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Icon Books The Army That Never Was D-Day and the Great Deception.
On 29 May 1944 General George S. Patton gave a speech in the south-east of England to the men of his Army in which he spoke of the American desire to win and of how losing was hateful to Americans. As he rose to his crescendo, he said how much he 'pitied those sons of bitches we are going up against - by God, I do'. On that same day General Omar Bradley gave a calmer speech in Somerset to the men of his Army about how much rested on the upcoming invasion of northern France and how vital their role was in achieving victory.
Apart from the very different tones of the speeches reflecting the opposite character of the two Army commanders, there was another big difference. Bradley was speaking to men who in a little over a week would be splashing ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Patton was addressing an Army that didn't exist.
The Army That Never Was tells the story of the biggest deception operation of the Second World War - the plan to mislead the Germans into thinking that the invasion of Europe would come at the Pas de Calais, by inventing an entirely fake Army group in the south-east of England.
Full of fascinating characters from the US, Britain and Germany, this compelling and propulsive narrative explores one of the most remarkable stories of the Second World War.
Apart from the very different tones of the speeches reflecting the opposite character of the two Army commanders, there was another big difference. Bradley was speaking to men who in a little over a week would be splashing ashore on the beaches of Normandy. Patton was addressing an Army that didn't exist.
The Army That Never Was tells the story of the biggest deception operation of the Second World War - the plan to mislead the Germans into thinking that the invasion of Europe would come at the Pas de Calais, by inventing an entirely fake Army group in the south-east of England.
Full of fascinating characters from the US, Britain and Germany, this compelling and propulsive narrative explores one of the most remarkable stories of the Second World War.
320 pages, Paperback
First published May 23, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 21, 2024
Thanks to the publishers and netgalley for a free copy in return for an open honest review.
This book details the leadup to D-Day and the deceptions the Allies used to deceive the Germans on the actual invasion areas, quite detailed and also give other examples the Allies did before like the invasion of Italy and the double agents used as mentioned earlier in operation mincemeat .
enjoyed this book overall especially in this the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
This book details the leadup to D-Day and the deceptions the Allies used to deceive the Germans on the actual invasion areas, quite detailed and also give other examples the Allies did before like the invasion of Italy and the double agents used as mentioned earlier in operation mincemeat .
enjoyed this book overall especially in this the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
May 24, 2024
I received a free e-book copy of this book from Net Galley. I give this review without any influence from the author, publisher etc, as these are my views alone.
I finished this book about a week ago, but I wanted to sit back and think about it. I felt like I was being brought through a whirlwind, because the author doesn't restrict the book to D-Day. He branches out into other aspects of the war, other characters, and especially other intelligence work that the Allies were doing up to D-Day. And this, I felt, really expanded the novel to help the understanding of the reader. I never thought that the book was being bloated by what was included, as the back story is absolutely fascinating. I enjoyed having various characters brought to the forefront, especially the ones that I thought I knew. There were so many people involved that I had no clue of, and I wanted to learn more. I've taken what was listed about them here, and gone searching other books on the roles of spies during World War 1.
Just to note: I've purchased 'Agent Zigzag' by Ben MacIntyre as my first branching out.
Even the characters that were only known by code names; the way the author described their personalities. Sometimes I truly feel as though their handlers had a very good view of exactly what kind of characters they were dealing with, and named them accordingly.
And also, to entice a few readers who may not think that this book isn't for them... There was a movie studio involved in the deception. How they were involved, and what they did? I really hope I can find more about that.
The author has a great conversational style of writing. It was an easy read for me, and I have purchased the Audible version of this book because I love the narrator. And I know that Peter Noble, as always, will make listening to it even more enticing.
This book is a solid 5 Star, even before the addition of Peter Noble narrating. When I find a book that I really enjoy, I also try to buy an e-book version so that I can show my appreciation for it. The fact that I also bought the Audiobook is because I know that will probably be my preferred version to listen/read through it again.
Highly recommend.
I finished this book about a week ago, but I wanted to sit back and think about it. I felt like I was being brought through a whirlwind, because the author doesn't restrict the book to D-Day. He branches out into other aspects of the war, other characters, and especially other intelligence work that the Allies were doing up to D-Day. And this, I felt, really expanded the novel to help the understanding of the reader. I never thought that the book was being bloated by what was included, as the back story is absolutely fascinating. I enjoyed having various characters brought to the forefront, especially the ones that I thought I knew. There were so many people involved that I had no clue of, and I wanted to learn more. I've taken what was listed about them here, and gone searching other books on the roles of spies during World War 1.
Just to note: I've purchased 'Agent Zigzag' by Ben MacIntyre as my first branching out.
Even the characters that were only known by code names; the way the author described their personalities. Sometimes I truly feel as though their handlers had a very good view of exactly what kind of characters they were dealing with, and named them accordingly.
And also, to entice a few readers who may not think that this book isn't for them... There was a movie studio involved in the deception. How they were involved, and what they did? I really hope I can find more about that.
The author has a great conversational style of writing. It was an easy read for me, and I have purchased the Audible version of this book because I love the narrator. And I know that Peter Noble, as always, will make listening to it even more enticing.
This book is a solid 5 Star, even before the addition of Peter Noble narrating. When I find a book that I really enjoy, I also try to buy an e-book version so that I can show my appreciation for it. The fact that I also bought the Audiobook is because I know that will probably be my preferred version to listen/read through it again.
Highly recommend.
June 17, 2024
Tales of military deception from North Africa to Normandy, involving some of WWII’s great military heroes and their speeches to armies of troops who didn’t exist, a history of secrets Taylor recounts with real excitement!
Inflatable tanks, large model fuel dumps and fake airfields, which had to be guarded like the real thing as spies were operating nearby, were all parts of a massive jigsaw puzzle of a pretend army created to trick German reconnaissance missions and delude Hitler into positioning his forces in the wrong location, giving the allies the upper hand ahead of D Day.
The UK Film industries role in creating the fantasy forces was amazing to read about, the skills of prop masters and cameramen - few knew of their secret work!
This mammoth undertaking of deception was solidified with the role playing of mighty figures of General Paton and Field Marshal Montgomery.
Operation Fortitude was the most complex and successful deception operation in military history. Taylor knits the story together with Paton and Montgomerys front and the mystery of now infamous spies like the Spanish double agent Juan Pujol and Brutus the ex Polish Intelligence Agent working with Abwehr.
This is a fantastic book, 5 stars from me!
Inflatable tanks, large model fuel dumps and fake airfields, which had to be guarded like the real thing as spies were operating nearby, were all parts of a massive jigsaw puzzle of a pretend army created to trick German reconnaissance missions and delude Hitler into positioning his forces in the wrong location, giving the allies the upper hand ahead of D Day.
The UK Film industries role in creating the fantasy forces was amazing to read about, the skills of prop masters and cameramen - few knew of their secret work!
This mammoth undertaking of deception was solidified with the role playing of mighty figures of General Paton and Field Marshal Montgomery.
Operation Fortitude was the most complex and successful deception operation in military history. Taylor knits the story together with Paton and Montgomerys front and the mystery of now infamous spies like the Spanish double agent Juan Pujol and Brutus the ex Polish Intelligence Agent working with Abwehr.
This is a fantastic book, 5 stars from me!
January 20, 2025
This is one of the better books on deceptions in World War II. George Patton in the build-up before D-Day was given command of the First Army Group. However the Army Group was fictional and part of a plot to make the Germans believe that the attack would be on Pas De Calais. After D_Day the Germans still were deceived into thinking there would be a larger second attack on Calais.
The book is told mainly from the British view and highlights the work of british Intelligence. The Patton sections are brief and do not cover how Patton felt about things. There also is little on ike's view of the deception and what the Americans did.
The deception was highly successful and greatly helped D-Day
The book is told mainly from the British view and highlights the work of british Intelligence. The Patton sections are brief and do not cover how Patton felt about things. There also is little on ike's view of the deception and what the Americans did.
The deception was highly successful and greatly helped D-Day
June 26, 2025
Much of the first half of this book covered old ground. The second half was fresh, well-researched, written and fascinating.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War, The Summer of '39 (all published by Sacristy Press) and Ordinary Heroes (published by I M Books)
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War, The Summer of '39 (all published by Sacristy Press) and Ordinary Heroes (published by I M Books)
November 5, 2025
The main problem with this book is that it doesnt really get started until half way.Moreover there is very little information about Operation Future that has not previously been published esewhere.So rather a disappointment.
December 5, 2025
I feel like I learnt a lot as I read this. It took a bit of time for me to get into it, but then I just wanted to read and find out more.
I know I like finding out about this part of history, and I'll be picking up more books about WW2 in the New Year.
I know I like finding out about this part of history, and I'll be picking up more books about WW2 in the New Year.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews