's a big, big blow to the public, Britain's public fortunes in the war. And of course a big part of strategy is it's very often it's a slow burn. You've got to sweat your way through the. Sweat your way through what appear to be the reverses now and have a long term aim and a lot. And politics often doesn't operate and public opinion doesn't operate in the, in the, in the long term. It can very often operate in the very short term. And so the view from Britain, which has been after all been bombed until May, you know, the Blitz has gone until May 1941, which is. Which again, yes, it ends. And yes, the Luftwaffe actually it's very costly for the Luftwaffe, but if you live in Plymouth, if you live in Liverpool or Glasgow or Hull or Bristol or Sheffield or any of those places that the Luftwaffe have given their full attention to, it does not feel like the war's going well. And I think early 1942 the public faced the what you know, you've had the Channel dash, which is regarded as an enormous scandal that ships can sail through the Straits of Dover unscathed. Enemy ships. You know, it hasn't happened for hundreds of years. You know it's this that there is really very much, you know and Churchill has a lot, a lot of work to do managing the Conservative Party. You know there's a no confidence debate around this time where only one MP votes against the government but everyone gets stuff off their chest, says how they feel about the conduct of the war. And Churchill's run out of Battle of Britain. Good vibes by this point they're not really around anymore in terms of his political capital and his great advantage is there isn't anyone else who's at all viable as a successor at this point. That's what, that's one of the things that plays to his advantage at this point. And I think, and we'll see Churchill pops up in this story later because there's some good News in early 1942 for this raid that is in short supply. And he's a politician like any other. He knows he needs to face the public and say something went well because he's sick of facing the public and saying something's gone wrong. And he knows as well with the loss of Singapore that's going to change everything in terms of the British, British Empire's status clout, ability to make promises to anybody.

[James Holland]

Yeah. And just general global prestige. It takes a hammering from that.

[Al Murray]

Well and what do you do about India now? From now on what do you do about Australia? What do you do about. What do you say to those politicians, you know, we're the British empires are going concern, it's an important thing. Well no, it doesn't look like it now. It looks like it's failed and you're only hanging on by your finger fingernails. So a thing like this and it's amazing if you get 120 paratroopers on a tiny raid like this, seizing a 3 meter wide radar bowl can constitute bad news. But that's how bad things have got.

[James Holland]

And the Second World War is a war of supplies, but it's also a war of technology. So being able to get a technological edge over your enemy is really vital.

[Al Murray]

In the last episode we, we laid out what's at stake here. There's a Versberg, a radio set discovered on the French coast near Lavre in a place place called Bruneval where there's a villa sat on a clifftop With a. With a radar dish in open country and. And in plain sight, in broad daylight sat there. And the boffins in boffins who go by their initials. He's not called Reg. R.V. jones is absolutely determined to get his hands on this Versburg. Lord Louis Vanbatten has come into Combined Operations Headquarters in October of 1941. He's a new broom. He needs a success. Airborne forces needed success. They've been reorganized. They're called. It's the Parachute Regiment now. It's all under Boy Browning. They need. They need a success. And Churchill Chiefs of Staff need a success. So. So here is a smash and grab job to seize that radar.

[James Holland]

Literally. The stakes couldn't be higher.

[Al Murray]

As an honorary colonel of 299, do

[James Holland]

you just want to translate that acronym for everyone?

[Al Murray]

Corps of Royal Engineers. Hurrah for the cre. This is. This is. It's supper time, everybody. And the thing to remember. Let's just get this out of the way here. Thing to remember at the Corps of Engineers. It is the most important foundational corps in the British Army. Every specialist part of the army that has come into existence over the. Over the. Over the centuries has come out of the Royal Engineers. Royal Air Force, which is founded on the rfc. The RFC was created by the Corps of Engineers. Signalers are engineers. The Tank Corps is engineers. Percy Hobart was a sapper. It's. It's supper time, boys and girls.

