Hitler's British Traitors: The Secret History of Spies, Saboteurs and Fifth Columnists

by Tim Tate

'Tim Tate, in Hitler's British Traitors, [explores] the entire grimy landscape of British treachery during the Second World War and the astonishing rogues' gallery of traitors working to help Nazi Germany win. [He makes] excellent use of the vast trove of material declassified by MI5 in recent years.' - Ben Macintyre, The Times Hitler's British Traitors is the first authoritative account of a well-kept the British Fifth Column and its activities during the Second World War. Drawing on hundreds of declassified official files – many of them previously unpublished – Tim Tate uncovers the largely unknown history of more than 70 British traitors who were convicted, mostly in secret trials, of working to help Nazi Germany win the war, and several hundred British Fascists who were interned without trial on evidence that they were working on behalf of the enemy. Four were condemned to death; two were executed. This engrossing book reveals the extraordinary methods adopted by MI5 to uncover British traitors and their German spymasters, as well as two serious wartime plots by well-connected British fascists to mount a coup d'etat which would replace the government with an authoritarian pro-Nazi regime. The book also shows how archaic attitudes to social status and gender in Whitehall and the courts ensured that justice was neither fair nor equitable. Aristocratic British pro-Nazi sympathizers and collaborators were frequently protected while the less-privileged foot soldiers of the Fifth Column were interned, jailed or even executed for identical crimes.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, Espionage, War, Audiobook, Germany

589 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 4, 2018

About the author

Tim Tate is a multiple award-winning British documentary film-maker and bestselling author.

His films - mostly investigative, always campaigning - have been honoured by Amnesty International, the Royal Television Society, UNESCO, The Association for International Broadcasting, The International Documentary Association, the New York Festivals and the US National Academy of Cable Programming. He often speaks at international conferences and university seminars.

He is also the author of fifteen published non-fiction books. These include the best-selling "Slave Girl" which told the true story of a young British woman sex-trafficked to Amsterdam; "Girls With Balls" which uncovered the secret history of women's football; "Hitler's Forgotten Children", which tells the extraordinary and harrowing story of a woman who was part of the Nazi Lebensborn programme to create an Aryan master race; and "Yorkshire Ripper - The Secret Murders" which reveals long-suppressed evidence showing that Peter Sutcliffe killed 23 more victims.

His 2017, "Pride", tells the extraordinary true story behind the hit movie of the same name. In 1984,in the depths of the bitterly-fought miners' strike, a group of very cosmopolitan London gay men and women made common cause with the very traditional communities of a remote south Wales valley - and helped keep its mining families alive at at a time when the British government was trying to starve them into submission.

His latest book - The Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy: Crime, Conspiracy and Cover-Up (Thistle Publishing) is the result of 25 years investigation by Tim and his co-author, former CNN journalist Brad Johnson. It presents detailed forensic, ballistic and eyewitness testimony showing that the convicted assassin, Sirhan Sirhan, could not have shot Kennedy. It reveals that Los Angeles Police disregarded and then suppressed clear evidence of a conspiracy behind the assassination and makes a compelling case for a new official inquiry.

Reviews

[Maine Colonial · Rating 4 out of 5]

Note that this book has two different English-language titles. In the UK, it's Hitler's British Traitors, while in the US it's Hitler's Secret Army.

Imagine that there is a large group of people in a democracy who claim to be patriots but who yearn for violent revolution so that they can install an authoritarian government. Imagine also that this group is influenced and inspired by foreign dictators and regimes. Finally, imagine that many wealthy and influential members of society are part of this group and that some elements of government protect them and are even co-opted by them.

Sound familiar? Well, I’m actually talking about Britain in the 1930s and during World War II, but Tim Tate’s book resonates today. The book details many of the cases of so-called Fifth Columnists, which are shocking enough in themselves, but he strongly emphasizes the extent to which titled and wealthy traitors were allowed to get away with their treachery by many government institutions, while the lower-class traitors were imprisoned and, in some cases, hanged.

What struck me in addition, though, is that the upper-crust traitors thought so strongly of themselves as British patriots. This, even though their primary goal was to eliminate democracy by wiping out the current government and its representative institutions and replacing them with a hand-picked fascist leader and organization, modeled on Nazi Germany.

