They were doomed from the very beginning.
During the Second World War, it didn’t take long for the British Secret Services to discover that Nazi Germany’s cohorts of espionage agents — influenced either by the illusionary light of profit or idealism, or the darkness of blackmail and reprisals — were largely comprised of amateurs so grossly inefficient it seemed almost a shame to hang them.
Sourced exclusively from previously highly classified MI5 files, this thought-provoking new book tells the dramatic stories of some of Hitler’s so-called spies whose training and credentials as secret agents were so pathetic that it was virtually inevitable they be caught.
Secret interrogation centres, double-cross, international intrigue and deadly, leap-in-the-dark adventures of enemy agents, lie at the heart of every chapter of this captivating, multi-storied book.
From a spy who deliberately jumped out of his aircraft knowing that he would be caught, to a dashing but misguided Errol Flynn look-alike, or a secret agent who had been duped into becoming a diamond courier, Tony Matthews strips back the layers of Nazi espionage to reveal a world of duplicity, stupidity, betrayal and deceit.
A probing exposé into the perilous and inefficient world of some of Hitler’s most endangered spies.
MaryAlice Mahoney (Illinois) –
Tony Matthews book is an exploration of the world of Nazi espionage during World War II. His research and compelling writing style brings the spies to life. It adds a human element to the war as well. I think this is a must read for any World War II enthusiast.
Shelley Hansen’s Review for Rick Whittle’s Authors’ Talk segment on ABC Radio –
This is a compilation of truly amazing stories. The perilous and precarious world of espionage is captured in graphic detail, including some tales which give absolute proof that truth is certainly stranger than fiction. At times I wasnt sure whether I was reading James Bond or Monty Python! I found one account sadly ironic that of Josef Jakobs. Captured in Britain, he was painstakingly nursed back to health from injuries sustained, only to be put on trial for his life. Somehow his story summed up the futility of war.