After winning the Aspects of History Unpublished Historical Novel Award in November 2022, for my World War Two Arctic Convoys novel Hell and High Water, I was asked by Sharpe Books to write a series of books for them based on the Parachute Regiment during the Second World War. The first of those books, Operation Codicil, has now been published and will be one of three fictional stories following Sergeant Sean Harris and his group of elite pathfinders.
The Parachute Regiment was formed in 1942. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, reluctantly impressed by the success of the fallschirmjaeger, - German airborne troops used to great effect during the invasions of the Netherlands and Crete - asked for the formation of a similar unit to be raised by the British Army. Volunteers from regiments throughout the army were subsequently selected and trained, creating airborne and parachute battalions. These units showed early promise, such as on Operation Biting - a successful raid on the French coast, near Bruneval, to steal a German radar dish.
The Parachute Regiment went on to see action in North Africa. It was in Tunisia, where they earned their nickname ‘The Red Devils’, due to their uniforms becoming covered in red dust during intense fighting. Again, in 1943, they showed their mettle during the Allied invasions of Sicily and Italy.
Recognised by their distinctive maroon berets and Denison smocks (a large, baggy tunic) by 1944 the Parachute Regiment had become an elite fighting force in the British Army, second only to the Special Air Service (SAS). The very best of these brave and fierce men were the pathfinders, small groups of paratroopers who went on ahead of the main forces, to set up drop zones to guide them in to carry out their missions.
This is where Operation Codicil begins.
It is a little after midnight on 6th June 1944, D-Day. Two planes fly over the coast, each carrying nine men of a pathfinder unit. Their job – to set up the drop zone for E Company, who have been tasked with taking a vital bridge over the River Orne and hold it until relieved by the main forces who are to land on the Normandy beaches in a few hours time.
In one of the planes is the platoon leader, Lieutenant Christie Walsh, a former Guards officer. He will be the first out - his trusted deputy, Sergeant Sean Harris bringing up the rear.
However, disaster strikes when the two planes are hit by an intense enemy anti-aircraft barrage and the second plane is shot down, forcing Walsh’s plane to veer off course.
With half the group already out of action, and Walsh’s plane having problems during the drop, what is left of the unit is split. Lieutenant Walsh leads one small group with Sergeant Harris now commanding the other.
Not knowing exactly where they are, Harris tries to find Walsh and the others. When he encounters the fearless Resistance leader, Camille Toussaint and her band of freedom fighters, he realises he is on the wrong side of the bridge. Worryingly, she tells him of an SS unit that has recently arrived in the area that the top brass was unaware of. Realising there is now a danger the company will be caught between two groups of battle-hardened German units, Harris leads his men to the bridge to pass on this intelligence to senior officers.
His mission now becomes a race against time.
Full of exciting characters; “to die for”, as international best-selling author Damien Lewis describes them, Operation Codicil has “wall to wall action” as attack follows counterattack as the men try desperately to hold on the bridge.
Characters include the mysterious cold-blooded killer, Len Dunleavy; fearless corporal, Harry McGuinness; ex-professional footballer, Henry Carter; foul-mouthed scouser, Ian Massam and the ‘calm as you like’, pipe-smoking Captain Tom Rea, bringing to life the camaraderie and brotherhood that can only be found in men thrown together in combat.
But it is Sergeant Harris that the book focuses on. A somewhat aloof and standoffish character, who takes no nonsense from those under his command, he harbours a dark secret. Is what happened to him in Dunkirk four years earlier preying on his mind? Will he be able to bring his men safely through the critical battle of Normandy?
Of course, Operation Codicil is a work of fiction. The places and characters are purely of my imagination. However, they are inspired by events that actually took place on the night before D-Day - for example the taking of Pegasus Bridge by British airborne forces and the attack on the Merville Battery. The novel is a homage to all the men of the airborne forces of World War Two, especially those of the Parachute Regiment.
I had an immense amount of fun writing the book but at the same time wanted to treat the memories of those who fought on D-Day and beyond with the respect they all so richly deserve. I hope I have done them justice.
Book Two in the series will hopefully be released next year and will take place in Arnhem, during Operation Market Garden. The plot will take into account the fact that those who fought on D-Day (6th Airborne Division) did not fight at Arnhem (1st Airborne Division). Harris and his men will be tasked with rescuing a Dutch scientist caught up in the fighting and bringing him safely back to Allied lines.
Best-selling author and historian, Damien Lewis (SAS Brothers in Arms, Churchill’s Secret Warriors, The Nazi Hunters) says of Operation Codicil – “McKay delivers wall to wall action and characters to die for, as the elite pathfinders encounter their own Bridge Too Far. Looking forward to the fabulous Sergeant Harris returning for further adventures in the series!”
Whilst writing the book, Charlie told me the story of one convoy in particular - codenamed PQ18 - which sailed in September 1942. This was the first convoy Charlie sailed on at the tender age of just eighteen. It was the most heavily attacked and defended convoy of the whole war. I have now completed a non-fiction account of the convoy which will be published by Pen & Sword in October/November 2023 entitled “Arctic Convoy, PQ18 - 25 Days That Changed The Course Of The War”. Again, Damien Lewis has endorsed the book saying of if: “Riveting and compelling. McKay brings to life the remarkable true story of one of the most important Allied seaborne operations of the Second World War. A must read.”
John McKay
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