Secret War
From May 1940 to June 1944, as Europe was under Nazi control, the Allies waged a secretive and dangerous war of courage, betrayal, and double-dealing. This is the story of the operations and the people who waged the secret war and set Europe ablaze.
The Special Interrogation Group
The SIG consisted of German speaking Jewish volunteers from Palestine. They had a highly dangerous job: which was to pose as Germans behind enemy lines and extract intelligence and do acts of sabotage. Few had a long-life expectancy.
Hardy Amies and Operation Ratweek
Operation Ratweek’s existence has always been denied. However WMR has now discovered evidence that it existed and was carried out.
The Mafia Connection
Lucky Luciano, a mafia boss of the 1930s, was in jail in 1942 on charges of running prostitution rings. US intelligence services did a deal with him and he got the Italians to share intelligence on German U boat movements.
Double Agent Tricycle
Dusan Popov was almost certainly James Bond. Ian Fleming knew all the stories about him. Popov managed to persuade both the Germans and MI6 to keep him in the style of a millionaire businessman while performing a series of missions against the Nazis.
The Banker, the Norwegians & the Bomb
Sir Charles attended Eton, and then joined the Coldstream Guards. He won the Military Cross on the Western Front and, having survived the war, returned to banking.
The Scholar and the Fight for Greece
Monty Woodhouse, a professor and a legend for blowing up the Gorgopotamos Bridge in Greece in 1942. In the British counter attack against Rommell at Al Alamein in North Africa it was vital to disrupt German supply routes, Greece.
The Dutch Disaster
Operation North Pole was a WWII German deception using captured SOE agents to mislead Britain. 47 of 50 agents were captured. Despite warnings, SOE ignored signs of compromise to maintain support, leading to a major intelligence failure.
The SAS Italian Job
In 1945, during the Italian Spring offensive, SOE agent Michael Lees and SAS officer Roy Farran led a raid on German HQs at Villa Rossi and Villa Calvi. Despite orders to cancel, Farran attacked with SAS men and partisans, killing many Germans.
The Spymistress and the French Fiasco
After WWII, SOE disbanded, leaving Vera Atkins to uncover fates of 118 agents, including 13 women. Many were betrayed and sent to camps; some were executed. Atkins' quest continued, marked by personal impact and delayed recognition.
The French Triple Agent
Operation Cockade, led by MI6's double agent Henri Dericourt in 1943, aimed to deceive Germans with sabotage. Despite efforts, Germans withdrew divisions unconvinced. Dericourt faced a post-war treason trial and died in a mysterious 1962 plane crash.
Christine Granville
Christine Granville, aka Krystyna Skarbek, a brave SOE agent, secured the release of captured comrades from the Gestapo before Operation Dragoon, earning the George Medal.
Agent Garbo
Juan Pujol, MI6's WWII agent "Garbo," created a fictitious spy network in Lisbon, deceiving the Germans with crucial disinformation and influencing their strategies. After the war, MI6 protected him, and he lived in Venezuela until his death in 1988.
The Aristocrat and the Balkan Communists
Fitzroy Maclean, an MP and WWII spy, supported Tito's Communist partisans in Yugoslavia against the Germans, forging a lasting friendship and honored at Tito's funeral post-war.