This book helped reinforce for me the understanding that we have to look beyond the worshipping of patriotic symbols and look more deeply into what our elected representatives and their appointees actually support. See by their words and deeds whether they are committed to the protection of our democracy and the foundational rights and privileges of the people of this country

Although this book should be of particular interest to Britons, it is well worth reading by others.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hitlers secret army was a very informative book about the traitors in England during WW2. Most of this book is just letters and files on the individuals who committed there crimes I was very mind blown about how many people actually wanted to see Germany take England and also win the war to create a pro fascist society. This book was well laid out and well written it flowed great. Some times it could drag abit however the material was not meant to be action based just a insight in to this particular area of WW2. As a lover of WW2 history I def recommend this to my fellow historians!!

[Gram · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exhaustive account of the hundreds of British Fascists and pro-Nazis who were willing to spy for Nazi Germany during the Second World War. From 1939 until 1945, Britain's intelligence services investigated scores of people who were ready to provide a 5th Column if Britain was invaded. Using previously unpublished Government files, we learn of more than 70 British citizens and foreign nationals found guilty of treasonous activities at secret trials with 4 of them given the death penalty, although only two of those were executed.
Most of these were lower ranking members of various Fascist parties, while Britain's pro-Nazi aristocrats were protected from prosecution, even though they had committed similar crimes to those who were subject to lengthy prison sentences of up to 10 years. A case of one law for the rich and another for the poor which to some extent exists in Britain to this day. Indeed, following Germany's defeat in World War II, many Nazis tried for war crimes received lesser punishments than those doled out to "Hitler's British Traitors".
MI5 - Britain's secret service responsible for the country's security - adopted many extraordinary tactics, even having one of their staff setting himself up as a Gestapo agent and leading a spy ring which had various men and women, sympathetic to the Nazi cause, providing information on troop movements, positions of various factories involved in war production and even supposedly secret military installations throughout England and Wales. On a few occasions, they even provided details of secret weapons before they had gone into use by the military. Thankfully, their efforts were in vain as all the intelligence they gathered never made it to Berlin.
The book's author Tim Tate provides copious source notes at the end of each chapter, but points out that much of MI5's files of the time were destroyed in a Luftwaffe raid during the London Blitz while many - especially those referring to senior military staff, British politicians and members of the aristocracy - have either mysteriously vanished or have yet to be released to the public. Some of these involved 2 major plots to overthrow the British government in the early days of the war. Because of the nature of their intelligence work, there was an almost continual debate between the Home Office and MI5 about the legitimacy of some of the methods used to entrap pro-Nazi and Fascist sympathisers, particularly the use of agents provocateurs.
This is a fascinating (although at times exhausting!) read for students of British history of the 1930's and 1940's and the extent to which "ordinary" British people and members of the British Establishment were keen to see Nazis ruling Britain.

[Matti Karjalainen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Englanti ei ollut maailmansodan aikaan niin yksimielinen kuin usein ajatellaan. Toimittaja Tim Tate kuvaa kirjassaan "Hitler's British Traitors" (Icon, 2018) niitä miehiä ja naisia, jotka olisivat mieluummin vuodattaneet verta, hikeä ja kyyneliä kolmannen valtakunnan edestä.

Natsimielisyyttä esiintyi yhteiskunnan eri kerroksissa, ja sen ilmenemismuodot vaihtelivat propagandan levittämisestä vakoiluun ja vakavampiinkin suunnitelmiin yhteiskuntajärjestelmän muuttamiseksi. Syyllisille jaettiin kovimmillaan kuolemanrangaistuksia, tosin aateliset ja muut luokkayhteiskunnan kermaan kuuluneet tuntuivat järjestään selviävän astetta lievemmin tuomioin kuin sen vähäosaisemmat jäsenet.

Taten mukaan brittitiedustelun valmiudesta toimia viidettä kolonnaa vastaan löytyy enemmänkin kritisoitavaa, ja keskustelua aiheutti myös se, millaisin keinoin vihollisen laskuun työskenteleviä ihmisiä vastaan voisi toimia - siis samoja aiheita, joita tänäkin päivänä puidaan terrorisminvastaisesta sodasta puhuttaessa!

