A Game of Birds & Wolves – Simon Parkin book now launched
A book inspired by the stories and people who worked at Western Approaches has now been launched. We are pleased to be involved in the launch and will be welcoming author Simon Parkin in the New Year for a talk on his book (details to come soon)
Steven Spielberg has already bought the rights to the story so we are hoping to see some big names in the bunker very soon.
INTRODUCTION ON THE BOOK – Unknown to the British public, a vicious battle is being fought in the Atlantic – and the Allies are losing. Hitler’s U-Boats are mere weeks away from breaking Britain’s vital supply lines and starving the nation of food, fuel and weapons. Defeat would be unimaginably catastrophic, opening the door to a Nazi invasion and surrender. The stakes have never been higher as Britain faces its ‘Darkest Hour’.
In an unassuming building in Liverpool, Churchill is hiding a secret weapon. The Western Approaches Tactical Unit (WATU) has been tasked with devising a completely new strategy that will win the Battle of the Atlantic and turn the tide of the entire war. Churchill knows he’s asking the impossible of this largely inexperienced team, made up of a retired naval captain and eight fresh-faced Wrens – women as young as seventeen – who have never even seen a battle, let alone fought one. But circumstances are desperate, and Churchill has no other options. WATU is his last line of defence.
A Game of Birds and Wolves is the astonishing untold tale of an innovative game of battleships, Operation Raspberry, a tactic formulated via the game, and the unlikely heroines whose eureka moment cracked the battle of the Atlantic which, in the words of one of the most senior Admirals of the war, “contributed in no small measure to the final defeat of Germany.” For the first time, investigative journalist Simon Parkin brings these hidden figures into the light in this thrilling tale of war at sea, and of victory against all odds.
A GAME OF BIRDS AND WOLVES: THE FILM
Amblin Partners has acquired the film rights A Game of Birds and Wolves: The Secret Game t hat Won t he War . Marc Platt and Jared LeBoff of Marc Platt Productions ( La La Land , Bridge of Spies , The Girl on the Train ) will produce, along with Amblin’s DreamWorks Pictures. DreamWorks Pictures is a film label of Amblin Partners, a film and television production company led by Steven Spielberg. Vicky Jones, whose credits include BBC hit Killing Eve and Fleabag , will adapt the story for the screen.
Simon Parkin is an award-winning writer and journalist for magazines, newspapers and websites. He is contributing writer for the New Yorker, a regular contributor to the Guardian ’s Long Read, and critic for the Observer . Simon writes regularly about video game culture and brings his unique background to this gripping story of military history and strategy.
