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Game of Spies: The Secret Agent, the Traitor and the Nazi
Spies, bed-hopping, treachery and executions - this story of espionage in wartime Bordeaux is told for the first time.
Game of Spies uncovers a lethal spy triangle at work during the Second World War. The story centres on three men - one British, one French and one German - and the duels they fought out in an atmosphere of collaboration, betrayal and assassination, in which comrades sold fellow comrades, Allied agents and downed pilots to the Germans, as casually as they would a bottle of wine.
In this thrilling history of how ordinary, untrained people in occupied Europe faced the great questions of life, death and survival, Paddy Ashdown tells a fast-paced tale of SOE, betrayal and bloodshed in the city labelled 'la plus collaboratrice' in the whole of France.
Game of Spies uncovers a lethal spy triangle at work during the Second World War. The story centres on three men - one British, one French and one German - and the duels they fought out in an atmosphere of collaboration, betrayal and assassination, in which comrades sold fellow comrades, Allied agents and downed pilots to the Germans, as casually as they would a bottle of wine.
In this thrilling history of how ordinary, untrained people in occupied Europe faced the great questions of life, death and survival, Paddy Ashdown tells a fast-paced tale of SOE, betrayal and bloodshed in the city labelled 'la plus collaboratrice' in the whole of France.
316 pages, Paperback
Published June 1, 2017
15 people are currently reading
425 people want to read
About the author
Paddy Ashdown
33 books29 followersFollowing service as a Royal Marine Commando officer of a Special Boat Service unit in the Far East, Paddy Ashdown served as a diplomat in the Foreign Officer before, in due course, being elected as the Member of Parliament for Yeovil, serving in that capacity from 1983 to 2001.
Ashdown went on to serve as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Afterwards, he was appointed as the international community's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving from 2002 to 2006.
Ashdown is also an author of many books, which include 'A Brilliant Little Operation (which won the British Army Military History Prize for 2013) and 'The Cruel Victory.'
Ashdown went on to serve as the Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1988 to 1999. Afterwards, he was appointed as the international community's High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, serving from 2002 to 2006.
Ashdown is also an author of many books, which include 'A Brilliant Little Operation (which won the British Army Military History Prize for 2013) and 'The Cruel Victory.'
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
September 1, 2017
Bought for me on the assumption it was yet another celebrity crime novel, it turned out to be anything but. This is a story of WWII but a true one. Ashdown tells the story of the resistance movement in occupied south-west France, the region around Bordeaux, between Vichy France and the Atlantic coast.
It's a little known story and one that the French, most especially De Gaulle, wanted to keep quiet. De Gaulle wanted to maintain the appearance that the Resistance in the region was an entirely French organisation. The truth was very different. The truth coming out would have spoiled his bid for the presidency of France, after the war.
In practice there was no "Resistance". There were a number of organisations, some French organised, some organised out of Britain. Each was suspicious of the others and reluctant to work in concert. Some were right-wing, racist and anti-semitic but resentful of German occupation; some were left-wing and communist leaning and looking to take over France after the war. Only the British organised group had as its sole motive the disruption of the German war effort in the region.
The story centres around three people: Roger Landes, who operated under the code name of Aristide, born of Jewish ancestry in France but brought up in London, where he acquired British nationality; Andre Grandclement, a French resistance organiser, whose politics leaned very much in the German direction; and Friedrich Dohse, a senior Gestapo officer in the region, who went against the stereotype by believing, correctly as it proved, that subversion of and obtaining information from resistance operatives was more likely to be achieved through eschewing violence than deploying it.
The battle of wits between these three, and others around them, is what drives the story forward. What is amazing is that to a greater extent Dohse was able to achieve critical success in his fight against opposition to the German occupation more through the sheer incompetence of his opponents and their support organisations than by traditional intelligence gathering.
An example: when reporting back to London via wireless communications, there was a method of formatting the message to indicate that the operator believed his cover to be blown and that consequential actions should be taken. On just such an occasion the operator was reprimanded by London for doing just that, as a "mistake", not to be repeated under any circumstances! It's amazing the Allies won the war at all!
