The story of how Britain's intelligence operatives, experts and special operations teams contributed to the Allies' victory in the Second World War.
Codebreakers and Spies tells the astonishing story of how Britain's intelligence operatives, experts and special operations teams contributed to the Allies' victory in the Second World War. The work of the Bletchley Park codebreakers in breaking the German Enigma cipher is estimated to have cut the length of the war by around two years, saving countless lives, while the Double Cross system, in which German secret agents were 'turned' by the British to feed their Nazi agent-runners with false information, ensured the success of the D-Day landings.
Codebreakers and Spies not only reveals new details about these remarkable operations but also tells the compelling story of how MI6 turned the disaster of lost networks across Europe into triumph. The stories range from extraordinarily courageous to bizarre, with desperation driving the intelligence services to recruit astrologers and even a stage magician to help retrieve intelligence and allied aircrew from of Nazi-occupied Europe. Intelligence historian Michael Smith thrillingly recounts the daring and often moving lives of the heroes and heroines who risked their lives for victory.
SUNDAY TIMES journalist Michael Smith was the defence correspondent of the DAILY TELEGRAPH for many years. He is a former member of the British Army's Intelligence Corp and lives in Henley with his wife and family.
Michael Smith is the Defence Correspondent of the Sunday Times. A former member of the Army Intelligence Corps, Smith has reported on all Britain's recent wars and broken a number of important stories.