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by Mark Ryan

Den britiske journalist Mark Ryan udgav i 2008 “The Hornet´s The amazing untold story of Second World War spy Thomas Sneum”. Det er denne bog, der nu er givet på dansk på forlaget Lindhardt og Ringhof. Thomas Sneums historie har tidligere inspireret en anden forfatter, nemlig Ken Folletts roman ”London kalder”.

Thomas Sneums indsats og rolle har ikke tidligere været grundigt behandlet og beskrevet, men er naturligvis mere eller mindre sporadisk berørt i nogle af de centrale værker om de danske relationer til Storbritannien under besættelsen, eksempelvis Jørgen Hæstrups disputats fra 1954 ”Kontakt med England” samt Knud J.V. Jespersens ”Det lange tilløb 1940-1943” fra 1998. Mere uddybende er Thomas Sneum behandlet i forbindelse med udgivelsen af omtalte Ken Folletts bog, nemlig i Odensebogen 1995, og Danmarks Radios P1 bragte 29. april 2006 en 34 minutter lang udsendelse ”Spionen fra Fanø” i programmet ”Dokumentarzonen”. Modsat så mange andre danskere, der var dybt involveret i modstandsarbejdet, har Sneum ikke selv skrevet sine erindringer.

Mark Ryan er som nævnt journalist, og den journalistiske tilgang præger da også naturligt bogen. Lad det være sagt med det Der er tale om en velskrevet bog, der kan minde lidt om en spændende roman, og Mark Ryan er god til at skabe spænding ved hurtigt at starte fortællingen uden at fortælle for meget, men derved holde læserens interesse indtil detaljerne i fortællingen kommer senere. Et godt eksempel er forfatterens første personlige møde med Thomas Sneum i 1998: ”Når en tidligere M16-spion retter en 9 mm Browning pistol mod ens bryst, er der ikke meget tid til at tænke over, hvorfor man egentlig ville møde ham”. Og så er fortællingen i gang. Så set ud fra en journalistisk og sproglig tilgang er der tale om en rigtig god bog og historie.

Ser man imidlertid bogen ud fra en faglig historisk synsvinkel er der flere opmærksomhedspunkter. Bogen er blevet til ud fra mange samtaler med Thomas Sneum selv fra perioden 1998 og frem (han døde i 2007). Det vil sige ud fra erindringer, der på det tidspunkt er et langt liv og ca. 50 år gamle med de forskydninger i hukommelsen, som dette antal år nu engang som regel betyder. Formentlig med henblik på at sikre sandfærdigheden i Sneums historier, har Mark Ryan suppleret med et stort researcharbejde i arkiver. Der er bl.a. tale om politirapporter, historiebøger og avisartikler, og arkiverne er blandt andet på Frihedsmuseet og i det engelske udenrigsministerium.

Set med en historikers øjne kan alt dette i nogle sammenhænge lyde fornuftigt, men problemet med Mark Ryans bog er, at der hverken er kildehenvisninger eller litteraturliste. Derved fortaber muligheden sig for at vide, hvilke oplysninger, der er fra Sneums hukommelse, og hvilke der stammer fra hvilke primære kilder eller litteraturen. Undertegnede anfægter ikke forfatterens troværdighed, men påpeger blot den manglende synlige kildekritiske tilgang og dokumentation. Tilsvarende bruger Ryan den journalistiske frihed i forhold til materialet. Rigtig mange steder bliver oplysninger citeret ordret som en samtale mellem to eller flere personer uden nogen større sandsynlighed for at disse personer nogensinde har formuleret sig som citeret. Men som nævnt er styrken ved dette, at bogen sprogligt bliver mere læsevenlig og mere spændende læsning, eksempelvis historien om flyveturen fra Sanderum ved Odense til England med fotografier af tyskernes radarstation på Fanø – en flyvetur, der ikke kunne lade sig gøre med den pågældende flytype.

Et andet forhold, som forfatteren på ingen måde forsøger at skjule, er at Thomas Sneum i Mark Ryans øjne er en helt. Det bliver nævnt flere steder i bogen, fx allerede side 11 og 16. Denne ”heltedyrkelse” spiller naturligvis også ind i skildringen, men Ryan har heldigvis også øjne for, at Sneum formentlig har været en stærk personlighed på godt og ondt. Der anvendes mange forskellige ord til at karakterisere Sneum, eksempelvis ord som et ”trodsigt sind”, et ”iltert temperament”, ”egensindig og udisciplineret”. Men han var også ”kreativ, modig og fuld af handletrang”. Sneum har næppe heller været speciel let at samarbejde med – flere gange fremgår det i bogen, at han kom på kant med mange mennesker og skabte sig nye fjender. Der er da heller ikke tvivl om, at Sneum efter krigen blev en bitter mand, der mente, at hans indsats ikke blev påskønnet tilstrækkeligt af hans fædreland, hvorfor han også bosatte sig i Schweiz. Med til billedet af Sneum hører også, at han ikke havde svært ved at komme i kontakt med det modsatte køn. Han var gift tre gange, men ægteskaberne var på flere måder problemfyldte.