[James Holland]

And probably the Navy was too. If you look hard enough, I'm sure

[Al Murray]

if you look hard enough, it's right there. Rock of Gibraltar, you know. The absolute foundational parts of the British Empire of British power are laid down by the Corps of Engineers. Get yourself down to Gillingham, go to the museum and see the truth stare you in the face that the Royal Engineers are the most important corps in

[James Holland]

the British army and indeed British history, in British history.

[Al Murray]

The thing is, what's interesting though, is Browning. Major General Boy Browning. Frederick Browning, Mr. Du Maurier. His vision for an airborne division is all arms. Although this is a raid, he wants to go bigger than raids. He wants to put in an all arms division of airborne soldiers. That it's a full all round formation. The only difference is it's delivered by air. Now, whether he's right in that ambition or not is something one can argue, because by the time you get to the Battle of Arnhem, kind of half the men delivered by glider on D day of Arnhem are like mechanics and supply people rather than bayonets. And so there's an argument that the cart's being put before the horse. Right. It could be said, but basically sappers are essential to all this. You know, the Trojino aqueduct, that's a sapper operation, Operation Freshman. That's to come. The attempt to destroy the heavy water plant in Vermork in Norway is a sapper. They're all sappers, those guys. And demolition and sabotage are part of the butcher and bolt commander ethos. So sappers are central to this. And obviously, if you're going to steal a radar, what you need is Royal Engineers. The sapper team with 1st Airborne Division that's put on this job is under Lieutenant Charles Dennis Vernon and he's given the task of training his men to get ready to dismantle the Wurzburg. So they need. They need the tools and they need the means to get the tools to the site. You know, so it's screwdrivers, Jemmies, spanners.

[James Holland]

Because the whole point is they've got to take it home. Right?

[Al Murray]

They're taking it home. The idea is to take as much of the radar equipment and its control equipment as they possibly can to dismantle the Wursburg A.

[James Holland]

So you need big spanners, big wrenches and crowbars.

[Al Murray]

Jemmy. And the idea is their containers will have lights on them because it's got to be. It's got to be a night drop because you can't do this in daytime. The containers will have. With lights on them, purple colored lights are their containers and they'll go to those containers in the kit with these trolleys, these trolleys that they're going to assemble and then drag the kit over to drag the stuff, the tools and demolitions and mine detectors and white tape for the evacuation and all this stuff. Right? Because they're not just doing the Versburg, they've got the de mining to do. They've got to blow the thing up once they've left, blow what's what they can't take, they're going to blow that up as well. And they've got to cover the exit down to the beach with, you know, if they need to do that, they're going to do that as well. Combined Operations Headquarters decide that they want a radar expert. They're on the ground with them and the Royal Engineers don't have anyone who fits that bill. So enter Charles Cox and he was a cinema projectionist before the war. So he's a machines guy, of course. Exactly. Of course he was. He's regarded as one of the best RDF techs on Chain Home at Heartland point. And on the 1st of February, he's called into the Air Ministry. He's marched into Air Commodore Victor Tate's office alongside a Corporal Smith, who's come from Ventnor, who's a similar, like, gleaming RDF operator on the Isle of Wight. And they are interviewed as follows. And, Jim, would you like to be the Air Commodore?

[James Holland]

Yes, I'll be Victor Tate.

[Al Murray]

Okay, you be Victor Tate and I'll fill in for Cox. And so, go on, then.

[James Holland]

You are Cox, radar mechanic.

[Al Murray]

Yes, sir.

[James Holland]

And you are Corporal Smith, radar mechanic.

[Al Murray]

Yes, Sir.

[James Holland]

You two NCOs volunteered for a dangerous job?

[Al Murray]

No, sir, says Cox. Yes, sir, says Smith.

[James Holland]

You have not volunteered?

[Al Murray]

No, sir, says Cox.

[James Holland]

Well. Well, there must be some mistake. I particularly asked for volunteers. But now that you are here, will you volunteer?

