Tuesday, August 31, 2010

OPERATION MINCEMEAT : HOW A DEAD MAN AND A BIZARRE PLAN FOOLED THE NAZIS AND ASSURED AN ALLIED VICTORY
by Ben MacIntyre

It was 1943. Hitler assumed that the Allies would target Sicily and that would be the next big attack. In order to throw off this thought, a plan had to be put in place to deceive the Nazis.
Two brilliant intelligence officers put their heads together: Charles Cholmondeley (pronounced "Chumly") of MI5 and Ewan Montagu, a British naval officer. Though opposite in temperament and style, their partnership created quite a tour de force.
The idea was to get a corpse, attach false papers to it of where the invasion would be, then drop the body off the coast of Spain. The Germans fell for it bait hook, line, and sinker.
Ben MacIntyre is a phenom of an author. The details of how a corpse had to be found, creating an identity, how it was to be outfitted, bringing in an imaginary fiance are some of the inventions and facts that MacIntyre writes about flawlessly. Spies, double agents, heroes and scoundrels abound.
If you like intrigue, WWII, behind-the-scenes information, then grab this book. You won't be disappointed.
Highly recommended.