"And now, over to Normandy". With those immortal words, so began, on 6th June 1944, the very first live reporting transmitted from the BBC's War Reporting Unit who were attached with the Allied invasion of France on D-Day. War Report continued, without a single break, until the signature of the armistice on 5 May 1945. The BBC War Reporting Unit was a unique team of eighteen men (the BBC Commandos) who were selected from various branches of the BBC and rigorously trained by the army in preparation for the D-Day landings in Normandy on the 6th June 1944. Among them was Richard Dimbleby - seen as one of Britain's greatest broadcasters - and father of David and Jonathan; Frank Gillard, Robert Reid and Wynford Vaughan-Thomas. The first edition of War Report carried the first account of the D-Day landings and from then on was a regular feature of British life until the end of the war. War Report gave millions of listeners back home a vivid nightly picture of the progress of the Second World War, as seen through the eyes of the BBC reporters on the spot - who risked their lives only armed with a microphone. It is estimated that 15 million people tuned in per show - almost half the country at that time and reflects not only the uniqueness of the programme, but also the immense pressures these men must have felt knowing what it meant for the country to be hearing their eye-witness accounts. Every single major event of the war in Western Europe was covered by this unit. The battle for Caen, the breakout and the Germans trapped in the 'Falaise Pocket', the liberation of Paris, Amsterdam, Antwerp and many other cities; the Battle of the Bulge, and the crossing of the Rhine where the Nazis grizzly secret of the concentration camp system would be finally unveiled. In all, these men conveyed the excitement, horror, boredom, joy and terror of the frontline for eleven months until Hitler was defeated. Veteran journalist, broadcaster, and writer James Naughtie delves into the history of this unheralded unit, using archive transcripts of the broadcasts, and speaking to relatives of the men, unearthing their correspondence and memorabilia to tell the fascinating and heroic tale of their time spent as a 'Band of Brothers' reporting news for the BBC in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Author Biography

James Naughtie began his career in journalism in 1975 in Scotland and has established himself as one of the country's most respected radio presenters of current affairs on BBC 4's flagship The Today Programme. He is equally at home discussing classical music and literature hosting Radio 4's Book Club, and presenting The Proms on BBC 2. He has always been fascinated by the events of World War Two, and has undertaken intense research, including several interviews with relatives of the main characters to tell a real 'Band of Brothers'-style story of the men who went into D-Day armed with only a microphone. Jim lives in Edinburgh.