Was not what I was expecting but went with it about the Market Garden drop and how men from the British paratroopers were left to fight for themselves. who some were captured and what happened. A story of course. A good book.

Airborne is the first in a trilogy set during WWII.
Captain Daniel Garland, doctor to the 11th Battalion, narrates the story in 1st person. He is currently in a POW camp attending to a patient Theo Trickey. Garland’s narration then goes back in time to tell how they came to be in the camp.

With vivid descriptions of the battalion’s air drop over Ulm, then the men being separated, makeshift hospitals, lack of equipment, the dogged fighting and bad conditions. The scenes are very descriptive and there is plenty of humour with the banter between the soldiers. During one of the makeshift hospital setups Garland operates on Trickey and saves his life. Garland now sees Trickey as some good luck charm and feels responsible for him.

The story then moves to a separate narration of Theo Trickey’s story. The story moves through Trickey’s life from his British father meeting his Italian mother to his schooling in Italy and the divide between the citizens of Italy and Theo’s move to England and subsequent enrolment in the British Forces.
Although Trickey never finishes his training his story is quite amazing as he first escapes capture as a soldier in Germany and then escapes again on a commando mission in Italy to then be enlisted as a paratrooper.

“I never wanted this, I tell myself, I’m ill prepared, ill suited and hopelessly out of my depth.”

Both garland and Trickey felt that they weren’t brave and they weren’t prepared for the fighting and killing but I think this was the general feeling for all involved. They were mostly young men doing what they had to do.

I’m not going to pretend that I know if it’s well researched and historically accurate because I wouldn’t know. I love these stories for the action, drama and the personal touch not the historical facts.

Airborne is a compelling read with plenty of action and battlefield humour.
The story continues in Freefall Book II in the Airborne Trilogy.

"Airborne" eBook was published in 2017 and was written by Robert Radcliffe (http://www.christopherlittle.net/authors/robert-mawson-aka-robert-radcliffe/). This is the seventh novel published by Mr. Mason(Radcliffe).

I categorize this novel as ‘R’ because it contains scenes of Violence and Mature Language. The story is set throughout Europe during World war II. The two primary characters are British Army Medical Officer Captain Daniel Garland and Theo Trickey, a young and heavily injured paratrooper.

The story begins with the risky Operation Market Garden, the airborne invasion that the Allies hope will bring a quick end to the war. The attack fails and thousands are killed, wounded or captured. Among the captured are both Garland and Trickey. The story follows these two and jumps back to their experiences prior to the Battle of Arnhem.

I thought this was an interesting 8+ hour read of 285 pages for this World War II era novel. I liked the characters in the story, and the plot was different. Not so much combat experiences, but what went on with the characters before and after Arnhem. The story did jump around a bit and I thought ended rather abruptly. The cover art is reasonable. I give this novel a 3.7 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

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Well researched and compelling novel involving British airborne troops in World War 2

Robert Radcliffe delivers an authentic and well researched novel based around British airborne trops of World War 2. Whilst making sure the details is correct he delivers a suspenseful and intriguing tale that follows two timelines that coincide at Arnhem in 1944.

I enjoyed the writing and action action was delighted that Radcliffe stayed close to the facts to deliver a believable tale that kept be interested.

Readers are warned that the third in the trilogy needs to be read to as this book does leave you in suspense at the end...

Recommended.

As a first book of a trilogy the only thing that really matters is whether you want to read the other two I suppose. This book certainly makes we want to read the rest, right now if possible.

The story evolves around two British paratroopers during Market Garden, which we all know was one of the greatest allied failures of the second World War. One of the two protagonists is a doctor, the other an immigrant from Northern Italy. The characters are wonderfully laid out and interesting.

What I find mainly impressive is the realism. I live near Arnhem and cross the areas that are described in the book regularly. It is clear that the author did proper research on the area, or at least it feels like it. Everything is just right.
The book shows the despair during this part of the war and the madness of it. The failure Market Garden was is never hidden, a thing that happens way too often.

Without going too much in depth I can only advice this book to anyone who is interested in Market Garden, none glorified stories about the war, and doctors in wartime which is a personal favourite of me.

This novel follows Medic Captain Daniel Garland from his arrival at the front during the Second Workd War. It highlights the barriers and issues that the medics faced during battle and along the front. This is the first part of a triology, and the start of the relationship between Captain Garland and Theo Trickey, who had been treated and left for dead. Horrific imagery, highlighting how brave the people who fought actually were.