This is an absolutely fascinating book. Revealing in the degree to which much of the resistance operation in general was ineffective and had no real impact on the outcome of the war but served to boost the moral of those involved. It also revealed the lengths to which certain people will go in order to preserve their organisations and their own authority, including turning traitor.
It's a little known story and one that the French, most especially De Gaulle, wanted to keep quiet. De Gaulle wanted to maintain the appearance that the Resistance in the region was an entirely French organisation. The truth was very different. The truth coming out would have spoiled his bid for the presidency of France, after the war.
In practice there was no "Resistance". There were a number of organisations, some French organised, some organised out of Britain. Each was suspicious of the others and reluctant to work in concert. Some were right-wing, racist and anti-semitic but resentful of German occupation; some were left-wing and communist leaning and looking to take over France after the war. Only the British organised group had as its sole motive the disruption of the German war effort in the region.
The story centres around three people: Roger Landes, who operated under the code name of Aristide, born of Jewish ancestry in France but brought up in London, where he acquired British nationality; Andre Grandclement, a French resistance organiser, whose politics leaned very much in the German direction; and Friedrich Dohse, a senior Gestapo officer in the region, who went against the stereotype by believing, correctly as it proved, that subversion of and obtaining information from resistance operatives was more likely to be achieved through eschewing violence than deploying it.
The battle of wits between these three, and others around them, is what drives the story forward. What is amazing is that to a greater extent Dohse was able to achieve critical success in his fight against opposition to the German occupation more through the sheer incompetence of his opponents and their support organisations than by traditional intelligence gathering.
An example: when reporting back to London via wireless communications, there was a method of formatting the message to indicate that the operator believed his cover to be blown and that consequential actions should be taken. On just such an occasion the operator was reprimanded by London for doing just that, as a "mistake", not to be repeated under any circumstances! It's amazing the Allies won the war at all!
This is an absolutely fascinating book. Revealing in the degree to which much of the resistance operation in general was ineffective and had no real impact on the outcome of the war but served to boost the moral of those involved. It also revealed the lengths to which certain people will go in order to preserve their organisations and their own authority, including turning traitor.
June 4, 2018
This book details the lives of 3 men who were involved in actions for and against the Resistance in the Bordeaux region during World War II - Roger Landes, a British secret agent, Friedrich Dohse, a Gestapo officer and the third, regional leader of the OCM (Organisation civile et militaire - one of the larger Resistance networks), Andre Grandclement, who collaborated with the the Gestapo and was branded a traitor.
Following specialist training in 1942, Landes was sent to France by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), a new organisation, tasked by Winston Churchill to "set Europe ablaze". However, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) - now known as MI6 - viewed SOE with great suspicion and regarded them as "dangerous amateurs". While that was true of some, Landes was a success, helping to set up a large resistance network, code-named SCIENTIST.
But much of his good work was undone when André Grandclément, was arrested. After being interrogated by Friedrich Dohse, who eschewed violent interrogation techniques, Grandclément agreed that Communism was more of a threat to France than the Germans, and agreed to switch sides. As well as being anti-communist, Grandclément was anti-Semitic and Roger Landres, himself a Jew, had long considered him a security risk. Grandclément gave the Gestapo the names of Resistance members and the locations of their arms dumps.
With a price on his head, Landes fled to Spain and back to London, but 2 months later he returned to Bordeaux, this time as the organiser of ACTOR, a network which reactivated Landes' "dormant" resistance groups, which went on to carry out major acts of sabotage to support the D-Day landings in June 1944.
All the while, Grandclément worked with the Gestapo but, the closer D-Day came, the less value he had to the scheming Dohse who realised that Germany would lose the war. Still, Dohse ensured that Grandclément and his wife were looked after.
This slice of World War II history shows us that not everything in war is in simple black and white. It's a fast moving tale which reads almost like a modern day thriller as the Gestapo try to hunt down Landes and other secret agents, while Dohse - with the aid of French collaborators - set out to destroy any opposition to the German forces in France. While this is by no means a definitive study of the French resistance, it does give a fascinating glimpse into the double lives of French men and women who helped to liberate their country.
