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Covert Radio Agents, 1939–1945: Signals From Behind Enemy Lines
"A treasure of a book...An authentic adventure saga [and] a very human story generously seasoned with ingenuity, technology and hardy individualism." --K9YA Telegraph
Includes photos and maps
Clandestine radio operators had one of the most dangerous jobs of World War II. Those in Nazi-occupied Europe for the SOE, MI6, and OSS had a life expectancy of just six weeks. In the Gilbert Islands, the Japanese decapitated seventeen New Zealand coastwatchers.
These highly skilled agents' main tasks were to maintain regular contact with their home base and pass vital intelligence back. As this meticulously researched book reveals, many operators did more than that. Norwegian Odd Starheim hijacked a ship and sailed it to the Shetlands. In the Solomon Islands Jack Read and Paul Mason warned the defenders of Guadalcanal about incoming enemy air raids, giving American fighters a chance to inflict irreversible damage on the Japanese Air Force. In 1944 Arthur Brown was central to Operation Jedburgh's success delaying the arrival of the SS Das Reich armored division at the Normandy beachheads. The author also explains in layman's terms the technology of 1940s radios and the ingenious codes used.
Most importantly, Covert Radio Agents tells the dramatic human stories of these gallant behind-the-lines radio agents. Who were they? How were they trained? How did they survive against the odds? This is a highly informative and uplifting history of World War II's unsung heroes.
Includes photos and maps
Clandestine radio operators had one of the most dangerous jobs of World War II. Those in Nazi-occupied Europe for the SOE, MI6, and OSS had a life expectancy of just six weeks. In the Gilbert Islands, the Japanese decapitated seventeen New Zealand coastwatchers.
These highly skilled agents' main tasks were to maintain regular contact with their home base and pass vital intelligence back. As this meticulously researched book reveals, many operators did more than that. Norwegian Odd Starheim hijacked a ship and sailed it to the Shetlands. In the Solomon Islands Jack Read and Paul Mason warned the defenders of Guadalcanal about incoming enemy air raids, giving American fighters a chance to inflict irreversible damage on the Japanese Air Force. In 1944 Arthur Brown was central to Operation Jedburgh's success delaying the arrival of the SS Das Reich armored division at the Normandy beachheads. The author also explains in layman's terms the technology of 1940s radios and the ingenious codes used.
Most importantly, Covert Radio Agents tells the dramatic human stories of these gallant behind-the-lines radio agents. Who were they? How were they trained? How did they survive against the odds? This is a highly informative and uplifting history of World War II's unsung heroes.
298 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 1, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
January 29, 2021
Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via netgalley!
Fascinating book into the covert radio agents! The author researched well this book and educates us on how they trained, their jobs/ duties and the risks they took! Highly recommended for history buffs!
Fascinating book into the covert radio agents! The author researched well this book and educates us on how they trained, their jobs/ duties and the risks they took! Highly recommended for history buffs!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2021
A solid, thorough read about exactly what you think it's about: covert radio operatives during WWII. The book is organised by chapter to deal with the various fronts of the war, ranging from Norway to Australasia before landing in the USSR and France. This structure makes for a wide-ranging read, kept manageable by the relatively narrow subject matter, and I appreciated the commitment to a comprehensive approach. That said, the narrow focus does mean that I suspect a reader would benefit most from this book by having some prior knowledge. This is not to say that anyone could not pick up this book and have a fun time! But I have done prior research into SOE operations and the Shetland Bus program, which I feel served me well in the Norway chapter; I know very little about Soviet intelligence operations and consequently felt a little lost in the Soviet chapter. This is not necessarily a failing of the book, just something for potential readers to take into account. The tone meanders between factual and narrative, with the author juggling the telling of facts with the telling of stories. I thought this was accomplished well; I was absorbed throughout. Occasionally the factual tone was abandoned to throw some shade (cough, William Colby), and I did enjoy this as well.