[Al Murray]

Well, sir, what is the job?

[James Holland]

Well, that I cannot tell you. There's a war on and people get hurt in wars, but I promise you that you will have a pretty good chance of surviving.

[Al Murray]

Very well, sir. I volunteer. What do you people want? Hey.

[James Holland]

Yes, it's just. How good is that? Those are the days, weren't they?

[Al Murray]

It's fantastic.

[James Holland]

You've got a pretty good chance, at least 20% chance of surviving.

[Al Murray]

But also, people get hurt in wars. Oh, oh, oh, well, okay, I've changed my mind. It's extraordinary. And that the. So both men, both men are promoted on the spot and they're sent up to Ringway to learn how to parachute. And during the training, Smith hurts himself, so he's ruled out he isn't going to go. Yeah. So Cox, once he's qualified for his wings, doing the balloon and everything and doing a night drop, is sent to Tatton park, where airborne forces are getting their men up to scratch. And he has a week of being made familiar with the small arms and close combat, and then he's sent to Tilshead to work with Vernon and the sappers and take them through, get their heads around what they've got to do.

[James Holland]

And presumably he's given battle dress to replace his blue suit.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah, exactly. Yes, he is. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. But not a maroon beret, you know. Although, actually, in the training photos, in the training photos, you see most of the lads from C Company wearing bonnets and stuff, and they're still in their regimental bonnets and things, which is quite interesting because this is. This. This is before the mythology of the maroon beret. C Company, at this stage, they're still preparing for what they've been told is a demonstration exercise that they're going to be doing for the Chiefs of Staff or the King or something, no one's quite sure. And Frost doesn't like the plan that division have foisted on him. And the idea is that C Company is going to be split up into small groups and not operate with a company headquarters structure, nor in platoons, as he's been hoping to train his men. So, and this is partly to do with the fact that a Whitley can only drop 10 guys. So the idea is 10 guys land together, they work together, rather than everyone lands in one place. And then you. And then you go into your sections and your platoons and you go about. But the thing is, two Power is only weeks old. The Parachute Brigade itself is brand new. It's not such an overlay. But. But, but Frost isn't happy with the fact that he's got to do part of the raid himself rather than command the company. He thinks he should have a company headquarters and say, have you done your bit, you know, and, and, and react to what's going on? And he's actually been tasked, you know, kicking the door open at the villa and starting the raid himself with a blow of the whistle. Lieutenant Colonel Flavell. Flavell chooses C Company because he wants to make sure that two Power up to a readiness, because so far, one Power have had all the attention and all the action. But Frost feels that he's being undermined. He feels he's being undermined by this set of orders, that it's undermining his command. And it's his first, first proper commander's, company commander.

[James Holland]

Okay.

[Al Murray]

Landing, kicking doors in is one thing. It's what you do next that's the sort of. The challenge. Right. But this is a hallmark of British airborne operations. They have a tendency to overcomplicate things, to divide resources and leave lots to timing and lots to drops going. Right. And this may be, this may be because actually, you know, because they're inventing airborne operations. No, it's not been done. No one knows what they're doing. They're making up.

[James Holland]

So. So what are you saying? That they should be more tactically flexible?

[Al Murray]

Well, that's what he wants. He wants to run a company like a company rather than 12 sticks of 10 men in different groups. And we'll see, actually, because he says, he said in the introduction, we were divided up into groups named after naval heroes. We'll see how that, how that works out for him. But the thing is, the airborne plans for Sicily are overcomplicated and ridiculous. Operation Fustian is an extremely complicated thing with all these different tasks, three bits of high ground that need to be taken instead of the bridge and the bridge. And there is a hallmark of British airborne operations that they get themselves in a tangle sometimes. So Frost complains, right? And people. People say of John Frost that he would tug at his moustache when he had a problem to solve, and then he would look at you and you'd think, oh, oh, oh, God, here it comes. And he can. He complains to the staff officer sent down from airborne headquarters, and he's. He's known to be a tough and determined leader and regarded as having sound judgment. And. And he complains about the operation. He doesn't like the plan because he thinks it's an exercise. So why are they doing this for an exercise? And the following day, the staff officer comes back and says, okay, all right, here's the thing, actually, this is for real. And you know what? If you don't like. And you're going to snatch this radio location gear, as they call it, and if you don't like the plan, we'll find someone who will. So Frost says, I like the plan. And they're going to be divided into different groups with different tasks, which we'll come to when the raid gets underway. But they're named after Royal Navy legends Rodney Nelson, Drake, Jellicoe and Hardy are the name of the groups that are going to be perfect, split into.