Following specialist training in 1942, Landes was sent to France by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), a new organisation, tasked by Winston Churchill to "set Europe ablaze". However, the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) - now known as MI6 - viewed SOE with great suspicion and regarded them as "dangerous amateurs". While that was true of some, Landes was a success, helping to set up a large resistance network, code-named SCIENTIST.
But much of his good work was undone when André Grandclément, was arrested. After being interrogated by Friedrich Dohse, who eschewed violent interrogation techniques, Grandclément agreed that Communism was more of a threat to France than the Germans, and agreed to switch sides. As well as being anti-communist, Grandclément was anti-Semitic and Roger Landres, himself a Jew, had long considered him a security risk. Grandclément gave the Gestapo the names of Resistance members and the locations of their arms dumps.
With a price on his head, Landes fled to Spain and back to London, but 2 months later he returned to Bordeaux, this time as the organiser of ACTOR, a network which reactivated Landes' "dormant" resistance groups, which went on to carry out major acts of sabotage to support the D-Day landings in June 1944.
All the while, Grandclément worked with the Gestapo but, the closer D-Day came, the less value he had to the scheming Dohse who realised that Germany would lose the war. Still, Dohse ensured that Grandclément and his wife were looked after.
This slice of World War II history shows us that not everything in war is in simple black and white. It's a fast moving tale which reads almost like a modern day thriller as the Gestapo try to hunt down Landes and other secret agents, while Dohse - with the aid of French collaborators - set out to destroy any opposition to the German forces in France. While this is by no means a definitive study of the French resistance, it does give a fascinating glimpse into the double lives of French men and women who helped to liberate their country.
September 16, 2017
Yes, I know my generation harps back to The War more than it should, but this is different: an up-close account of the Resistance from primary sources. And it’s a lot more complicated than it’s usually portrayed.
The Bordeaux Resistance – the largest outside Paris – was actually two Resistances, one run by the British as self-contained cells and one by the French as a national army in waiting. Right up to liberation, this caused tensions as the two forces tripped over each other. German intelligence sowed further dissent, even setting up a fake Maquis. You have to feel sorry for the poor bloody women and men who were trying to do right by their country in the midst of the confusion.
And it’s in the footsoldiers’ stories that the book shines. It’s easy enough, in the safe and warm, to pass judgement on the heroes and the cowards, the noble and the venal, the loyal and the traitorous, but it’s less easy to be sure how I would have responded in the same perilous situations… would I have had the guts to resist torture, or take the cyanide if I couldn’t? Or the self-knowledge to know, before it was too late? I can only admire these young, largely untrained civilians who took on immense risks and ended up saving France’s amour-propre.
It’s the sense of continual peril that sets this book apart. Sometimes I couldn’t make myself read more than a few pages at a time, it was so tense.
Ashdown & Young have done a remarkable thing here.
Tip: There are quite a lot of characters to keep track of. I wish I’d found the Dramatis Personae at the back of the book while I was reading it!
The Bordeaux Resistance – the largest outside Paris – was actually two Resistances, one run by the British as self-contained cells and one by the French as a national army in waiting. Right up to liberation, this caused tensions as the two forces tripped over each other. German intelligence sowed further dissent, even setting up a fake Maquis. You have to feel sorry for the poor bloody women and men who were trying to do right by their country in the midst of the confusion.
And it’s in the footsoldiers’ stories that the book shines. It’s easy enough, in the safe and warm, to pass judgement on the heroes and the cowards, the noble and the venal, the loyal and the traitorous, but it’s less easy to be sure how I would have responded in the same perilous situations… would I have had the guts to resist torture, or take the cyanide if I couldn’t? Or the self-knowledge to know, before it was too late? I can only admire these young, largely untrained civilians who took on immense risks and ended up saving France’s amour-propre.
It’s the sense of continual peril that sets this book apart. Sometimes I couldn’t make myself read more than a few pages at a time, it was so tense.
Ashdown & Young have done a remarkable thing here.
Tip: There are quite a lot of characters to keep track of. I wish I’d found the Dramatis Personae at the back of the book while I was reading it!
