NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF A SPY AMONG FRIENDS
Ben Macintyre’s Agent Zigzag was hailed as “rollicking, spellbinding” (), “wildly improbable but entirely true” (), and, quite simply, “the best book ever written” (). In his new book, , he tells an extraordinary story that will delight his legions of fans.
In 1943, from a windowless basement office in London, two brilliant intelligence … story that will delight his legions of fans.
In 1943, from a windowless basement office in London, two brilliant intelligence officers conceived a plan that was both simple and complicated — Operation Mincemeat. The purpose? To deceive the Nazis into thinking that Allied forces were planning to attack southern Europe by way of Greece or Sardinia, rather than Sicily, as the Nazis had assumed, and the Allies ultimately chose.
Charles Cholmondeley of MI5 and the British naval intelligence officer Ewen Montagu could not have been more different. Cholmondeley was a dreamer seeking adventure. Montagu was an aristocratic, detail-oriented barrister. But together they were the perfect team and created an ingenious plan: Get a corpse, equip it with secret (but false and misleading) papers concerning the invasion, then drop it off the coast of Spain where German spies would, they hoped, take the bait. The idea was approved by British intelligence officials, including Ian Fleming (creator of James Bond). Winston Churchill believed it might ring true to the Axis and help bring victory to the Allies.
Filled with spies, double agents, rogues, fearless heroes, and one very important corpse, the story of Operation Mincemeat reads like an international thriller.
Unveiling never-before-released material, Ben Macintyre brings the reader right into the minds of intelligence officers, their moles and spies, and the German Abwehr agents who suffered the “twin frailties of wishfulness and yesmanship.” He weaves together the eccentric personalities of Cholmondeley and Montagu and their near-impossible feats into a riveting adventure that not only saved thousands of lives but paved the way for a pivotal battle in Sicily and, ultimately, Allied success in the war.
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The real story behind the classic movie “The Man Who Never Was”. It is a fascinating look at the spy network of Great Britain during WWII, agents, double agents, and misinformation designed to mask the invasion of Sicily. Not only do you get a sense of how really talented the British intelligence operation was, but how over rated the German …
I love true spy stories and this was fascinating in its conception, and interesting in how the whole event played out & the true consequences of the event
Well researched and just as well written. This reads like good historical espionage fiction, and some the tale is so wild that it could be!
An actual in depth view into a WWII intelligence operation. Lots of moving parts and chances for disaster. Unsung heroes at all stages of then operation.
This was a sometimes funny but tense account of an incredible operation that impacted the outcome of WWII in Europe. Detailed but not dry, it compounded my respect for the intelligence and creative minds behind the military who did the fighting.
It tells an interesting story that illuminates aspects of WWII that most people, even those who know a fair amount about WWII would not know. It could have been tightened up a bit–it was more methodical in its detail than was necessary.
Interesting, but too long to tell too little
Fascinating history. World War Two intrigue.
An interesting historical read
I loved this book! This was as action packed and entertaining as any Tom Clancy novel–only it was true!
real life spy story from WW2, convoluted and bizarre and amazing.
An interesting read but it dragged a bit. Those interested in exhaustive WWII history would enjoy the level of detail in this book.
Fascinating account. Well written.
Fascinating and true
Explains many unknowns of a fascinating incident in history
in the waning days of WW2 the allies want to send misinformation to the Germans. The way they do it is ingenious and absorbing.
This book, which my friend Elizabeth recommended, finally made its way off my reading list and into my hands, where it drew me in such that I believe I read the entire story in 48 hours. And what a story it is.
The operation itself, a high stakes British deception of the Nazis at the height of the war, would be too improbable to believe it it …
British WW2 nonfiction detailing disinformation fed to Nazis via a dead body masquerading as nonexistent Captain (acting Major) William Martin, a dead messenger carrying letters between high-ranking Allied generals alluding to an invasion of Sardinia & Greece.
Very well written. “The Man Who Never Was” was a movie based (loosely) on the book.