Ben macintyre weaves together diaries, letters, photographs, memories and topsecret mi5 files to create the exhilarating account of britains most sensational double agent. Agent zigzag, the true wartime story of eddie chapman, lover, betrayer, hero, spy. Double cross the true story of the dday spies by ben. The true story of the dday spies by ben macintyre online at alibris. If you read the book, you might want to hold off on viewing those photos until after you finish it. The true story of the dday spies by ben macintyre at indigo. Thrilling histories filled with crooks, heroes, spies, and double agents of world war ii and cold war espionage. Double cross the true story of the dday spies by ben macintyre.
A connoisseur and celebrant of eccentricity, he specializes in often hilarious, sometimes tragic, but always fizzily. On june 6, 1944, 150,000 allied troops landed on the beaches of normandy and. I always find his books readable and this one was no different. Ben macintyres suspenseful new book, rogue heroes, about the founding of britains s. One overcast april morning in 1943, a fisherman notices a corpse floating in the sea off the coast of spain. He has worked as the newspapers correspondent in new york, paris and washington. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of double cross by ben macintyre. Ben macintyre s remarkable book is a gripping revelation. I felt like someone punched me in the gut when i saw it.
British author ben macintyre is a columnist and associate editor for the times. Sep 02, 2012 ben macintyre is the leading practitioner of oddballpowered history. He was the only one of the family to survive what francois maurois, in his introduction, calls the human holocaust of the persecution of the jews, which began with the restrictions, the singularization of the yellow star, the enclosure within the ghetto, and went on to the mass deportations to the ovens. This book tells the story of the men and women of fighter command who worked tirelessly in air bases. Double cross quotes showing of 56 for the dday spies were, without question, one of the oddest military units ever assembled. In double cross, macintyre returns with the untold story of the grand final deception of the war and of the extraordinary spies who achieved it. The true story of the dday spies by ben macintyre isbn.
Jan 11, 20 however, with the informations recent declassification, ben macintyre has brought the rather eccentric and odd stories of the characters of double cross to life in his historical book double. Ben macintyre s father was angus macintyre, the son of major francis macintyre, of the 14th20th kings hussars. This book tells the story of the men and women of fighter command who worked tirelessly in air bases scattered. The true story of the dday spies kindle edition by macintyre, ben. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading double cross. Mar 27, 2012 after visiting the international spy museum in d.
Ben macintyre is a master when writing about what appears to be a favourite topic, espionage and related activities during ww2. Ben macintyres new book attempts to make the case for the importance of the british response to these german agents the realisation that. Double cross, ben macintyre february 24, 20 february 6, 2016 girl with her head in a book so, world war two its not a secret at this stage that its one of the stretches of history that im curious about and ben macintyre is the master of oddball history. Ben macintyre double cross before the dday invasion, doubletalk and deceit in his new book double cross, ben macintyre recounts the story. Ben macintyre s latest book, double cross, is an account of the bizarre scheme devised by the british secret services to mislead german military planners about the site of the dday invasion of june 1944. Jul 28, 2012 ben macintyre double cross before the dday invasion, doubletalk and deceit in his new book double cross, ben macintyre recounts the story of the huge deception staged by the allies before d. The true story of the dday spies by ben macintyre in chm, djvu, fb3 download e book. Ben macintyre is a writeratlarge for the times of london and the bestselling author of a spy among friends, double cross, operation mincemeat, and agent zigzag, among other books. His first book, forgotten fatherland, excavated the story of nietzsches sister and her founding of nueva germania, a racially pure colony of. When mi5, britains domestic intelligence service, realized that it had turned all of germanys spies into double agents, it started the double cross. A book so gripping that i even found myself reading it in lifts, frequently emitting snorts of incredulity.
Ben always prided himself on having very deep roots in britain, what with his grandfather being associated with the kings hussars and his grandmother tracing her lineage to viscount netterville. Free shipping and pickup in store on eligible orders. He is the author of eight previous books including agent zigzag, shortlisted for the costa biography award and the galaxy british book award for biography of the year 2008, and the no. Ben macintyre has 20 books on goodreads with 180010 ratings. Ben macintyre is a writeratlarge for the times of london and the bestselling author of a spy among friends, double cross, operation mincemeat, agent zigzag, and. Dday, 6 june 1944, the turning point of the second world war, was a victory of arms. Double cross by ben macintyre published by bloomsbury at the heart of the deception was the double cross system, a team of double agents whose bravery, treachery, greed and inspiration succeeded in convincing the nazis that calais and norway, not normandy, were the targets of the 150,000strong allied invasion force. Double cross ben macintyre 9781408819906 netgalley. Double cross by ben macintyre the crown publishing group. Macintyres early books about espionage in world war ii have been. Ben macintyre is a writer, known for operation mincemeat, agent zigzag and kim philby. What do a polish pilot, a peruvian party girl, and a spanish chicken maven have in common. In double cross, new york times bestselling author ben macintyre returns with the untold story of one of the greatest deceptions of world war ii, and of the extraordinary spies who achieved it.
If there is one criticism that has been levied towards ben macintyre, it is the fact that he tends to lose himself in his research, and it shows. In his celebrated bestsellers agent zigzag and operation mincemeat, b. Double cross, ben macintyre girl with her head in a. Behind the derringdo, lies of course, the horror which that derringdo was designed to end. Macintyre will reveal the gripping true story of five of the double agents whose espionage helped to make dday such a success. Ben macintyre has a very engaging way of telling a story. I listened to two books by ben macintyre earlier this year. The spy and the traitor, is available to preorder now. Jul 31, 2012 elie wiesel spent his early years in a small transylvanian town as one of four children. Ben macintyre is a writeratlarge for the times of london and the bestselling author of a spy among friends, double cross, operation mincemeat, agent zigzag, and rogue heroes, among other books. Ben macintyre double cross the true story of the dday. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The true story of the dday spies, ben macintyre recounts how the british managed to control and manipulate every german agent.