December 27, 2016
A kind of sequel to Ashdown's A Brilliant Little Operation, which takes up the story of three individuals peripheral to that book: respectively in SOE, the French Resistance and German counterintelligence in wartime Bordeaux. He skilfully draws together the personal stories from both sides of the conflict and blends them into the historical context. Also, the book puts flesh on the bones of one's vague understanding of the divisions and rivalries both in the French resistance and in wartime London. There were also a few hints about how peacemakers can easily be exploited by one or both sides, a warning to those who follow this path. Overall, a very readable and enlightening narrative.
July 15, 2018
An engaging read of how the french resistance organised and led by the english in Bordeaux helped win world war 2.
This is a well researched piece of writing from Mr Ashdown, a surprisingly very addictive read that is not the usual dry fact book you expect.
Highly recommended.
This is a well researched piece of writing from Mr Ashdown, a surprisingly very addictive read that is not the usual dry fact book you expect.
Highly recommended.
Read
May 20, 2019This is another book that I have read to fill in a historical gap in my knowledge. I knew that the French were divided among themselves at the start of World War 2 and as a result gave the Germans an easy path to victory and that many aspects of the Resistance seemed to focus more on fighting other French than fighting the German occupiers, but I had never realised how fragmented they were until I read this excellent book by Paddy Ashdown about the work of British intelligence organising and supplying the French resistance in Bordeaux during World War 2. I was also surprised at the degree of collaboration with the Gestapo by the French and the popularity of the concept of an eventual united Europe. But at the end of the war at the instigation of de Gaul the French threw the British out so that he could popularise the myth of the gallant French resistance fighting a lone hand against the Germans. Nice try de Gaul, but we never bought it. But still they do make nice wine in Bordeaux and the book is worth reading too, maybe while you are drinking a nice French red.
November 19, 2024
Knowing I enjoy ‘history books’, I was passed this by an enthusiastic parent from that generation for whom history starts in 1939 and ends in 1945. I get the gist of WWII, I could be better versed in it but generally don’t feel the need to. That said, the allure for relatives of gifting me books with the grizzly implications of the word ‘Nazi’ on the front cover, usually proves too alluring. So here I am, reading a book about spies in WWII France. You may sense I was less than enthusiastic to pick this book up.
On the plus side, it can be read as a jaunty but dark spy thriller. It is very readable, easy to digest and finish. It has a strong chronological narrative with plenty of plot development, intrigue and excitement, if these things tend to excite you.
On the downside, I’m not a huge spy thriller kind of guy (there are a few exceptions). Paddy Ashdown was of that same aforementioned generation, whose sense of glory is tied up in World War Two history, myth and legend. He’s clearly an enthusiastic storyteller from this age. Before his political career, he had a history in the SBS and seemingly as a spy, using a civil service job as cover. Hence, the world of spies was his world and never were they more important than in the Resistance circles of France. If you share Paddy’s vision and passion then this is a great book (though many boomers will be angry at his intro where Paddy forcibly bemoans Brexit, a reminder of the times this book was written in when Brexit was front and centre of literally everything, including it would seem, interpretations of war time collaboration).
For those who are not quite as vigorously enraptured by spy games and the whole WWII schtick, I’d say it is a passable read but what became a 300 page, detailed book would have been far more gripping and engagingly told as a ten page feature in something like The Sunday Times Magazine. These men lived in extraordinary times and did extraordinary things but they were so small scale in a far grander period that devoting an entire book to these particular events felt a bit indulgent. I suppose that’s my general gripe with the whole spying world. It tends to descend into petty squabbles within those spy circles and become irrelevant mini wars that lose perspective of the bigger events going on around them. Imagine living in a permanent state of conflict with a perceived enemy whilst the rest of the world just plods along unaware of your living angst (sorry for the tangent).
Basically this is a longwinded way of me expressing my forlorn hope that my family will temper their kind and well intentioned habit of buying me books with ‘Nazi’ in the title. There is a wider history to the world I’d like to devote my time to (I say that fully aware that I have two more wartime SOE books on my bulging ‘to read’ shelf at home and many on WWII, so I’m actually conveniently projecting my own personal irritation onto my family). When book reviews turn into therapy about my unhealthy relationship with reading.
