This history of the most famous of all the wartime parachute battalions has been compiled by one of its former members. The background to the formation of the 2nd Parachute Battalion, and its operations at Bruneval, North Africa, Sicily, Italy and Arnhem, are described through a mixture of the author's narrative, war diaries and official reports, but the greater part of the volume consists of rich and colourful recollections by numerous veterans, and it is in these that Without Tradition truly comes to life. In comparison to the impressive treatment of Bruneval, Oudna and Arnhem, the recollections of the latter phases of the North African campaign and Sicily are perhaps a little sparse, yet this remains a very fine account of what was one of the finest battalions in the British Army.

Pegasus Archive - Mark Hickman