Booklist with his latest book, double cross, ben macintyre tells the astonishing true story of a bizarre group of misfit spies who played a critical role in the success of dday. In double cross, new york times bestselling author ben macintyre returns with the untold. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. A stunning military accomplishment, it was also a masterpiece of trickery. The true story of the dday spies, ben macintyres complex, absorbing final installment in his trilogy about world war ii espionage, describes in entertaining detail how allied. All content included on our site, such as text, images, digital downloads and other, is the property of its content suppliers and protected by us and international laws. Macintyre is an excellent storyteller and writer, and double cross is his best book to date. Frederick forsyth neverbeforerevealed facts about the workings of the intelligence service in the buildup to dday in the second world war. Jul 31, 2012 in double cross, new york times bestselling author ben macintyre returns with the untold story of one of the greatest deceptions of world war ii, and of the extraordinary spies who achieved it. Ben macintyre books list of books by ben macintyre. Agent zigzag and double cross words in scarlet ink. Discount prices on books by ben macintyre, including titles like book 2.
With his latest book, double cross, ben macintyre tells the astonishing true story of a bizarre group of misfit spies who played a critical role in the success of dday. Buy double cross by ben macintyre from waterstones today. With the same depth of research, eye for the absurd and masterful storytelling that have made ben macintyre an international bestseller, double cross is a captivating narrative of the spies who wove a web so intricate it ensnared hitlers army and carried thousands of dday troops across the channel in safety. Although the book represents the history of the dday spies, the story is written as if it was a rather good john le carre novel, and is the better for that. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. In tandem, their appeal is wellnigh irresistible, as sales of ben macintyres last two books agent zigzag and operation mincemeat have. He is bestknown for his bestselling books about espionage, including operation mincemeat, agent zigzag which was shortlisted for the costa biography award and the galaxy british book award for biography of the year 2008 and a spy amongst friends. It involved the use of a team of double agents feeding misinformation to their german contacts over a period of years. The very model of a major victorian criminalindeed, the original of sherlock holmess nemesis, professor moriartyis the subject of a true crime tale by macintyre, paris bureau chief for the times of london forgotten fatherland, 1992. July 31, 2012 newly declassified intelligence files flesh out the intricately interwoven network of world war ii spies who formed the double cross british espionage system. Books by ben macintyre author of the spy and the traitor. The true story of the dday spies, ben macintyre recounts how the british managed to control and manipulate every german agent sent to britain to spy on the allies and their. Ben macintyre double cross before the dday invasion. Ben macintyres most popular book is the spy and the traitor.
Theres romance, and glamour, and even the splendidly named sir bentley purchase, the cheerfully blackhumoured. He has an elder sister, born 1962, and a younger brother, born 1971. New york times bestselling author of a spy among friends on june 6, 1944, 150,000 allied troops. In double cross, new york times bestselling author ben macintyre returns with the untold story of one of the greatest deceptions of world war ii. Ben macintyre is the leading practitioner of oddballpowered history. May 14, 20 macintyre has written a tense, exciting reallife spy story that illuminates a largely obscure aspect of wwii. The official uk page for the bestselling author, historian and times columnist ben macintyre. Frederick forsyth never before revealed facts about the workings of the intelligence service in the build up to dday in the second world war.
Macintyre has also written and presented bbc documentaries of his work. Dday was a stunning military accomplishment, but it was also a masterpiece. The stories in this book, many of which have never before been told, are nothing short of incredible. Double cross by macintyre, ben book the cheap fast free post. It should have been done in reverse order but hindsight is. The true story of the dday spies 2012, a nonfiction book by british author ben macintyre, details the british response to nazi spies sent by the german abwehr intelligence service and efforts to turn those spies into double agents. A reminder that heroism can be found in the most unlikely. Operation fortitude, which protected and enabled the invasion, and the double cross system, which specialized in turning german spies into double agents, tricked the nazis into believing that the allied attacks would come in calais and norway rather than normandy.
But it was also a triumph for a different kind of operation. One can finish the book with the strangely proud sensation that in the second world war. Ben s books are normally filled with a little too much detail, and not all the morsels of information in ben s books are necessary to the central thread he is weaving. His paternal grandmother was related to the ancestral line of viscount netterville. Ben macintyre is a columnist and associate editor on the times. Macintyre is a firstclass narrative historian and double cross is as pacy as a thriller and better written than most. Rogue heroes, the birth of britains elite special forces. Double cross is ben macintyre s third book about world war ii espionage, following the acclaimed agent zigzag and operation mincemeat. Ben macintyres remarkable book is a gripping revelation. The true story of the dday spies by macintyre, ben book the cheap. Ben macintyres father was angus macintyre, the son of major francis macintyre, of the 14th20th kings hussars.
Mar 26, 2012 but at its heart was the double cross system, a team of double agents controlled by the secret twenty committee, so named because twenty in roman numerals forms a double cross. Ben macintyres new book attempts to make the case for the importance of the british response to these german agents the realisation that some. Ben macintyre, who rather seems to have cornered the market in factual books about espionage in this country, both during the second world war and then later, during the period of the cold war, has here written a complex account of the part that not just spies, but those who were double agents, or even triple agents, turned, and turned again or always firmly on the allied side, but convincing germany they were her spies. In double cross, ben macintyre ingeniously explains exactly how it was done. His columns range from current affairs to historical controversies. Ben macintyres new book attempts to make the case for the importance of the british response to these german agents.
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