On the plus side, it can be read as a jaunty but dark spy thriller. It is very readable, easy to digest and finish. It has a strong chronological narrative with plenty of plot development, intrigue and excitement, if these things tend to excite you.
On the downside, I’m not a huge spy thriller kind of guy (there are a few exceptions). Paddy Ashdown was of that same aforementioned generation, whose sense of glory is tied up in World War Two history, myth and legend. He’s clearly an enthusiastic storyteller from this age. Before his political career, he had a history in the SBS and seemingly as a spy, using a civil service job as cover. Hence, the world of spies was his world and never were they more important than in the Resistance circles of France. If you share Paddy’s vision and passion then this is a great book (though many boomers will be angry at his intro where Paddy forcibly bemoans Brexit, a reminder of the times this book was written in when Brexit was front and centre of literally everything, including it would seem, interpretations of war time collaboration).
For those who are not quite as vigorously enraptured by spy games and the whole WWII schtick, I’d say it is a passable read but what became a 300 page, detailed book would have been far more gripping and engagingly told as a ten page feature in something like The Sunday Times Magazine. These men lived in extraordinary times and did extraordinary things but they were so small scale in a far grander period that devoting an entire book to these particular events felt a bit indulgent. I suppose that’s my general gripe with the whole spying world. It tends to descend into petty squabbles within those spy circles and become irrelevant mini wars that lose perspective of the bigger events going on around them. Imagine living in a permanent state of conflict with a perceived enemy whilst the rest of the world just plods along unaware of your living angst (sorry for the tangent).
Basically this is a longwinded way of me expressing my forlorn hope that my family will temper their kind and well intentioned habit of buying me books with ‘Nazi’ in the title. There is a wider history to the world I’d like to devote my time to (I say that fully aware that I have two more wartime SOE books on my bulging ‘to read’ shelf at home and many on WWII, so I’m actually conveniently projecting my own personal irritation onto my family). When book reviews turn into therapy about my unhealthy relationship with reading.
March 24, 2018
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, having bought it on the strength of listening to Mr Ashdown at last year's Hay Festival. Sadly, as that event was just days before the General Election, the idiot moderator decided to question Mr Ashdown on politics for half of the one hour session. We had paid to listen to him talk about this book.
It's true to say that the research is so thorough and the story so desperately in need of being told, that it's a work of non-fiction that outdoes many a work of fiction. Ashdown brings the three main characters to life wonderfully, to the extent that I felt I knew them. The majority of his writing is a factual account of events told (thank goodness) chronologically. As with other readers, I too struggled a little with the sheer volume of characters involved, but I found the best way to deal with this was to hold the main characters tightly, the others, lightly. It's not essential to the story to be able to recall exactly who everyone is and where they first were mentioned.
Most of all, I'd like to thank Mr Ashdown, if that were possible, simply for dedicating three years of his life to tell a story that so needed to be told. Landes' heroism, Dohse's cunning and Grandclément's weakness (each have many other attributes) involve us in a fascinating world of espionage. I should also mention that I learned a huge amount from this book, having little idea of resistance work in France, and the turmoil post-invasion. I'd highly recommend this book to those interested in WWII and fictional/non-fictional thrillers.
It's true to say that the research is so thorough and the story so desperately in need of being told, that it's a work of non-fiction that outdoes many a work of fiction. Ashdown brings the three main characters to life wonderfully, to the extent that I felt I knew them. The majority of his writing is a factual account of events told (thank goodness) chronologically. As with other readers, I too struggled a little with the sheer volume of characters involved, but I found the best way to deal with this was to hold the main characters tightly, the others, lightly. It's not essential to the story to be able to recall exactly who everyone is and where they first were mentioned.
Most of all, I'd like to thank Mr Ashdown, if that were possible, simply for dedicating three years of his life to tell a story that so needed to be told. Landes' heroism, Dohse's cunning and Grandclément's weakness (each have many other attributes) involve us in a fascinating world of espionage. I should also mention that I learned a huge amount from this book, having little idea of resistance work in France, and the turmoil post-invasion. I'd highly recommend this book to those interested in WWII and fictional/non-fictional thrillers.