The eighth and final chapter of the book is a series of technical briefings which explain how the radios and technologies of the time worked, including a lengthy explanation of several ciphers of which I understood very little. I do not understand the Playfair cipher and I suspect I never will! I understand the polyalphabetic cipher, but this is likely only because I have read Bitterblue several times. Apparently the antennae of 1940s radios could be extended 18m to catch signal, which I found very funny. I wish my phone had an 18m antenna, maybe Optus would do a better job of giving me my data that I pay for. Anyway, the author recommends at the start of the book to maybe go and read that part first, and having not followed his suggestion I now support it - I probably would have been better off.
The most important thing this book taught me was that Australian radios and all their attendant necessities weighed 168kg and required 12 men!!!! to move anywhere. This is incredibly cursed. Their SOE contemporaries were parachuting into Europe with their radios attached to them??? I understand that portability was not as large a priority as protection from fungus, but surely there is a happy medium between "suitcase-sized" and "requires 12 men to move". I have wailed to several friends about this fact already and will certainly bring it up in as many future conversations as I can. For this alone I think this book was worth reading. I hope other readers also find their own deeply cursed factoids to bring out of it. Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The eighth and final chapter of the book is a series of technical briefings which explain how the radios and technologies of the time worked, including a lengthy explanation of several ciphers of which I understood very little. I do not understand the Playfair cipher and I suspect I never will! I understand the polyalphabetic cipher, but this is likely only because I have read Bitterblue several times. Apparently the antennae of 1940s radios could be extended 18m to catch signal, which I found very funny. I wish my phone had an 18m antenna, maybe Optus would do a better job of giving me my data that I pay for. Anyway, the author recommends at the start of the book to maybe go and read that part first, and having not followed his suggestion I now support it - I probably would have been better off.
The most important thing this book taught me was that Australian radios and all their attendant necessities weighed 168kg and required 12 men!!!! to move anywhere. This is incredibly cursed. Their SOE contemporaries were parachuting into Europe with their radios attached to them??? I understand that portability was not as large a priority as protection from fungus, but surely there is a happy medium between "suitcase-sized" and "requires 12 men to move". I have wailed to several friends about this fact already and will certainly bring it up in as many future conversations as I can. For this alone I think this book was worth reading. I hope other readers also find their own deeply cursed factoids to bring out of it. Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
February 4, 2021
Covert Radio Agents, 1939-1945 by David Hebditch is a well researched and clearly written account of some of the most important yet least remembered participants in World War II. While not an exhaustive or comprehensive account, it serves as a wonderful introductory account for those of us with an interest.
My comment about not being exhaustive is not a negative, in fact, I mean it as a positive. No doubt there could be many books written on the topic and, especially, about these people. Hebditch does a remarkable job of discussing the training, the technology, the people, and the importance to the war effort all while keeping the reader engaged and interested.
I highly recommend this to any reader interested in the lesser known aspects of the Allied efforts in World War II. The notes and bibliography at the end offer many avenues for further reading in areas of interest to the reader.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
My comment about not being exhaustive is not a negative, in fact, I mean it as a positive. No doubt there could be many books written on the topic and, especially, about these people. Hebditch does a remarkable job of discussing the training, the technology, the people, and the importance to the war effort all while keeping the reader engaged and interested.
I highly recommend this to any reader interested in the lesser known aspects of the Allied efforts in World War II. The notes and bibliography at the end offer many avenues for further reading in areas of interest to the reader.
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
February 12, 2025
Imagine being stuck in a dank cave or halfway up a jungle mountain for months on end with one mission to carry out, watch for enemy ships and report them back to your country, all the while risking torture and execution if you make a single mistake. That was the duty of an incredibly brave cadre of radio operators during World War II. David Hebditch surveys their work, and their fates, in this riveting book.
Hebditch sets out by explaining recruitment and training for this most dangerous of wartime jobs. It is hardly surprising that he uncovers the most extraordinary cast of characters, both men and women, that made it through the process, be they British, Australian, Soviets, or any of the nationalities fighting the Nazis. Hebditch tells their stories; of British and Norwegian agents, some skulking in Norwegian caves, covered in lice, and only emerging at night; of Australians lugging massive radio sets around small, Japanese occupied islands; of radio operators dropped into occupied France not knowing who to trust when they arrived. They did know that an implacable enemy tracked and hunted them even as they reported the movements of enemy ships or assisted the resistance. Hebditch includes Soviet agents operating throughout Europe in his survey, though I was not sure if this fell too far into the broader espionage category rather than the mission specific activities of the coastwatchers or the Jedburgh teams. Throughout his book, Hebditch weaves many technical aspects of the agents’ tradecraft and the counter-measures taken to track them down, and he describes the inter-agency rivalries that sometimes led to disaster.
