A Game of birds and wolves : the ingenious young women whose secret board game helped win World War II / Simon Parkin.
"The triumphant true story of the young women who helped to devise the winning strategy that defeated Nazi U-boats and delivered a decisive victory in the Battle of the Atlantic." -- From book jacket.
"By 1941, Winston Churchill had come to believe that the outcome of World War II rested on the battle for the Atlantic. A grand strategy game was devised by Captain Gilbert Roberts and a group of ten Wrens (members of the Women's Royal Naval Service) assigned to his team in an attempt to reveal the tactics behind the vicious success of the German U-boats. Played on a linoleum floor divided into painted squares, it required model ships to be moved across a make-believe ocean in a manner reminiscent of the childhood game, Battleship. Through play, the designers developed "Operation Raspberry," a countermaneuver that helped turn the tide of World War II. Combining vibrant novelistic storytelling with extensive research, interviews, and previously unpublished accounts, Simon Parkin describes for the first time the role that women played in developing the Allied strategy that, in the words of one admiral, "contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of Germany." Rich with unforgettable cinematic detail and larger-than-life characters, [the book] is a heart-wrenching tale of ingenuity, dedication, perseverance, and love, bringing to life the imagination and sacrifice required to defeat the Nazis at sea" -- provided by publisher.
Record details
- ISBN: 9780316492096
- Physical Description: 309 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 25 cm
- Edition: First US edition.
- Publisher: New York : Little, Brown and Company, [2020]
Content descriptions
General Note: | First published in Great Britain in November 2019 by Sceptre" -- Title page verso. |
Bibliography, etc. Note: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 281-302) and index. |
Formatted Contents Note: | Last man standing -- As you wave me goodbye -- They will come -- Wolves -- Pineapples and champagne -- Never at sea -- Roberts -- Oak leaves and Christmas trees -- The aces and the note -- The citadel -- Raspberry -- The royal key -- The elephant has landed -- Nulli secundus -- The battle of birds and wolves: part I -- The battle of birds and wolves: part II -- Honours -- The gun in the night -- The sisterhood of the linoleum -- Postscript -- Epilogue. |
Search for related items by subject
Genre: | Creative nonfiction. |
Available copies
- 3 of 3 copies available at York County Libraries.
Holds
- 0 current holds with 3 total copies.
Show Only Available Copies
Location | Call Number / Copy Notes | Barcode | Shelving Location | Status | Due Date |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Martin Library | Adults 940.54 PAR Life Times (Text) | 33454005757372 | 2nd Floor | Available | - |
Mason-Dixon Public Library | Adults 940.54 PAR Nonfiction (Text) | 34262000892485 | Main Room | Available | - |
Paul Smith Library of Southern York County | Adults 940.54 PAR Nonfiction (Text) | 34318001164199 | Adult Area | Available | - |
LDR | 03735cam a22004218i 4500 | ||
---|---|---|---|
001 | 11481743 | ||
003 | True | ||
005 | 20221118024243.0 | ||
008 | 200114r20202019nyuaf b 001 0 eng d | ||
010 | . | ‡a 2019954815 | |
020 | . | ‡a9780316492096 | |
035 | . | ‡a(OCoLC)1135867326 | |
040 | . | ‡aSNR ‡beng ‡erda ‡cSNR ‡dSNR ‡dOCLCO ‡dOCLCQ ‡dCHY ‡dON8 ‡dTCH ‡dOCO ‡dRB0 ‡dIMT ‡dMBT ‡dUtOrBLW | |
043 | . | ‡al------ ‡0http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/geographicAreas/l ‡ae-uk--- ‡0http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/geographicAreas/e-uk | |
049 | . | ‡aEZGA | |
050 | 1 | 4. | ‡aD770 ‡b.P38 2020 |
092 | 0 | . | ‡a940.54 ‡bPAR |
099 | . | ‡a940.545 ‡aP | |
100 | 1 | . | ‡aParkin, Simon, ‡eauthor. ‡0n 2015060870 ‡0(True)365581 |
245 | 1 | 2. | ‡aA Game of birds and wolves : ‡bthe ingenious young women whose secret board game helped win World War II / ‡cSimon Parkin. |
246 | 3 | 0. | ‡aIngenious young women whose secret board game helped win World War II. |
250 | . | ‡aFirst US edition. | |
264 | 1. | ‡aNew York : ‡bLittle, Brown and Company, ‡c[2020] | |
300 | . | ‡a309 pages, 16 unnumbered pages of plates : ‡billustrations ; ‡c25 cm | |
336 | . | ‡atext ‡btxt ‡2rdacontent. | |
337 | . | ‡aunmediated ‡bn ‡2rdamedia. | |
338 | . | ‡avolume ‡bnc ‡2rdacarrier. | |
500 | . | ‡aFirst published in Great Britain in November 2019 by Sceptre" -- Title page verso. | |
504 | . | ‡aIncludes bibliographical references (pages 281-302) and index. | |
505 | 0 | . | ‡aLast man standing -- As you wave me goodbye -- They will come -- Wolves -- Pineapples and champagne -- Never at sea -- Roberts -- Oak leaves and Christmas trees -- The aces and the note -- The citadel -- Raspberry -- The royal key -- The elephant has landed -- Nulli secundus -- The battle of birds and wolves: part I -- The battle of birds and wolves: part II -- Honours -- The gun in the night -- The sisterhood of the linoleum -- Postscript -- Epilogue. |
520 | . | ‡a"The triumphant true story of the young women who helped to devise the winning strategy that defeated Nazi U-boats and delivered a decisive victory in the Battle of the Atlantic." -- From book jacket. | |
520 | . | ‡a"By 1941, Winston Churchill had come to believe that the outcome of World War II rested on the battle for the Atlantic. A grand strategy game was devised by Captain Gilbert Roberts and a group of ten Wrens (members of the Women's Royal Naval Service) assigned to his team in an attempt to reveal the tactics behind the vicious success of the German U-boats. Played on a linoleum floor divided into painted squares, it required model ships to be moved across a make-believe ocean in a manner reminiscent of the childhood game, Battleship. Through play, the designers developed "Operation Raspberry," a countermaneuver that helped turn the tide of World War II. Combining vibrant novelistic storytelling with extensive research, interviews, and previously unpublished accounts, Simon Parkin describes for the first time the role that women played in developing the Allied strategy that, in the words of one admiral, "contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of Germany." Rich with unforgettable cinematic detail and larger-than-life characters, [the book] is a heart-wrenching tale of ingenuity, dedication, perseverance, and love, bringing to life the imagination and sacrifice required to defeat the Nazis at sea" -- ‡cprovided by publisher. | |
650 | 0. | ‡aWorld War, 1939-1945 ‡xCampaigns ‡zAtlantic Ocean. ‡0sh 85148304 ‡0(True)658215 | |
650 | 0. | ‡aWorld War, 1939-1945 ‡xNaval operations ‡xSubmarine. ‡0sh 85148451 ‡0(True)658328 | |
610 | 1 | 0. | ‡aGreat Britain. ‡bRoyal Navy. ‡bWestern Approaches Tactical Unit. ‡0n 79147392 |
650 | 0. | ‡aWorld War, 1939-1945 ‡xMilitary intelligence ‡zGreat Britain. ‡0sh2010119710 ‡0(True)715804 | |
655 | 7. | ‡aCreative nonfiction. ‡2lcgft ‡0gf2014026074 ‡0(True)414 | |
901 | . | ‡a11481743 ‡b ‡c11481743 ‡tbiblio |