The Secret History of World War II: Spies, Code Breakers & Covert Operations

by Neil Kagan, Stephen G. Hyslop

From spy missions to code breaking, this account of the covert operations of World War II takes listeners behind the battle lines and deep into the undercover war effort that changed the course of history.From the authors who created Eyewitness to World War II and numerous other bestselling reference books, this is the shocking story behind the covert activity that shaped the outcome of one of the world's greatest conflicts--and the destiny of millions of people. National Geographic's landmark book illuminates World War II as never before by taking you inside the secret lives of spies and spymasters; secret agents and secret armies; Enigma machines and code breakers; psychological warfare and black propaganda; secret weapons and secret battle strategies. Seven narrative chapters reveal the truth behind the lies and deception that shaped the "secret war." Renowned historian and top-selling author Stephen Hyslop and Neil Kagan reveal this little-known side of the war in captivating detail, weaving in extraordinary eyewitness accounts and information only recently declassified.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Espionage, Audiobook, War, Military Fiction

1 pages, MP3 CD

First published October 25, 2016

Reviews

[Kostas Kiousis · Rating 5 out of 5]

So, it seems that this war [and others] is mainly fought and won by networks of spies, cryptanalysis, and scientists. They provide the right tools and correct planning and timing, while soldiers provide... the blood. An amazing backstage network that gathered, processed, and, even manipulated information was the real protagonist in bringing the war to an end.
Also, it turns out that morality has little to do - being in control and having power is the ultimate goal. Men who were 'butchers' and criminals when they were on the enemy's side, became awarded heroes when they changed sides after the Nazis were defeated, and the West and the East fought to get as many of them to enter their ranks at the dawn of the Cold War.
Also, it turns out that nothing pushes innovation more than war. Once the war is over, those innovations enter the consumer market during peacetime.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

This books is a large collection of snippets, and it won't give you a coherent history of WWII. But if you are already fairly familiar with the key events, it provides a fascinating backdrop to the intelligence and counterintelligence behind some of the war's greatest battles, and also chronicles a range of creative bordering on crazy ideas that both sides tried, that you would never find in a conventional history book. For example, building bombs that looked like mule turds or dressing up a corpse as an ill-fated messenger with briefcase secured to hand (containing messages about sardines), apparently from an airplane crash to wash ashore on the beaches of Spain in the expectation that the contents of the briefcase would make it's way to the Nazis, to convince Hitler that Sardinia was the Allies' objective. Which worked.

I stumbled across this book because of a cryptography course I am taking and of course, the importance of securing and breaking communications is probably the common thread that runs throughout.

[Paul Quick · Rating 4 out of 5]

lot of secret activities I was unaware of. For example, the gay lover who assassinated a member of the German embassy in Paris. Hitler used this as an excuse to initiate 'Night of Long Knives' Details of the offing of Rohm in 1934 and the huge size of his private army - 3 million. The brave spies who operated for British Intelligence and OSS in France.

[Danny Schlegel · Rating 2 out of 5]

if you've ever read another WW2 book, took a class, or visited a museum, you know most of the book.

And it was lacking a lot of current info, specifically the bombe machine and the American efforts. Literally no research done, they just regurgitated decades old info that doesn't incorporate declassified files (from 1990s). Made me wonder about the info in the rest of the book if it was as poorly researched.

it was entertaining so I gave it a star and a star for trying.

[Denise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent overview, but lacks depth and a coherent structure.

[Debbie Jacob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secret History of World War II tells the story of World War II that we never see and usually don't hear about. It's an interesting angle for looking at World War II. Important, shocking details regularly startle the readers and make us all realise how many brave people risked or gave their lives to stop Hitler. This is an excellent, new angle to look at World War II.

[Ian McGaffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting look at the secret side of WWII, I had heard of many of the parts before, but it was enlightening to have them all brought together to show the interwoven nature of many of the programs.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very good and informative, it covers many of the secret projects and operations that the Allied carried on to achieve victory in WWII. It can be used as a reference book to understand the overall trend of war of shadows.

[Ryan Hurtado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, mostly a short summary of many of the more in depth accounts I have read.

[Keith Peck · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent summary but lacking in depth. If you're utterly unfamiliar with JN-25, Enigma, Klaus Fuchs, and the whole FUSAG charade, you'll learn something.

[Candace Simar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This non-fiction book kept me interested on a long road trip across Nebraska and South Dakota. It's one that I will remember for a long time.

[kmm1985 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent and full of interesting history and information.

[Georgiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating material in a rather scattered presentation.

[Linda Matchett · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an author of WWII fiction, I read a lot of books about the era. Unfortunately, many of them are a rehash of well-known information using popular photos of the time. This is not the case with The Secret History of WWII. There are more than 700 pictures in the book, most of them of items from the author's museum collection (The International Museum of WWII located in Boston). The text is well-researched and written in easy to understand language without seeming to talk down to the reader. A wide range of topics is covered and numerous quotes give substance to the book. The secret History of WWII can be read front to back, or readers can select a chapter out of order. Highly recommended for those interested in WWII or doing research on the subject.

[AttackGirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have already written a big review on this book, several times now and where is it? Well let me sum up all the other reviews so this one doesn’t get deleted or end up in the no where cloud desert… wherever that is. Well its the place they send everything they don’t like that doesn’t fit with everyone else’s narrative brainwashed reverberations.

The guys timeline is skewed. I would like to see the exact timeline in PDF form because there are so many errors in his timeline of events I think he may have just copied the text from somewhere else then made up the dateline to fit his book narrative.

I will be contacting the publisher!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

I listened to the audio book, it is long, and interesting.

I learned some new things about WWII which I did not know and have not read in other books.

I recommend this book though only with a tepidness.

[Dee Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

Audible Plus 11 hours Narrated by Andrew Reilly (C)

This book is better suited to those who are delving into the covert war for the first time. I did pick up a few new stories and tidbits, and I felt the chapters lacked cohesion and structure.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a great at-a-glance look at what was going on just below the surface as well some unexpected propaganda materials.

[Mitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Information that I had not previously read about WWII was captured during the read of this book. A good read and great pictures throughout.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling discussion on how war is impacted by irregular operations as well as the vital contribution of those not in uniform.

[Kim Freitas · Rating 4 out of 5]

quite interesting

[Петр Федичев · Rating 5 out of 5]

lots of cool stories inside

[Xavier · Rating 4 out of 5]

Una colección bastante extensa de historias que no se suelen contar sobre la guerra. Me fue una fuente de información que o había escuchado a medias o de plano no sabía.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCELLENT! Both photos and text are fascinating and outstanding.