[James Holland]

Okay, well, I approve of that, don't you?

[Al Murray]

Yeah, of course. Well, yeah, but we'll see. You know, there's an issue with Nelson. Jellicoe have sealed problems.

[James Holland]

There's no issue with Nelson.

[Al Murray]

Well, we'll find out. They have a very tough time with the training. Frost describes everything as a shambles. All of the training exercises are, like, full of snags, but they do, for instance, they do a thing like a simulated drop where the men are dropped off from lorries as if they're landing in their individual sticks. But the planes delivering the containers go to the wrong place, right? And so. Which can't happen if they're dropped, so they just can't make it glue. They go for a week to Loch Fine in Scotland to practice the exfil on landing craft assaults. And Frost finds that very difficult. But actually, it turns out it's invaluable. He finds that, you know, that's a tricky business. And during this, Mountbatten shows up to check on the training and he spills

[James Holland]

the beans because, like you remember, in the following year, he spills The Beans about Sicily by Husky.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. He just can't keep it to himself. They've got a super detailed model of the villa which you can see at the Air Assault Museum. And when you look at it, it's. It really is exactly the same as the photo of the, of the villa and the Wurzburg that the model is. The model is amazing and you can go and see it at Duxford. And I would recommend people go to the Air Assault Museum and look at that. But Frost is. He's dismayed with his men's chances. He's not been in battle himself. He may be this inspiring leader. He's never been in battle before. And in his memoir, he goes on about his concerns about fear. He talks about it a lot. And in fact, I think one of the interesting things about John Frost is in his memoir he talks an awful lot about fear and its effects. And, you know, this man's a renowned warrior, yet that's one of the things he keeps coming back to in his memoir. And Browning. In the meantime, Major General Browning comes in to check up on Frost's progress. And Frost is very worried about how scruffy the lads in C Company are, because he knows Browning's thing is spick and span soldiers. And Frost regards himself as a fighting soul and thinks that bullshit isn't so important. But basically, Browning is delighted with the state of preparation. But he calls C Company some of the dirtiest soldiers he's ever seen. While this is going on, the glider pilot base at Tilsad, this is where they are, the Glider Pilot Regiment base. The glider pilots have no idea what's going on. They're completely oblivious to what C Company are up to. And as Frost said, the bewilderment is how much food they're getting through at this stage of the war. British Airborne forces, they're not jumping with the kit bag, you know, by later in the war, they're jumping with a big. Every man jumps with a kit bag himself that he holds and lets go on a piece of rope and lies down. So they're using weapon containers like the Faustio maker. So you're landing with a pistol. There will be no mortars, there will be no Vickers guns. So it's going to be rifles. And they've been given. They've been given the brand new Sten gun with all that that entails, a high rate of fire, less stopping power. And a lot of them complain about them jamming or not just not firing. They'll fire it and it and the pin doesn't because it doesn't have. It has a nipple rather than a pin. Doesn't. It doesn't have a firing pin. Has a nipple on the, on the bolt anyway. But. And, and it's no, no range for denying the enemy move movement. You know which with a Vickers gun you can basically plaster an area an enemy. The enemy can never come through. They're gonna have to be quick and they're gonna have to. They're gonna have to make sure they're shooting to kill Flight Sergeant Cox as well as Flight Sergeant Cox is a German Jew by the name of Private Peter Newman. His real name is Nagel. Attached to C Company. Frost isn't happy about this. This is yet another imposition. It's yet another stranger and he's worried he won't be up to scratch. But they absolutely insist at Combined Operations headquarters. Also on board one of the motor gunboats that's coming to the rescue them is an officer from the technical research establishment at Swanage. Which is where radar is being. Radar development work is being done.

