Nicholas Rankin's revelatory new book, whose cast of characters includes Haile Selassie, Anthony Burgess and General Sikorski, sets Gibraltar in the wider context of the struggle against fascism, from Abyssinia through the Spanish Civil War.
In 1942, Lieutenant-Commander Ian Fleming was personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence - the dynamic figure behind James Bond's fictional chief, 'M'. Here, Fleming had a brilliant idea: why not set up a unit of authorised looters, men who would go in hard with the front-line troops and steal enemy intelligence? Known as '30 Assault Unit', they took part in the major campaigns of the Second World War, landing on the Normandy beaches and helping to liberate Paris. 30AU's final amazing coup was to seize the entire archives of the German Navy - thirty tons of documents.
By June 1940, with most of Europe under Nazi control, Britain stood alone and relied on cunning and camouflage for survival. Under Winston Churchill's leadership, the nation employed deception—lying, pretending, and dressing up to protect itself. This talent for subterfuge had been honed during the First World War, where artists and writers crafted elaborate camouflages and propaganda. These deceptions were so effective that they led the Germans to believe they hadn’t been defeated fairly, prompting thoughts of a second attempt. By the Second World War, Britain had become adept at these tactics. Churchill favored ingenious stratagems and special forces, including fake German radio stations that spread outrageous British propaganda. British intelligence broke German codes and intercepted communications, capturing every German spy in Britain and using them to relay false information. Forged documents misled German Intelligence, while bogus wireless traffic and phantom armies created an illusion of strength. This culminated in the critical misdirection that played a vital role in the success of D-Day in 1944. The work reveals the true stories of the brave and creative individuals who contributed to what Churchill termed 'the war of the Unknown Warriors.'
Follow the footsteps of Robert Louis Stevenson in a thrilling and meticulous travelogue that retraces his journey from Edinburgh to the South Seas - where he died in Samoa at the age of just 44. A deliciously gossipy and beautifully researched book."Rankin is a wizard...a natural sleuth, writes well in slim nuggety paragraphs, and he teaches us a great deal about Stevenson en route." - Vogue."Delightful...the ideal book to take with you on holiday." - Independent.
The real story of how Winston Churchill and the British mastered deception to defeat the Nazis - by conning the Kaiser, hoaxing Hitler and using brains to outwit brawn.