Brandenburgers in the Blitzkrieg 1940
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- ISBN 9781472874214
- Dimensions: 184 x 248mm
- Publication Date: 17 Dec 2026
- Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
- Publication City/Country: GB
- Product Form: Paperback
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Fully illustrated, this is the first study of how the Brandenburgers – Germany’s covert special forces – seized the bridges that led into France in 1940, in their biggest campaign to date.
Formed from elements of various unorthodox units and militia groups that took part in the invasion of Poland, by mid-1940 the Brandenburgers were established as the Wehrmacht’s specialists in operating behind enemy lines. With several separate battle groups set tasks that could determine the success of the whole campaign, the invasions of France, Belgium, and the Netherlands would be the Brandenburgers' debut as a key part of the German war machine.
The bold strategy of Fall Gelb and Fall Rot depended on seizing major river bridges in Belgium and the southern Netherlands, without which the Germans’ rapid advance would stall. Researcher and historian Lawrence Paterson examines the overlooked story of how the Brandenburgers were organized and tasked to seize dozens of these bridges and other key targets, relying both on deception and fighting skills. It was a role which proved their worth in major operations and prompted their expansion afterwards into a full regiment.
Illustrated with archive photos and specially commissioned artwork and maps, this book examines and assesses the course of every assault – not all of which were successful, and which often turned into savage battles – as the Brandenburgers fought to open the road to France.
Originally from New Zealand, Lawrence 'Larry' Paterson has toured and recorded as a heavy metal drummer and worked as a scuba diving instructor, from which his first book, First U-Boat Flotilla, stemmed. His books have since branched out to cover other areas of the Kriegsmarine and also formations such as the Brandenburger special forces, Luftwaffe maritime strike units and the Hermann Göring Division. He lives in Italy.
Renato Dalmaso is a Brazilian historical artist, based in São Paulo.
