Advance Praise
for Operation Jedburgh
 

“This is the inside story no one thought could be written about America's first shadow soldiers. It's about the dramatic sacrifice of that other greatest generation, our fathers and grandfathers who worked in the shadows of WWII. Today's clandestine warriors deployed around the world were born in the crucible of war Beavan masterfully brings to life in these pages. Operation Jedburgh is rich and intimate in detail and hard to put down as any thriller. This stuff is real, history that reads like a novel.”
--Doug Stanton
Author of In Harm's Way: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis

“They were cloaked in shadow, mystery and a touch of glamour, the Jedburghs, the most intensely secret warriors of World War II. Colin Beavan has finally lifted the curtain on their story through relentless historical sleuthing in book that is also a tribute to his grandfather, the architect-in-chief of this true life spy thriller operation.”
--Joseph E Persico
Author: 11th Month, 11th Day, 11th Hour: Armistice Day World War I

“Operation Jedburgh is the epic tale of the World War II OSS teams that operated behind enemy lines in France in the summer of 1944 to help arm and train the French Resistance. Colin Beavan has written a gripping account of the brave men who risked their lives in anonymity to carry out some of the most dangerous exploits of the war in support of the Allied invasion and the Normandy campaign.”
--Carlo D'Este
Author of Eisenhower: A Soldier's Life and Patton: A Genius For War

 “Colin Beavan's Operation Jedburgh is an exciting story of the lesser known side of D-Day, and vividly told.”
--Antony Beevor
Author of Stalingrad and The Fall of Berlin 1945

 “Operation Jedburgh is a fascinating telling of the battle for France from the point of view of the brave young men who -- despite knowing that their chance for survival in German-occupied France was terrifyingly low -- parachuted in to lead and supply the French Resistance in preparation for D-Day. Colin Beavan vividly brings to light their formerly classified story and gives these amazing heroes the credit they deserve.”
--W. E. B. Griffin
Author of By Order of the President, Honor Bound, and many others.

 “A fascinating account of the behind-enemy-lines campaign that helped make the Normandy invasion possible. This fresh and comprehensive study of Allied cooperation with the French Resistance is not to be missed.”
--John Prados
Author of The Lost Crusader: The Secret Wars of William Colby

 “Beavan's book vividly conjures the life we Jedburghs led in uniform behind the lines with the French Resistance during World War II. His is the first account I've read that explains how the fighting of the Jedburgh-led Resistance directly assisted the main military forces in Normandy. With Beavan's careful attention to detail and extensive notes, he makes a much-needed contribution to history. But equally, Beavan's book is a wonderful read, a great story, and especially for a former Jedburgh like myself, is truly moving.”
--Bernard Knox
Director Emeritus of Harvard’s Center for Hellenic Studies, and former Jedburgh

 “A story of high political tension among the Allies, and low life hidden in the French maquis anticipating the advancing liberators.  Beavan writes with sure footing on both the tangled politics and the thickets on the ground, dangers shared by Frenchmen, women and children and the fighters from afar.  With a sharp eye for details but never obscuring the big picture, he tells of heroism and villainy, of tenderness and unbridled brutality -- the story lines for a dozen blockbuster thrillers.”
--Peter Grose
Author of Operation Rollback: America's Secret War Behind the Iron Curtain