Read a few chapters but did not catch my interest at all. Thank you netgalley for the option of reading this!

Some might consider it ironic that an army medical officer’s first taste of blood in the field of battle should be his own.

The book’s pace is great and it is very descriptive. From time to time it nearly transported me to the era of World War II and I sometimes felt as if I was there with the characters. It was realistic and it showed the horrors of war, especially in the parts of the Doctor, when he described conditions in hospitals and POW camp. I enjoyed the characters and witty sentences such as the one quoted above.

It is a great World War II story and I look forward to the second part.

This was an extraordinarily good read.

It is, apparently, the first of a trilogy that tells the story of a young soldier, a new regiment and how they changed the course of the war.

Highly recommended. I am eagerly awaiting the next installment.

Thank you to Head of Zeus via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Airborne by Robert Radcliffe for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

Couldn't put this one down, and didn't want it to end. It was great to read a world war 2 tale told from the view of a non combatant army medic, offered a great new insight into the war. The switch between the two characters was fairly seamless and easy to follow, and created a good sense of suspense waiting to find out what happened to each.

Airborne is a really funny book (albeit you have to look for the fun at times). It is a war book, sharing the confusion within the British forces (but we know who already won) during the second World War. We first follow a nondescript medic then to a morose character whose experiences are far too jarring and yet we get to laugh at. Read the book if you want to have some fun while watching crazy Scottsmen run to their deaths. We know they're brave but... come on.

Mesmerized by the cover of the book I requested for the copy through Net galley. I did not read the blurb. This novel is part one of Airborne trilogy, the story involves the life of three main characters paratrooper Theo Trickey, Medical Officer Captain Daniel Garland and Erwin Rommel (the desert fox).

The story starts in Ulm a small city on the Danube where prisoners of war Captain Daniel Garland along with captured 1st airborne Division. There he saves a gravely wounded paratrooper Theo. The story deviates from the battle to the life of Theo's childhood in Bolzano, his British father and South Tyrol mother, their fight against the right for branding them as Italian/German. Theo loses his father early and he is guided by his great grandfather and grandfather. Later Theo moves to England where he gets the chance to learn and sign up for the army and also a chance of meeting with Erwin Rommel who asked him to "make a decision" the words often popped out to Theo whenever he was confused, one for his ethnicity who he had to fight against, second for choosing as a paratrooper and thirdly almost working as a spy for England. His stint in army was first a failure until someone gives another chance to become a paratrooper. His success in damaging Trargino Aqueduct and getting the confidence from a group who have no command structure, no organization no relevant skills or weapons, fighting against Mussolini.

Subsequently the author narrates the story from Garland point of view, a medical officer who entered the war voluntarily, his visions of the war and his service to the patients which are beautifully narrated for instance how Garland coped with stench of cordite, blood, suppuration and smell of sewage and never ending procession of incoming stretchers with mutilated soldiers. How he looked the war torn places, from his own words, onslaught of artillery bombardment, passing through damaged buildings having few windows, roofless buildings, showing gaping holes buildings consumed by raging fire, streets littered with wreckage and debris, burned out army vehicles, fallen telegraph poles, smashed trees, shell craters, mounds of rubble on the streets, aptly showed the desolation of the war. Like his colleagues he was expecting the victorious entry of 30 Corps for their salvation but 30 Corps was unable to advance north, Dreadfully injured Theo is unconscious but his will power drives him to be alive. While treating in Stalag XI-B, Garland is transferred to Stalag 357 where he enjoys some freedom.

The story ends when Garland preparing to escape from Stalag 357 and Erwin Rommel in Africa.

The book is around 300 pages, fast paced and I enjoyed thoroughly reading this novel and I anxiously waiting for the second part. Fans who are interested in Second World War will surely like this novel. While reading this book I ordered a paperback of Robert Radcliffe's Under An English Heaven.

I loved Radcliffe's Under An English Heaven but sadly this book is only good in parts. The writing is vivid but the structure of the story is messy, taking a long time to get going, and then flipping backwards in time to tell another story of another character. Radcliffe has clearly researched it well, from front-line hospital stations to POW camps, but the book feels jagged and chaotic overall - like a draft that needs another good edit to release its potential.