January 15, 2021
Game of Spies is an almost perfect true spy story. Three man, a most unlikely Anglo-French Jew who is an SOE agent, an aristocratic Frenchman who didn’t know which side he was on and a young member of the Gestapo who chose subtle persuasion rather than brutal torture to secure information to help break the resistance in South West France.
The result is a fascinating game of cat and mouse between the SOE and the Gestapo with twists at each turn and danger lurking around every corner. The book is well illustrated and has a number of invaluable maps. It took the author three years to write and is superbly researched. To say that the complications within the narrative are a fault is unkind but there were so many factions within the French resistance confusion inevitably reigns from time to time. Very enjoyable none the less.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and the Summer of ‘39, all published by Sacristy Press.
The result is a fascinating game of cat and mouse between the SOE and the Gestapo with twists at each turn and danger lurking around every corner. The book is well illustrated and has a number of invaluable maps. It took the author three years to write and is superbly researched. To say that the complications within the narrative are a fault is unkind but there were so many factions within the French resistance confusion inevitably reigns from time to time. Very enjoyable none the less.
David Lowther. Author of The Blue Pencil, Liberating Belsen, Two Families at War and the Summer of ‘39, all published by Sacristy Press.
August 31, 2019
Excellent storytelling of a true story how regular people became extraordinary when needed to respond to extraordinary conditions.
A great set of characters and gives some space for thought whether you yourself would be principled enough like some of the characters (no matter whether you are on nazi or allied side) or would succumb to temptation as most humans do.
Loved the look in retrospect how can be seen that history is written after by the rulers & not neceserally accurate. I very much appreciate that Paddy is honest with what sources he's used & that it not 100% known what in all cases went down - thus the reader can evaluate himself what he believes more probable in these disputed cases.
A great set of characters and gives some space for thought whether you yourself would be principled enough like some of the characters (no matter whether you are on nazi or allied side) or would succumb to temptation as most humans do.
Loved the look in retrospect how can be seen that history is written after by the rulers & not neceserally accurate. I very much appreciate that Paddy is honest with what sources he's used & that it not 100% known what in all cases went down - thus the reader can evaluate himself what he believes more probable in these disputed cases.
July 21, 2020
This book set in Bordeaux,France during WW2 illustrates how wars are fought and won. Many folks have a childish, action movie idea of the big battle and the well armed hero rushing in to save the day. They have no idea the critical preparation and intelligence required to ensure those attacks on the enemy are effective! Of course being a historical account it can be hard to keep track of all the players, and it’s a historical account of events, so some might find it a bit dry at times. A great book for history buffs.
June 2, 2020
An interesting account of the history involving the French Resistance in WWII. It details the view from 3 perspectives; a German counter-intelligence agent, a aristocratic French leader and a British agent who lived in Bordeaux, during the time. While fascinating, it did drag occasionally and was sometimes confusing given the wide variety of names involved. Ultimately, I was glad I read it as now, I better understand that period and the relevant players.
January 2, 2021
Something of a near miss. Combining the memoirs of a Gestapo officer with those of a collaborator and a SOE agent should have made for a fascinating insight into wartime Bordeaux, but somehow the text never quite conveys the sense of danger and risk involved. Added to this a plethora of characters are introduced and disappear after a page or two. Yes, I get that is a function of the times, but a series of mini biographies doesn’t really aid tellng the story
July 6, 2021
I found this boog long and confusing. We follow these 3 characters: Grandclement the traitor, Dohse the Gestapo officer and Landes the SOE agent who are all actors in the Bordeaux Resistance during the war. I discovered that there was an attempt at creating a “Maquis Officiel” blessed by the Gestapo to deal with the communist when the war was over.
October 24, 2022
Interesting take on the French Resistance, concentrating on Bordeaux, and three individuals closely involved there. The rifts between right wing and communist French resistance groups, the difficulties between the French and the British agents, and the different methods used by the various local Nazi leaders are comprehensively covered.