For en historiker er det rigtig godt, at Hans Kirchhoff i en 8 sider lang indledning får sat Sneum og hans situation i et mere samtidigt perspektiv – de eneste litteraturhenvisninger i bogen, findes da også her i indledningen.

Med de nævnte forbehold er bogen rigtig læseværdig og spændende, men også lidt teksttung. Bortset ...

Genres: History, Nonfiction, World War II, War, Military Fiction, Biography, Biography Memoir

365 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2008

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book needed a good editor! At 357 pages it was a somewhat tedious telling of what could have instead been a pretty good 250 page book. Just too much idle speculation of 'what could have happened' if a specific detail of any given spy mission had gone wrong.

[Aaron Mattupurath · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thomas Sneum demonstrates the character trait of bravery I think he is brave because he is Nazi Occupied Territory and he is spying for the Allies and is finding very top secret Nazi weapons and radar installations which could've ended badly for him so I think because he did what he did he is very brave for doing so.

[Kelsey Blincow · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned about this book while on a walking tour in Copenhagen a couple years ago. I love World War II pieces and really enjoyed this book and the fact that it’s historical non-fiction. Thomas Sneum, the Danish spy who inspired the book, has both an incredible story and an abrasive, head-strong personality which makes for an interesting read.

[Walt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing spy story. A Danish spy goes back & forth between Denmark and England during World War 2, relaying information on German radar and their atomic bomb efforts to the British.

Well-written, making it easier to enjoy.

[Scott Bowerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book and remarkable story about Thomas Sneum. Story seemed to drag on towards the end as the book lead to the politics behind Sneums life and a lot less action based. Some times a lot of people involved so lots of names to learn but brilliant story none the less.

[Bob Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book far exceeded my expectations. I selected it almost at random to satisfy a book club requirement. A true story about Thomas Sneun, a Danish air pilot who when ordered not to fight when Germany invaded Denmark at the beginning of WWI, became one of Britain's most important spies in the early years of the war.

A very interesting part of the story is the relationship between Sneun, the British Intelligence Service and the Danish covert agencies trying to establish an effective spy network in Denmark. He was mistreated, misused and not trusted by any of the Services but still managed to inform the Allies of the biggest German secret of the war.

The story comes largely from interviews with Sneun by the author with support from relatives and official documents from Britain and Germany. The interviews took place when Sneun was in his mid-eighties, about 40 years after they occurred. The author writes the story as though it was fiction, making it very easy to read. It also makes it a bit easier to embellish Sneun's tale, although if the guy did half of what he says he did, it was quite a career. Strongly recommended to anyone, and especially to those interested in WWII.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book about the Danish World War 2 spy Thomas Sneum. An interesting read, though the adulation for the man seems to be over the top. Was he heroic? Probably. Was he scummy? Definitely.

[Roberta · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know who I came across this book. Action heroes are not my go-to. However, this was a fascinating account of a slice of World War II for the most part unknown, particularly in America.
Apparently, spies are a nasty bunch, much more petty, political, and suspicious than you might think. British Intelligence was a supreme example.
The story of Thomas Sneum, a feisty, freewheeling Dane is related here as a memoir. Although documented as well as a spy narrative can be, the author struggles to maintain a neutrality, focusing on both sides of the story. Meanwhile he demonstrates that the hero clearly felt wronged by the political infighting in Britain.
You may find yourself grinding your teeth in sympathetic frustration, or wanting to smack Sneum up the side of the head for his never-ending bedroom activities.

[Anthony Bracciante · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first learned of Thomas Sneum while reading Hitler's Savage Canary which told of the Danish resistance to the occupation of Denmark by Germany in World War II. The Hornet's Sting tells the remarkable story of Thomas Sneum's life as a pilot that escapes to England to join the RAF but gets turned into a spy by the British. Suspected of being a double agent after being forced to flee Denmark by crossing the ice to Sweden, he is imprisoned first in Sweden and then in England's Brixton Prison where he expects to be hanged. His true life story is more amazing then any james Bond novel and his sexual conquests makes Mr. Bond look like a monk.

[Gavin Stephenson-Jackman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning tale of daring and bravery in the difficult times of occupied Denmark during WWII. Tommy and a friend escape occupied Denmark to England in a small plane no designed for the task, only to be returned with minimal training to spy on the German army in their homeland. The intelligence he gathered was influential to the outcome of the war, but he was never really appreciated for his work because to get the best information he had to get close to the enemy, maybe just a little too close for the comfort of his waring superiors. A very vivid retelling of Tommy's exploits during WWII.

[Jeanne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thomas Sneum was a young, Scandinavian pilot who was itching to do more to help the Allies. He got himself to England by way of a WWI-era bi-plane that was mostly broken and couldn't carry all the weight of the needed gas and he and a friend managed to fly it over the English channel refueling the plane mid-flight, something it was not designed to do. While this all sounds exciting, and it is, it just didn't hold my attention and so I ended up not finishing it. But it's nice to see another book about yet another unsung hero of that war.

[Carol Rizzardi · Rating 1 out of 5]

An unlikeable "hero" and a verbose author.

I have been struggling to finish this book for nearly four months. I finished at least nine other books since I started this one. When I checked my progress on Kindle yesterday, I saw I had only managed to finish one-third of the book. I give up. Life is too short. I started another book today.

[Gurj · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned about Tommy Snuem during my trip to Denmark a couple of years ago but this book really puts his story to life. Whether he's a hero or traitor is besides the point, it's a fascinating story about courage, bravery, and dedicated.

[Scott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Story - highly recommended

It took me some time to start this, but once I got into it the story was amazing. It tells the story of a determined spy and his fight to gather intelligence about the Germans in Occupied Denmark.

[Melody Hill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing true story of the spy screwed over by the English.

[Peter Lewinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good and immaculately researched.

[Tracee · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5*
Read on Kobo...on plane.
A bit of an egotistical, womanizer. Less rambling, more editting would have given it a solid 3*.

[Frances Rettenmaier · Rating 5 out of 5]

Entertaining
Sure did lead an exciting life

[Lee Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite genre is science fiction fantasy, so I can take those leaps of faith while reading in order to get past "reality." Then I read Mark Ryan's The Hornet's Sting. I just could not take it seriously.

Don't get me wrong, it was interesting. It was just leaned toward unbelievable.

The book is the story of Thomas Sneum, a Dane who served as a British spy during World War II. His life as a spy in German-controlled Denmark was amazingly close to James Bond--at one point Sneum actually refuels a plane, mid-air.

See what I mean? Unreal.

I am still baffled by the story, and cannot get my mind around it. Luckily, Mr. Ryan has sources besides Sneum, so I will be reading R.V. Jones' Most Secret War among others.

[Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Thomas Sneum a British SIS agent who brought secret information pertaining to Nazi radar installations over to the British in a James Bond like escape in an old plane where he had to climb out on the wing to refuel over the English Channel. Sent back to Denmark by SIS he helped sent up a spy network that sent the British helpful information throughout the war. Unfortunately he was caught up in the turn battle between the SIS and SOE and was thrown in jail upon his return to Britain and barely escaped the hangman’s noose. A good tale of WWII daring and espionage.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's surprising how many stories we still have never heard about the "ordinary" people
involved in war resistance in WWII. This book shows how someone who is not a perfect
person, who would never have been expected to do amazing things at such a young age
was very instrumental in winning an extremely important war. I loved the book.

[Mikkel Eilenberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

En bog til alle der er interesseret i spionage, historie eller bare ønsker at læse om en kompliceret landsmand, liv og tanker… En bog der i den grad afliver nogle af de firkantet holdning omkring Danmark i 40erne…

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Amazing to see that the sort of government politics that allow one agency to compete with another allowing BOTH to lose sight of the big picture were just as responsible for getting agents killed in WWII as they were getting civilians killed in 911.

[Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again, another unknown story from the war. These stories always make me wonder if I would have had the fortitude shown by people like Thomas Sneum and others during the occupation of Denmark and other events during the war.

[Laura Duggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was fascinating to read about these true events. Truth is sometimes crazier and more unbelievable than fiction. Not much has changed in the past 70 years with politics and countries' views of each other.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book has some really good parts surronede by parts that put me to sleep...I say only read if it you are really into WWII spys who wonder around the countryside.

[Kent Carpenter · Rating 4 out of 5]

In depth story of Danish spy in WWII. Great stories of infighting between England's intelligence organizations.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tommy Sneum was definitely a courageous fella....and he was a Playa.

[Andy Wilkerson]

I put this aside and just haven't picked it back up, so I'm going to retire it to my never-finished shelf and maybe come back to it later.

[Terri · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very powerful book about some very brave men who took valiant chances for their country during WWII.