[James Holland]

Yes, it's just around the corner at Worth M. Travers.

[Al Murray]

Yeah, exactly. Exactly. And the idea is if C Company have made the lodgment safe, he will come ashore to have a look at the radar. But only if it's the ideal circumstances. Right. Because he's too important to risk Cox. Cox also comes with a fail safe. He is given a bodyguard. And while he might be under the impression it's the job of that sapper to keep him safe, his role actually is to kill Cox if it seems that he might be captured because he knows all about British rdf.

[James Holland]

And who says the British aren't ruthless?

[Al Murray]

Well and that's an element with the story that some say is myth and other, other sources say no that's absolutely the case. And that's quite one of those interesting things where, where the. The DIT swirls around the truth. We don't know. So the best date, moon and tide because they need the right moon, they need the tide for the land, you know. And these are the conditions that. That will dictate combined operations and C Company ready. Their mission to seize the Wurzburg relies on surprise. Well they're going to deliver that a clean drop radios which are the new 18 and 38 sets timing the navy arriving. The navy arriving to exfil Vernon and Cox's party being able to dismantle the Wurzburg quickly enough. It's a two hour window. And as ever though with airborne operations the weather gets a vote. And I'll tell you what we'll do. We'll come back after the break. We'll see what the weather delivers.

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[Al Murray]

Memorial Day deals at the Home Depot. It's time to fire up summer cookouts with the next Grill 4 burner gas grill on special. Buy for only $199 and entertain all season with the Hampton bay West Grill 7 piece outdoor dining set for only $499. This Memorial Day get low prices guaranteed at the Home Depot while supplies Last price invalid May 14 through May 27 U.S. only exclusions applies. See homedepot.com Pricematch for details. Welcome back to we have ways of making you talk where we're looking at the Bruneval Raid Operation Biting, which if you're very very keen eared you'll have heard us say it's the 27th of February 1942 and we're talking about the 24th of February is the day

[James Holland]

it's winter.

[Al Murray]

It's winter and two Para C company of Tuke Para who are now known as Bruneval Co. By the way, that's their name and it's the first battle honor of the Parachute Regiment, the Bruneval raid. They are stood up. They do their weapons checks, they do their kit, they move to RAF Thruxton, ready to go, and then they're stood down. Weather's terrible on both sides of the Channel. It can't happen. The same happens. The same happens on the 25th.

[James Holland]

No. And just think of all those guys, they're all revved up. I mean, you know, they're revved up, aren't they? Their tensions are tight, adrenaline is pumping and you gotta.

[Al Murray]

On the 25th, to make use of the time, they practice the Naval X fill again and it's complete balls up. Everything goes wrong. It just. All, it all, it all goes wrong. So the last bit of practice they've had has been a disaster. Right, the 26th, they're stood down again. And each time, as I say, they're driven to RAF Thruxton, having checked their kit, checked their weapons, got ready to go. Each time they go to RAF Thruxton, they're ready to implane. Each time, they're driven back to Tilshead. So everyone is losing heart, apart from the company Sergeant Major Jerry Strachan. I strike the Strachan, but maybe Strawn a couple of weeks ago, asked on social media how to pronounce this, and that resulted in a mixed response. But he's from the Black Watch and on the 27th he's going, oh, no, today's a day, don't you worry, pal. And he's absolutely convinced that it's going to happen. And he's right. 27th dawns, the weather's good, it's a fine day, the seas as flat as a pancake. It's clear both sides of the Channel. So the order comes from Combined Operations Headquarters to Airborne Division. Carry out Operation Biting tonight.

[James Holland]

Tonight is the night.

[Al Murray]

Yeah. And Browning rushes over to tell Frost it's on. So the planets have aligned. Combined Operations Headquarters. They need a result. Louis Mountbatten needs a result. The Air Ministry Bomber Command British war strategy needs this Wurzburg to have a proper look at it. The enemy have been decent enough to offer up a set, a Wurzburg set on the French coast near Havre. It's too tempting. And they're ready to go. And with them is Flight Sergeant Charles Cox, projectionist in civilian life, ready to steal the radar. Frost finishes his dinner with the glider pilots, which he's desperate to tell them what's happening and doesn't. He's driven to Thruxton.

[James Holland]

Is it time for pudding?

[Al Murray]

History does not record whether he stops for pudding. No one knows there's always time for pudding. But he's doing the rounds. Morale is high. They're going, you know, this is what they're trained for. They're drawing the chutes. Piper Ewan does the rounds at each plane, playing the pipe stirringly. The men are told to pee before they get on board because they've had a lot of tea as they've been doing the hurry up and wait routine. Wing Commander Charles Pickard, target for tonight, movie star who's in charge of 51 Squadron, checks in with Frosts Frost and his Frost Batman. He wishes him and his men lucky, but he says that he feels like a bloody murderer because he thinks the whole thing's ridiculously dangerous.

[James Holland]

That's as much emotion as you're going to get.

[Al Murray]

Exactly. Frost, as he's waiting, is keen to go, but also half wishing that something will come up and cause a cancellation. I admire him for admitting that.

[James Holland]

It probably feels a bit like going out to bat, doesn't it? First up, you know when you're kind of waiting to bat, and I'm sure

[Al Murray]

it's a lot like that, Jim. Yeah.

[James Holland]

Doves playing a little bit.

[Al Murray]

And Frost is in the sixth aircraft. He's in Whitley Number six. So sort of the idea's sort of been in the middle, he's jumping number three. In the plane with him is Flight Sergeant Cox and the Royal Air Force. And Frost passes round rum that is laced with tea. I think this is the right way of putting it. And because Frost knows he needs to steady his nerves. And the naval component, under Commander Cook, Royal Australian Navy, the motor gun boats, the assault ship the Prince Albert, they left that afternoon because that's the other thing they need to have set off to be able to get there in time to pick. To pick up C Company.

[James Holland]

They're not in Whitley's, are they?

[Al Murray]

No, they're not in Whitley's, no, no, no. But there's a snag, right? It snowed at Bruneville. What? They've not got their snow smocks. And this means they're going to be visible on, on the terrain, right, in their sort of khaki, dirty brown, yellow, the new Denisons. And Frost, as he turns this over in his mind, thinks, actually maybe it'll be easier to keep track of the chats, cause I'll be able to see them against the snowfall.

[James Holland]

Fair point.

[Al Murray]

Right. Because he's always trying to find, always trying to find the solution. And it's really, really, really cold in the Whitleys. They're sat on the floor. They've brought sleeping bags and blankets with them.

[James Holland]

Just get me out of here.

[Al Murray]

Yeah. One of the officers has even bought a cricket jumper, which will come into play later.

[James Holland]

I said it was like going out to bat.

[Al Murray]

It's exactly like going out to bat. And they're sat on the aluminium floor of the wh.

[James Holland]

I can almost feel the cold going up through my bum just thinking about it.

[Al Murray]

It's winter. I think quite seriously this is a problem. And obviously the planes have to form up before they set off. So there's a lot of sort of bimbling about.

[James Holland]

Wait.

[Al Murray]

There's. They're waiting in the aircraft and it's cold. It's cold, cold, cold, cold. And of course, there is this. You know, they're in these obsolete planes. There's the strong irony that the Air Ministry and by association, Bomber Command, who've poo pooed, delayed and actually, if we're honest, tried hard to wreck the airborne effort up to this point and now relying on it to deliver a critical result and have given it a mere dozen of its actual, very shittest aircraft to do the job. So from an army perspective. Fuck. Lord Portal. Peter Portal. As they speed across the channel at 600ft, the men are playing rummy. They're singing a bit. Some of them try to sleep. And it's very cold and very tents in the aircraft. No, no two ways about it. As they approach LAV, there is flak. And the first two aircraft carrying half of the Nelson components are two sticks. 20 men from the Nelson component, which is 40 strong, whose job it is to seize the beach and secure the exit, are knocked off course. And ironically, it's Wing Commander Pickard, oh dear, of course, leading the Bon bomber stream and his num and the number two aircraft, their navigators are knocked off course and. And Unknown to Frost, 20 men in Nelson. Half of the X fill party. Right? When you got 120 guys, 20 is a sizable chunk. Right. A drop away from the intended drop zone. And we'll see what. We'll see what that leads to. Let's so immediately the horrible and real vulnerability of airborne operations. On show. Time is short. Coherence as a force is fragile. How your officers and NCOs and then the men react is immediately important. And enemy reaction is everything. You haven't got heavy weapons. Bren guns are as far as it goes. No mortars, rifles and Brens mind detectors in the containers. At best, they're super vulnerable to enemy artillery and mortars to which they have no response they there isn't time to

[James Holland]

dig in properly and they're completely dependent on the navy turning up when they say they're going to.

[Al Murray]

Exactly. And perish the thought that what happens if armour turns up? Right. Cause this is boys anti tank gun time. Right. Even the hint, the sound of vehicles is enough to make the sternest paratroopers bowels turn to liquid. Let's be honest now. And will the navy be on time? So they're in the plane. Frost hears the call. Action stations from Company Sergeant Major Strawn. Strachan. We don't know. The men discard their blankets and sleeping bags. The leading man dangles his legs in the hole as the rest prepare for the green light. And it is go.

[James Holland]

You can't leave it there. You can't possibly leave it there.

[Al Murray]

Well, you don't need to leave it there because if you subscribe to our we have ways Patreon, you'll be. You'll be jumping out of the plane with C Company with Jock Company. Yeah. With Johnny and the boys and Sar Major Jerry Straughan and Ewan Chartres and Flight Sergeant Charles Cox and Tim Timothy

[James Holland]

and all the other.

[Al Murray]

All the other people we're going to encounter in our next episode.

[James Holland]

What a story.

[Al Murray]

It's a story and it's good news from 1940, from early 1942. What else do you people want? Who says we don't show you a good time here on. We have ways to make you talk. Thanks for listening, everybody. We'll see you shortly for episode three. Jim there ringing the bell as he goes out of the hole in the floor of the Whitley and bashing his nose in.

[James Holland]

I'm jumping.

[Al Murray]

We'll see you soon, everyone. Cheerio.

[James Holland]

Cheeri.

[Al Murray]

You know, Jim, brands often think they have to sort of march in perfect step, perfect formation with the subject of a podcast Second World War history show. Oh, it must all be tanks and documentaries or a man selling artisanal trench whistles.

[James Holland]

Yeah, but that's not what it's about, is it, you know, because what really matters is whether people trust the show.

[Al Murray]

Carrying the message. Way of Ways of AQ Talk is part of Goal Hanger, the independent UK network. Behind the rest is politics. The rest is history and much, much more. And across the network, there are more than 75 million full episode streams every month.

[James Holland]

So across the network, 68% of listeners act on the ads they hear, nearly double the industry average.

[Al Murray]

So if you're a brand, an agency or a platform, you don't need a tank division to belong on here. It's just something worth saying to an audience that's already fully mobilized, fully engaged.

[James Holland]

For more information, email Partnerships at goalhanger. Com.

[Al Murray]

Partnerships at goalhanger. Com.