[Lothario · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very worthwhile read examining the role that German agents and sympathisers working within the UK. It was surprising to see the UK government's lax a approach given the threat at hand. The book provides a lot of detail however could've been structured in a different way

[Michael Bully · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extensive survey of declassified files from the National Archives showing how many people were scheming to undermine Britain's war effort during World War 2 from different levels of society. The book presents example after example of individuals and small groups of activists who were determined to assist the Third Reich, infiltrating key industries and trying to relay information which would benefit Nazi intelligence. . What particularly comes to light how Nazi sympathisers within Britain were getting ready to sabotage resistance to the Nazis if they had managed to invade. In fact if the Germans had landed, the possibility of a pro-Nazi coup can not be discounted.
The author shows how unprepared and divided the security services were at the start of World War 2. It would have been interesting to have broadened this out, to show whether or not the appeasement policy had led to under resourcing of intelligence services.
A great deal is made in the book of how more upper class individuals such as the Duke of Bedford, and Captain Archibald Ramsy MP seemed to escape prosecution for their pro- German activities. whereas individuals from a Working Class background were more likely to be convicted and jailed. However, the case of John Amery, the son of the MP Leo Amery was convicted and hanged in Britain at the end of the War for his pro-Nazi activities in Europe,, may have been the exception that proves the rule.
I would have given the book 5 stars, but after offering so much information from the National Archives that has been classified for decades, really wonder why the author thinks that these cases have been hidden for so long . The book seem incomplete in this respect. But still, heartily recommended.

[Rodney Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

A revealing account of MI5 in WW2

This is a fascinating book based largely on archive material relating to the often amateurish operations of the security service in the second world war. Of particular interest is the way 'class' played a significant role in determining who was prosecuted/interned, and no was not. Also noteworthy are the comparisons drawn in the author's Afterword with contemporary concerns with terrorism. A book well worth the reading.

[Suzy Lamb · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a spy/espionage girly.

[Harry Weaver · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. A bit inconsistent as to whether detention of suspected traitors was a positive- seemed to be argued that it was for most of the book but then switches towards the end as contemporary circumstances are mentioned

[Stephen Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing and well researched history of how Hitler's British traitors were dealt with and the questions its raised about selective justice, the privilege of class connections and the age old debate about justice and liberty.

It shines a light on a history not well known and its concerning how for many years, a part of history which some would prefer to be hushed up was done so. In bringing to the surface a history some would rather we forget, Tate does us a great service.

I thought the conclusion was a bit weak when trying to compare how we treat Islamist terrorism with traitors in World War 2. This is a separate subject and although there are similar ethical dilemmas, the home grown v foreign born extremist was a bit overblown.

That said this is an interesting book well worth reading. The research is in depth, though at times feels a bit rushed.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

The true story of Brits who actively tried to help Hitler beat Britain in WWII, sourced from recently declassified info. Some did it for money, some for love and some just cuz they really, really liked fascism. It was interesting that the low level offenders were often punished more harshly than the conservative politicians and so-called lords and ladies who were much more effective Nazis. The book raises questions of security vs. liberty and of the threat of the homegrown terrorist that are relevant in the 21st century. The information was interesting with a dullish execution. Spoiler alert: Hitler dies at the end.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent overview of traitors in Great Britain during the time of the Second World War. Covers their attempts at espionage, sabotage, and collaboration with the enemy. As always, "Money talks, and bullshit walks." Naively, I had hoped the traditional home of fairplay and sportsmanship, Great Britain(at least in my mind), would have had fairer prosecution. Distinctly different outcome if you were rich, nobility, or female. The same dilemma exists today. Where is the line drawn between the nation's security and the abrogation of personal freedoms?

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

Picking this book up I initially feared Hitler’s British Traitors (published in the US as Hitler’s Secret Army) would be a disappointment, I guess the subject matter led me to question whether this was a this ‘airport paperback’ tabloid type book. I was wrong to do so.

As Britain faced entered the was with Germany the British far right who had gained a substantial following on the 1930s, principally through Oswald Mosley and the British Union of Fascists, presented a challenge to the state. Now that Britain was in a state of war what should the State now do with the hundreds of BUF (and other groups), significant proportions of whom and spent the preceding years seeking to emulate the German Fascism within Britain.

In the early part of the book Tate introduces the 25 year old Liverpool based fascist William Craven who, in 1937 (and so before the outbreak of hostilities), wrote to the German Consul in Liverpool offering his services and loyalty to the Reich:

I am a Nordic Aryan I believe the future of white civilization is in the hands of Germany, united under Adolf Hitler … I desire to place my services and my life at the disposal of the Reich and eventually to take the honour of becoming a German citizen, to which end I am prepared to formally renounce my British nationality an act which in spirit I have relinquished … Please consider me as being in your service, for any task under any circumstances and at any time. Heil Hitler.

In the early stage of the war the state implemented two major legislative changes. First, the Treachery Act 1940 sought to address perceived inadequacies of Treason law to address espionage of foreign citizens within the UK. More importantly, was the introduction of Defence Regulation 18B which enabled the State to detain undesirables – principally fascists – on the ground of public order without trial, albeit with some measure of oversight by administrative tribunals.
The impetus was to restrain the ability of fascist ‘fifth columnists’ such as William Craven from posing a risk to the war effort whether by espionage, adversely affecting public morale, or formenting rebellion and insurrection.

Hitler’s British Traitors is the product of a careful study of recently (partially) released papers in the National Archives, and it is that study that provides the core source material for the book. To date, the authoritative study of the UK State’s approach to British fascism is A W B Simpson’s In the Highest Degree Odious (a book I would very much like to read, but the price takes it out of my grasp! – all the more so after recently reading his magisterial Cannibalism and the Common Law). Tate details at the outset that the view of Simpson, together with much of academia – which aligns with most public statements by the Governments of the day – was that the risk of the so-called pro-Nazi fifth column was much overstated and there was little coherent organised domestic pro-Nazi in the war years.

Tate sets out to challenge that account and it is unquestionable that he does show that there was a measure of what was in legal terms treacherous activity. This was also not always at a low-level with the former Labour MP John Beckett frequently implicated, for example. I do however think on its own terms that Tate overstates what the evidence he has unearthed demonstrates. Much of the evidence of treachery was, as Tate confirms, manufactured; not manufactured in the sense of made up but as the result of agent provocateur operations by the UK intelligence services after it had grown frustrated by the liberalism (!!!) of the DR18B tribunals, after all, nothing shows itself to be liberal like locking up one’s (possible) enemies without trial upholding habeus corpus!

I certainly do not follow Tate in the extremely sympathetic approach he has taken to the security service’s activities but Tate also highlights the Home Office’s (as the policy holders of wartime detention) inconsistency in how it dealt with threats made a coherent approach difficult.

The English constitutional lawyer A V Dicey responded that one of the three core facets of the British constitution was that “'every man, whatever be his rank or condition, is subject to the ordinary law of the realm and amenable to the jurisdiction of the ordinary tribunals'. In a travesty of a legal decision the House of Lords did in fact find that the detention without trial system the Home Office operated was lawful (Liversidge v Anderson (1941) – compare that with the more recent A v Home Office (2004)). However, even with the dubious legitimacy of indefinite detention of a country’s citizens by its executive what Tate has shown is that the detention powers were wildly inconsistent with more prominent, often aristocratic and military leaders (e.g., Duke of Bedford, Barry Domvile) – who, if there were a fifth column would have been at its head – frequently being given a free rein while it was those who offered the least threat who were incarcerated in the longer term. In short, even in the context of the dubious lawfulness of DR18B there was no equality under the law.

Overall, Hitler’s British Traitor’s is an interesting and thoroughly researched glimpse into the realities of both the British intelligence services and the various fascist adherents and sympathisers in the second world war.

[Peter Danckwerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book which is both fascinating and shocking. Although there have been many fictional portrayals of pro-Nazi fifth columnists in Britain during the Second World War, it was widely assumed that these had little basis in fact. As Tim Tate has shown, there were many pro-Nazi people in Britain and many of them were only too eager to aid the Germans. Some were German-born, but most were home-grown fascists. After a shaky start, MI5 proved itself rather good at undermining their efforts, despite a lot of obstruction from the Home Office.

Because it was difficult to prosecute these pro-Nazis without blowing the cover of their own officers, MI5 spent most of its time diverting their activities. MI5's Eric Roberts, a former bank clerk, posed as a Gestapo officer and persuaded large numbers of fascists to send their intelligence back to Germany via him, rather than other channels such as the Spanish embassy.

There were pro-Nazis from all strata of society, from a hairdresser and a conman to members of the aristocracy and several MPs. Very few were executed, few were imprisoned and, most shockingly, apart from the Moseleys, none of the more aristocratic fascists were imprisoned or even charged with any offence. Apparently, even in a desperate fight for Britain's survival, the establishment protected its own, even the traitors. Lord Sempill sold secrets about naval aviation to the Japanese, even after he had been warned to stop doing so. It is even said that Japan would not have been able to attack Pearl Harbour without the information he provided. Lord Tavistock, who became 12th Duke of Bedford in 1940, Lord Lymington, the Duke of Buccleuch, the Duke of Westminster, the Earl of Mar, Lord Brocket and Lord Queenborough were all ardently pro-fascist and most, if not all, were violently anti-Semitic. Many of them tried to negotiate with the Germans behind the Government's back. At least one general and one admiral were also in the pro-Nazi camp.

Although the traitors provide the shock value, it is the larger-than life officers of MI5 who deserve the limelight: Eric Roberts, whose manager at the bank couldn't think why MI5 could possibly want him; Colonel Hinchley-Cooke, whose German accent was so pronounced that his MI5 pass was inscribed with the words, 'He is an Englishman'; and Victor, 3rd Baron Rothschild, who defused bombs as a sideline.

This is a very well-researched and well-written book which tells this fascinating tale with a light and humorous touch.

[Trish · Rating 5 out of 5]

An untold story in the main, this book reveals a portion of the dark underbelly of WWII UK. Classified documents for this subject have been kept from public scrutiny longer than customary and have been weeded to a substantial degree.

The turf wars between MI5 and the Home Office did not help the war effort, and some of the tactics of those monitoring and foiling “fifth columnists” are more “Dad’s Army” than James Bond.

The author must have done a great deal of research in collating National Archives material and newspaper reports of the time, the latter of course being circumspect in wartime.

He demonstrates how differently the fascists and Hitler followers of the upper classes were assessed and treated from the rest. This does mirror the complacent attitude towards certain spies for the USSR, post-war. “One of us”! - like Burgess and Blunt.

The example of the Tory MP, Archibald Ramsay, founder of the violently anti-Semitic and pro-Nazi “Right Club” is paradigmatic. Even when interned, he posed written questions to the House of Commons. On his release he had the cheek to resume his seat and propose reinstating 13th century laws of Edward I against Jews!

Some of these fascist Britons seem completely crazy, but being crazy doesn’t mean innocuous...

[Craig Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first glance this book would seem to focus on, what would be called, elitism. Leading up to, during and immediately after the 2nd World War there were British citizens who believed Hitler was great and that if he ran Britain then Britain would be all the better for it. I can understand the sentiment. We all want a better place to live but most of these citizens were die hard fanatics, delusional or cherry picking. Under new legislation citizens were interned in various camps with differing sentences for handing out pamphlets, espionage, spreading about town the radio frequency of nazi propaganda channels. The disparity comes when these crimes are attributed to the man on the street or to local politicians or to the rich or even to royalty and even though the crimes are the same, the sentencing (when it took place) was not. A great look at the MI5 division charged with these investigations and the hoops the had to jump through to keep Britain safe

[Chet Slonina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully researched book on information not before available to the general population but investigated with great care. The 5th Columnists seemed to be everywhere and anywhere when England needed to be better prepared for the upcoming war with Germany. MI 5 and Whitehall were on the same team but did not play well in the sandbox together. There are numerous as well as boisterous examples that these cover operators of fascist believers were able to do so much and that money was the gratuity to paid homage with. It boggles the mind the the “Stiffer Upper Lip” mentality persevered as long as it did and England survived despite this erosion of nationalism and treating Hitler as a good old boy who would do well to give England and better life. A WORTHY historical read though long in the tooth with names and individual stories.

[Patrick Ellis · Rating 1 out of 5]

Libelous hogwash! The author should consider himself lucky he isn't being brought down on charges, as was sworn! It is apparent that said author's research ended as soon as he found something to support the fictitious ramblings he sought to pen, without regard to the reputations of men whom were falsely accused and cleared of all suspicion. Read only if you wish to soil your mind with the slanderous words of one who has no hesitation giving way to slant and bias!

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is an interesting overarching theme throughout this exploration of the fifth column about the line we draw between liberty and safety and ethical philosophy. But I just found that the majority of the book was a slog to get through and wasn't as interesting as you'd expect going into it.

[Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

At times this was a little dry, but it was absolutely fascinating and a deep dive on an aspect of World War II that has not been previously discussed. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in WWII and espionage.

[Helen Birkbeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well-written but horrifying tale of the complacency and class-ridden blindness and inefficiency of the anti-fascist bodies in Britain before and after the war. It's almost a wonder we won, with so many of our own people left free to campaign and work for Hitler even though most were known about.

[Vinayak Malik · Rating 3 out of 5]

End of the day the people with money and titles got away with it while the common dupes were left hanging (literally). The book got a bit repetitive by the end

[Rene Nel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! Thought provoking indeed.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating. Last chapters particularly so if you have read Kate Atkinson’s ‘Transcription’.

[Alyssa Macpherson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and very relevant to the way modern intelligence agencies and governments deal with the threats of terrorism.

[Alex Edwards · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful, well researched, an eye-opener.

[Ellie Cripps · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exhaustive and thorough, this was interesting (admittedly mostly in the background at work) and certainly has some important issues that are sadly relevant in 2025.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is also available under the title 'Hitler's Secret Army: A Hidden History of Spies, Saboteurs and Traitors' but that title, like the one of the edition I read, is not accurate and dangerously close to false advertising. So the two stars I have given this book are meant to dam with faint praise. It is at best a mediocre book and most of the subject as well as the various characters he mentions are more accurately, insightfully and just overall better dealt with in Richard Griffiths' 'Patriotism Perverted: Captain Ramsay, the Right Club and British Anti-Semitism 1939-40' and 'Fellow Travelers' of the Right: British Enthusiasts for Nazi German 1933-1939' which were published twenty and forty years ago respectively. Of course there have been many other very good studies of the British right, including 'Hurray for the Blackshirts' on Mosely and the British Fascists and even about the British Right and World War II - Richard Griffiths' 'What did you do during the War: The Last Throw of the Pro-Nazi Right 1940-1945' which came out at least a year before Tate's book but Tate, although he does include a very brief bibliography (in which Patriotism Perverted is included), the boast of this book is, and it is supported by the plentiful footnotes, that it is based mainly on archival work with declassified documents from the various security services.

But you have to be very careful both with archives and those who rely only on archives - David Irving always based his histories on pure archive sources which were difficult to check and he had a high reputation until someone did look at his sources and found he had played free and loose with them - but archive sources from the security sources have to be treated with more caution - they are full of reports from 'spies' and 'sources' often very exciting - but as the livelihood of these people depends on making sure they continue to get paid there was a definite temptation to feed the services exciting and often unreliable, if not downright untrue information. A great deal of what Tate calls 'revelations' are of this sort. There is no attempt to place it in context or even comment on veracity.

This is a significant but ultimately minor deficiency with the book - the main problem is that he lumps all the various - and absolutely unsavoury and unattractive British anti-Semites (the fact that so many held ancient and grand titles of nobility will only surprise those whose knowledge of and views on aristocrats comes from the same sources that imagine Diana Spencer was saint Teresa figure). There is also a huge difference between wanting to reach an understanding with Hitler's regime to prevent war and either supporting Hitler or wanting him to rule Britain. Although it may be doubted if the many wealthy and powerful people who hated communism and feared it more then Hitler were activated by any real love of the common man but in the 1930's the only brutal totalitarian regime murdering and starving to death hundreds of thousands if not millions of people was Stalin's and the most wilfully blind were people like Bernard Shaw, H G Wells and Beatrice and Sidney Webb whose willingness to excuse some of the most appalling crimes is wilfully excused by their apologists in a way that they rarely extend to anyone being foolish enough to attend a Nuremberg Rally.

This is not to excuse any of the British apologists or sympathisers with Hitler's Third Reich, they are a very mediocre and repellent lot but the problem with this books attitude toward them and most of what he says (aside from dubious sources) is a lack of perspective or any kind of historical understanding. It is like the constant reference to 'Quislings' as if any of these people would have played a similar role as Quisling in Norway in bringing Hitler to power in the UK - but what the author doesn't understand is that people like Quisling jumped on the Nazi bandwagon and the Nazi's most of the time didn't need them and usually didn't use them. To have done so would have been to admit that they need 'partners' and even for the most short term of reasons Hitler would not accept that his regime needed partners - by the time the Nazi's were willing to contemplate admitting others in as 'allies' (though even then it was largely hypocritically) they had so blotted their copy book everywhere that only the most desperate, foolish or politically blind took them up on the offer.

This is not an exciting book, what he reports is not new, and his insights are nil. There is much to learn from the British right in that period but you will not learn anything useful from this farrago sensationalist boasts and misrepresentations.

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was fine - it had interesting parts but overall it portrayed a very exciting part of WWII as fairly dry. I like a very linear story line (even when that story line is non-fiction) but this book felt like a disjointed read to me.

[Kurt Weber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, but turned out a bit drier than it started out.