July 27, 2020
Well written stories of real life events that I found fascinating. I loved the language contained within the book. Poetic and powerful, I could feel the charge in the air. By the end I felt such a connection with these figures.
July 18, 2017
A very interesting book, even more interesting given it is fact. Amazing how people react and adapt to very difficult situations and times. Thoroughly researched.
June 11, 2018
Utterly fascinating, all the more so because I didn't expect it to be as good as it is. This is the reality of spying, full of human complications and bad behaviour.
December 29, 2018
A really good read.
February 28, 2019
A fascinating story
Ashdown describes the murky world of the Bordeaux resistance and their German adversaries. After a slow start it turns into a real page turner.
Ashdown describes the murky world of the Bordeaux resistance and their German adversaries. After a slow start it turns into a real page turner.
December 12, 2019
Truth is stranger than fiction! The history of these three very complex men was incredibly fascinating it is well worth reading and re-reading.
January 11, 2020
Well woven story of British/French/Nazi involvement in Bordeaux.
September 25, 2020
In dire need of editing and fact checking. It contains some unforgivable boners such as the assertion that US bombed Germany using B-52 bombers. Good index, bibliography, notes, and excellent maps.
March 5, 2023
An interesting book about the resistance movement in France during WWII.
October 24, 2024
i liked to learn about this story but kind of lost my interest near the end
October 31, 2025
Resistance hero's WW2
Slow start but gathered pace to become an exciting and poignant record of forgotten heroes and heroines. Enjoyed it very much.
Slow start but gathered pace to become an exciting and poignant record of forgotten heroes and heroines. Enjoyed it very much.
March 3, 2021
Fascinating and disturbing, wonderfully researched and written and a great story with many edge-of-seat moments!
April 19, 2019
4.5 Stars, excellent read. Gritty account about British spying and leadership in the French resistance during WWII Nazi occupied Bordeaux, France.
October 2, 2016
This is a non-fiction book but it reads more like a thriller – which, I must admit, surprised me slightly, my opinion of politicians not being that high. That means that although it can get complex at times, the number of people involved is much more than would be the case in most thriller novels, it turns out to be quite an easy read.
The whole book is a study of the Resistance movement in the Bordeaux region during the Second World War, the Gestapo officer in charge of destroying that movement and the involvement of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) – the fledgling MI6 – in the whole affair. That makes it manageable but the downside is that Ashdown seems to make generalisations based on a small part of a big country in a complex situation.
At base is the problem that the French nation had, and still has to this day, in getting to grips with the rapid collapse of their country when the Nazis invaded and the collaboration that was rife throughout the period of occupation, not just in the Vichy areas. To counter that the Marquis, the French Resistance, have become mythical in the Gallic nation, especially promoted during the far too many years that Charles De Gaulle was lording it over his country.
Ashdown's aim seems to want to debunk that myth and to argue that the resistance in the Bordeaux region (and although not stated explicitly in the rest of the country) was rife with corruption, right-wing, anti-Semetic political views and collaboration. He argues that the Gestapo officer involved played on these faults and weaknesses and in so doing mitigated the effectiveness of the French Resistance, especially in the vital days preceding and following the D-Day invasion.
Being an ex British Royal Marine and intelligence officer, as well as a parliamentarian, it's not a surprise that he bangs the drum for the SOE. Without them, and one agent in particular who was working in the region at the time of the Normandy landings, Ashdown argues the role of the French in this area would have been less than minimal. Also coming with his political baggage he throws in the old, unsubstantiated, derogatory comments about the Communist groups within the resistance movement. Those groups, united in a common goal and with a clear anti-fascist stance were not under the control or influence of the British and so – as in other parts of Europe where the British were involved – not to be trusted.
Although his argument is that it was only through the efforts of the SOE that anything was achieved in Bordeaux that organisation doesn't come out of it very well. It was elitist, preferring those from the establishment rather than competent, anti-fascist workers. Had a training process which was supposed to be strict and rigorous but which didn't mean that inappropriate people were sent on missions – putting in danger the local population and the mission itself. When it came to finance just seemed to throw money at a problem and creating a situation where corruption was inevitable amongst a population that wasn't necessarily anti-fascist, merely nationalist (and with a hurt sense of pride that their country was, yet again, under a foreign occupation). Was unimaginative when it came to supplying its agents and with an intelligence network that was incapable of keeping the London based office up to date with changes such as documentation when the occupied country was merely 20 miles from the English southern coast. And much more.
