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Los aliados de la Mafia: La verdadera historias de los pactos secretos con los aliados en la Segunda Guerra Mundial
La Mafia es la organización criminal más poderosa que jamás haya existido. En este apasionante libro se relata cómo estuvo a punto de desaparecer a manos de Mussolini cuando éste lanzó una épica cruzada en su contra, cómo prosperó posteriormente en los Estados Unidos, cómo llegó a cerrar un pacto secreto con las autoridades
504 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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April 17, 2013First of all, I’m pretty sure whoever wrote the subtitle and the back-cover synopsis didn’t read the book. The back-cover makes it sound like the book is uncovering a huge conspiracy between the US government and the Mafia during WWII. In reality, Newark is looking at some exaggerated rumors, disproving most of them, and putting the rest of them into perspective. I didn’t pick this book up looking for information on a conspiracy (I was more interested in how Mussolini fought the Sicilian Mafia), so I didn’t mind, but if you’re looking for conspiracy theory fodder, this book will disappoint you.
So what were the big items? There was an agreement between a few officers with Naval Intelligence and members of the mafia in New York to help protect the docks from sabotage. It really happened. New York’s shipping was vital to the war, so Naval Intelligence worked with some mobsters that controlled the longshoremen to make sure u-boat losses weren’t compounded by sabotage losses. In the end, the docks were kept safe throughout the war, but that was more a result of poor choices on Nazi Germany’s part than on mafia assistance. There were two major espionage rings sent to the US to spy for Germany. The head of the first, William Sebold, was a naturalized American. He went home to visit his mom, the Gestapo told him he had to work for them, he said OK and then walked to the US consulate and became a double agent. All the new German spies reported to him once they got to the US, and the FBI tracked them from there. The second group of German saboteurs made it to the US by u-boat, but one of the team leaders turned all eight men in to the FBI before they got to work.
The other big rumor (this one a myth) was that the mafia helped the Allies take Sicily and then the Allies helped the mafia regain power post-war. The mafia didn’t like the Fascists, so they may have been sympathetic to the British and Americans (my enemy’s enemy is my friend), but any help they offered was insignificant. It’s true that some members of the mafia were appointed to leadership positions after the war, but that’s just because the Allied administrators were too busy trying to defeat the Nazis to do careful background checks on every local candidate. There were some exceptions, because not everyone is honest, but for the most part the British and American military administrators did what they could to combat the mafia, they just had very few resources in Sicily.
I’m not giving this a star rating because I skimmed large parts of it. It’s not a book I’d recommend to everyone, but if it sounds like your thing, the parts I read were competently written, so go for it.
So what were the big items? There was an agreement between a few officers with Naval Intelligence and members of the mafia in New York to help protect the docks from sabotage. It really happened. New York’s shipping was vital to the war, so Naval Intelligence worked with some mobsters that controlled the longshoremen to make sure u-boat losses weren’t compounded by sabotage losses. In the end, the docks were kept safe throughout the war, but that was more a result of poor choices on Nazi Germany’s part than on mafia assistance. There were two major espionage rings sent to the US to spy for Germany. The head of the first, William Sebold, was a naturalized American. He went home to visit his mom, the Gestapo told him he had to work for them, he said OK and then walked to the US consulate and became a double agent. All the new German spies reported to him once they got to the US, and the FBI tracked them from there. The second group of German saboteurs made it to the US by u-boat, but one of the team leaders turned all eight men in to the FBI before they got to work.
The other big rumor (this one a myth) was that the mafia helped the Allies take Sicily and then the Allies helped the mafia regain power post-war. The mafia didn’t like the Fascists, so they may have been sympathetic to the British and Americans (my enemy’s enemy is my friend), but any help they offered was insignificant. It’s true that some members of the mafia were appointed to leadership positions after the war, but that’s just because the Allied administrators were too busy trying to defeat the Nazis to do careful background checks on every local candidate. There were some exceptions, because not everyone is honest, but for the most part the British and American military administrators did what they could to combat the mafia, they just had very few resources in Sicily.
I’m not giving this a star rating because I skimmed large parts of it. It’s not a book I’d recommend to everyone, but if it sounds like your thing, the parts I read were competently written, so go for it.
February 21, 2019
Υπάρχει μια γενικότερη αίσθηση που αγγίζει τα όρια του αστικού μύθου. Είναι από αυτά τα πράγματα που ξέρουν οι ταξιτζήδες και στα λένε στην διαδρόμη Νέα Σμύρνη - Πετρούπολη και κάνεις πως νοιώθεις τι σου λένε, αλλά στην πραγματικότητα εκείνη τη στιγμη το μυαλό σου γυρνάει στις δουλειές που έχεις και θες να ξεκουβαληθείς από το όχημα όσο το δυνατόν γρηγορότερα για να συνεχίσεις την καθημερινή σου ρούτινα. Ε, από αυτά τα πράγματα είναι και η φήμη ότι η μαφία συνεισέφερε τα μέγιστα στον Β΄ Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο.
Ο Συγγραφεας χρησιμοποιεί εξαντλητικά επιχειρήματα και αυθεντικά στοιχεία για να αποδείξει αν και σε πιο βαθμό η Ιταλική μαφία στην Σικέλια και στις ΗΠΑ βοήθησε τους συμμάχους στην νίκη τους επί των δυνάμεων του Άξονα. Από το βιβλίο περνάνε ενδιαφέρουσες προσωπικότητες του υποκόσμου, αρχηγοί της αστυνόμιας, μυστικοί πράκτορες, στρατιώτικοι αξιοματούχοι, ακόμη και πασίγνωστοι πολιτικοί ηγέτες.
Πολλές φορές γίνεται κουραστικό αναλύοντας μέχρι και τα πρόσωπα που ελάχιστη σημασία είχαν στην υπόθεση αλλά καταλαβαίνω πως αυτά τα στοιχεία αντλήθηκαν με πολύ κόπο και, όπως είναι φυσικό, κανένας δεν θέλει να βλέπει τον κόπο του να πηγαίνει χαμένος. Κατί άλλο που θα μπορούσε κάποιος να καταλογήσει στον συγγρραφέα ειναι πως ο τιτλός είναι κάπως παραπλάνητικος σε σχέσει με τα συμπεράσματα που βγάζει από την έρευνα του.
Κατά τα άλλα, είναι ενά ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα που σέβεται την θεματική του και μας δίνει πλούσιες πληροφορίες από πολλαπλές πηγες.
Ο Συγγραφεας χρησιμοποιεί εξαντλητικά επιχειρήματα και αυθεντικά στοιχεία για να αποδείξει αν και σε πιο βαθμό η Ιταλική μαφία στην Σικέλια και στις ΗΠΑ βοήθησε τους συμμάχους στην νίκη τους επί των δυνάμεων του Άξονα. Από το βιβλίο περνάνε ενδιαφέρουσες προσωπικότητες του υποκόσμου, αρχηγοί της αστυνόμιας, μυστικοί πράκτορες, στρατιώτικοι αξιοματούχοι, ακόμη και πασίγνωστοι πολιτικοί ηγέτες.
Πολλές φορές γίνεται κουραστικό αναλύοντας μέχρι και τα πρόσωπα που ελάχιστη σημασία είχαν στην υπόθεση αλλά καταλαβαίνω πως αυτά τα στοιχεία αντλήθηκαν με πολύ κόπο και, όπως είναι φυσικό, κανένας δεν θέλει να βλέπει τον κόπο του να πηγαίνει χαμένος. Κατί άλλο που θα μπορούσε κάποιος να καταλογήσει στον συγγρραφέα ειναι πως ο τιτλός είναι κάπως παραπλάνητικος σε σχέσει με τα συμπεράσματα που βγάζει από την έρευνα του.
Κατά τα άλλα, είναι ενά ενδιαφέρον ανάγνωσμα που σέβεται την θεματική του και μας δίνει πλούσιες πληροφορίες από πολλαπλές πηγες.
February 3, 2013
Certainly, this book is not a bad one. It is painstakingly researched and very informative in a manner that is so easy to read you often forget you're reading a history book! But it must be said, rather obviously I suppose, that it is not a book for everyone and occasionally does become a little heavy in places. All in all though, a well written book.
September 8, 2015
The author explores the history of the mafia in both Sicily and the United States naming many figures from the years leading up to World War II. The book also looks looks at how the criminal organization and the United States government became allies in the war effort.
May 21, 2023
A remarkably interesting read and a piece of history
The Mafia at war by Tim Newark is an extraordinary book about the mafia and the book links some of the most famous names in history from World War II. Bugsy Siegal, Joe Bonnano, lucky Luciano just to name a few in this book as the list is endless as you read.
The story shifts from prewar Sicily to the U.S.A. and back and forth. The Mafia heats up as Allies arrive on the shores of Sicily and greed, crime, racketeering, black markets, and politics all play there part as Italian and Sicilian bandits, wise guys, and many more start to make big bucks from the war.
They are all under one roof in this book as the war intensifies and every crook have an interest during this time weather it is big money to be made or being intensely patriotic. The big issue in this book is did the Americans make a deal with the mafia to control the New York docks, and did the allies do a deal with the mafia to facilitate the invasion of Sicily. This book has everything from greed to horrific violence, even respect for some gangsters, and hate for others. You learn the difference between Italian and Sicilian gangsters, want Abee spooks as the British appear, noble lords and the British bobby and much more. A remarkably interesting read and a piece of history. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The Mafia at war by Tim Newark is an extraordinary book about the mafia and the book links some of the most famous names in history from World War II. Bugsy Siegal, Joe Bonnano, lucky Luciano just to name a few in this book as the list is endless as you read.
The story shifts from prewar Sicily to the U.S.A. and back and forth. The Mafia heats up as Allies arrive on the shores of Sicily and greed, crime, racketeering, black markets, and politics all play there part as Italian and Sicilian bandits, wise guys, and many more start to make big bucks from the war.
They are all under one roof in this book as the war intensifies and every crook have an interest during this time weather it is big money to be made or being intensely patriotic. The big issue in this book is did the Americans make a deal with the mafia to control the New York docks, and did the allies do a deal with the mafia to facilitate the invasion of Sicily. This book has everything from greed to horrific violence, even respect for some gangsters, and hate for others. You learn the difference between Italian and Sicilian gangsters, want Abee spooks as the British appear, noble lords and the British bobby and much more. A remarkably interesting read and a piece of history. Thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers of this book for giving me a free advance copy of the book to preview and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
September 16, 2022
Oh, boy. So, for one thing this is a book that ultimately comes to the conclusion that the sensationalist claim in the title is not true, and for another it struggles so much to find material related to that claim that it rambles for dozens of pages at a time about tangential topics and uses large block quotes to fill pages for which it doesn't actually have any content. It's essentially clickbait in book form.
December 26, 2014
The book discusses possible ties between the allied forces and the Mafia during World War II. Central in the Mafia movement is Lucky Luciano by organizing the mobsters in New York as well as the mobsters in Sicilia during the Allied invasion in Italy.
Though the title and the main hypothesis is rather misplaced and haphazardly answered in the last chapter, the book still gives a good impression of the organization of the Mafia in New York, as well as its influence, with Lucky Luciano, Joe Bonnanno, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, and more. There are also interesting accounts about Sicilia and the political and social changes and movements that took place there, with persons such as Don Calogero Vizzini, Salvatore Guiliani, and prefect Mori.
Though the title and the main hypothesis is rather misplaced and haphazardly answered in the last chapter, the book still gives a good impression of the organization of the Mafia in New York, as well as its influence, with Lucky Luciano, Joe Bonnanno, Bugsy Siegel, Meyer Lansky, and more. There are also interesting accounts about Sicilia and the political and social changes and movements that took place there, with persons such as Don Calogero Vizzini, Salvatore Guiliani, and prefect Mori.
April 9, 2018
Dense and uninteresting after a while.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews