371 - The First Bridge Too Far, The Battle of Primosole Bridge 1943 by Mark Saliger (Paperback, Signed, Book)

- 221 pages
- Paperback
- Signed by the author

The First Bridge Too Far, The Battle of Primosole Bridge

"For the very first time, the Battle of Primosole Bridge is brought to life in a well well-researched narrative solely dedicated to one of the bloodiest and hardest fought battles for British airborne troops in World War II.

Primosole Bridge in Sicily (13-16 July 1943) provided the stage for the first instance of opposing elite paratroopers parachuting into battle and then fighting each other in a see-saw battle raging under the blazing Mediterranean sky. It is a story of courage and determination. A story of legendary military units and their commanders. A story that, 75 years later, is finally being told.

The British paratroopers of the famed Parachute Regiment's 1st Parachute Brigade, the 'Red Devils', fought their equally esteemed German paratrooper opponents, the 'Green Devils', in a battle of attrition central to the success of the Allies' first invasion of Hitler's Fortress Europe. These two sets of elite Devils fought each other to a stand-still in hellish conditions. The British paratroopers found themselves cut off behind enemy lines with dwindling ammunition and surrounded by ever-strengthening enemy forces. Their bravery and stubbornness in standing up to overwhelming odds allowed the ground forces to arrive and capture the bridge in the nick of time before it was destroyed.

The hard-won experience gained by the 1st Parachute Brigade was tested just one year later at the battle of Arnhem, the battle christened a bridge too far. It was in face an almost identical battle, but on a larger scale, to the ferocious fight that the British paratroopers had faced in Sicily. The battle of Arnhem is well documented. The battle of Primosole Bridge, which tested many of the strategies and tactics used at Arnhem, is virtually unheard of. The story needs to finally be told in order to honour the sacrifice of Britain's unsung war heroes."


"Mark Saliger served in the 1st Battalion, The Parachute Regiment for over six years including tours of duty in global theatres of operations such as Iraq, Northern Ireland and Afghanistan where he experienced combat situations on a regular basis.

He has experienced at first hand both the planning of operations and being part of those same operations behind enemy lines. His vital knowledge of war by actually being on the ground enables him to paint a soldier's eye view of the battle."