I also found it difficult to come to terms with Ashdown's assessment of the 'good' Nazi. This is a play of the 'good cop, bad cop' idea, where the good one gets exonerated from the murderous excesses of the thugs. However, even this 'good' Nazi was involved in the executions that were a norm under the Fascist occupation and which also involved the deportation of hundreds of people to the extermination and labour camps towards the east – this being anyone caught up in Gestapo round ups as well as Jews, who were killed merely due to their race).
This book is an easy read but fails to tell the whole story, or to give a true impression of the resistance movement due to the concentration of the study on three individuals. Whether the story of resistance in Bordeaux is clarified here I have my doubts – it certainly doesn't shed any real light on what happened in the rest of the country.
The whole book is a study of the Resistance movement in the Bordeaux region during the Second World War, the Gestapo officer in charge of destroying that movement and the involvement of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE) – the fledgling MI6 – in the whole affair. That makes it manageable but the downside is that Ashdown seems to make generalisations based on a small part of a big country in a complex situation.
At base is the problem that the French nation had, and still has to this day, in getting to grips with the rapid collapse of their country when the Nazis invaded and the collaboration that was rife throughout the period of occupation, not just in the Vichy areas. To counter that the Marquis, the French Resistance, have become mythical in the Gallic nation, especially promoted during the far too many years that Charles De Gaulle was lording it over his country.
Ashdown's aim seems to want to debunk that myth and to argue that the resistance in the Bordeaux region (and although not stated explicitly in the rest of the country) was rife with corruption, right-wing, anti-Semetic political views and collaboration. He argues that the Gestapo officer involved played on these faults and weaknesses and in so doing mitigated the effectiveness of the French Resistance, especially in the vital days preceding and following the D-Day invasion.
Being an ex British Royal Marine and intelligence officer, as well as a parliamentarian, it's not a surprise that he bangs the drum for the SOE. Without them, and one agent in particular who was working in the region at the time of the Normandy landings, Ashdown argues the role of the French in this area would have been less than minimal. Also coming with his political baggage he throws in the old, unsubstantiated, derogatory comments about the Communist groups within the resistance movement. Those groups, united in a common goal and with a clear anti-fascist stance were not under the control or influence of the British and so – as in other parts of Europe where the British were involved – not to be trusted.
Although his argument is that it was only through the efforts of the SOE that anything was achieved in Bordeaux that organisation doesn't come out of it very well. It was elitist, preferring those from the establishment rather than competent, anti-fascist workers. Had a training process which was supposed to be strict and rigorous but which didn't mean that inappropriate people were sent on missions – putting in danger the local population and the mission itself. When it came to finance just seemed to throw money at a problem and creating a situation where corruption was inevitable amongst a population that wasn't necessarily anti-fascist, merely nationalist (and with a hurt sense of pride that their country was, yet again, under a foreign occupation). Was unimaginative when it came to supplying its agents and with an intelligence network that was incapable of keeping the London based office up to date with changes such as documentation when the occupied country was merely 20 miles from the English southern coast. And much more.
I also found it difficult to come to terms with Ashdown's assessment of the 'good' Nazi. This is a play of the 'good cop, bad cop' idea, where the good one gets exonerated from the murderous excesses of the thugs. However, even this 'good' Nazi was involved in the executions that were a norm under the Fascist occupation and which also involved the deportation of hundreds of people to the extermination and labour camps towards the east – this being anyone caught up in Gestapo round ups as well as Jews, who were killed merely due to their race).
This book is an easy read but fails to tell the whole story, or to give a true impression of the resistance movement due to the concentration of the study on three individuals. Whether the story of resistance in Bordeaux is clarified here I have my doubts – it certainly doesn't shed any real light on what happened in the rest of the country.
March 6, 2023
4.5 stars
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