This is not an exhaustive study by any measure, but for the casual reader, Hebditch brings to light many operations and characters they may never have heard about. The author also provides enough information for us to understand how operations were conducted. There are a few snarky asides that Hebditch could have excised, but that is a quibble on style rather than a complaint about the content. He adds a good number of photographs to illustrate his text, which is a bonus, particularly on the technical material. Hebditch’s book works as a surface treatment of this fascinating subject, and is well worth reading.
Hebditch sets out by explaining recruitment and training for this most dangerous of wartime jobs. It is hardly surprising that he uncovers the most extraordinary cast of characters, both men and women, that made it through the process, be they British, Australian, Soviets, or any of the nationalities fighting the Nazis. Hebditch tells their stories; of British and Norwegian agents, some skulking in Norwegian caves, covered in lice, and only emerging at night; of Australians lugging massive radio sets around small, Japanese occupied islands; of radio operators dropped into occupied France not knowing who to trust when they arrived. They did know that an implacable enemy tracked and hunted them even as they reported the movements of enemy ships or assisted the resistance. Hebditch includes Soviet agents operating throughout Europe in his survey, though I was not sure if this fell too far into the broader espionage category rather than the mission specific activities of the coastwatchers or the Jedburgh teams. Throughout his book, Hebditch weaves many technical aspects of the agents’ tradecraft and the counter-measures taken to track them down, and he describes the inter-agency rivalries that sometimes led to disaster.
This is not an exhaustive study by any measure, but for the casual reader, Hebditch brings to light many operations and characters they may never have heard about. The author also provides enough information for us to understand how operations were conducted. There are a few snarky asides that Hebditch could have excised, but that is a quibble on style rather than a complaint about the content. He adds a good number of photographs to illustrate his text, which is a bonus, particularly on the technical material. Hebditch’s book works as a surface treatment of this fascinating subject, and is well worth reading.
June 8, 2021
Well Written.
A great Kindle read with only a few technical mistakes that were disappointing but didn’t take anything away from the narrative.
A great Kindle read with only a few technical mistakes that were disappointing but didn’t take anything away from the narrative.
September 10, 2024
Very thorough treatise on a fascinating subject but also very technical and dry.
March 4, 2021
4.5 stars
The radio specialists were the first in, the first out and, if caught with their equipment, the first to be killed.
This book details the lives of some of the bravest and most high-skilled individuals in WWII: those who dared to operate radios behind enemy lines, transmitting highly important information about the enemy to the allies.
Unlike the rest of the books I have read in the past about radio operators in WWII (there have been many), this one is not restricted to descriptions of agents working in occupied France. While Hebditch details the actions of agents in Central Europe, he also conducted research regarding agents from many different countries operating in Northern Europe and the Pacific Theatre.
As if in defiance of their original life expectancy, many of these gallant individuals lived on into their eighties and nineties.
The amount of research that went into this book was incredible. Hebditch manages to cover the individual backstories of many agents and go into detail about the technical aspects of cryptology and radio transmission in the 40s. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction about this topic, this is a great introduction to the nonfiction side. If you’ve already read a lot on the subject, Hebditch goes beyond the areas and actors usually discussed in this subgenre. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more. It is also a great book for those who love reading books that make you want to pick up a million more books about individuals or events mentioned in passing.
Thank you so much to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
The radio specialists were the first in, the first out and, if caught with their equipment, the first to be killed.
This book details the lives of some of the bravest and most high-skilled individuals in WWII: those who dared to operate radios behind enemy lines, transmitting highly important information about the enemy to the allies.
Unlike the rest of the books I have read in the past about radio operators in WWII (there have been many), this one is not restricted to descriptions of agents working in occupied France. While Hebditch details the actions of agents in Central Europe, he also conducted research regarding agents from many different countries operating in Northern Europe and the Pacific Theatre.
As if in defiance of their original life expectancy, many of these gallant individuals lived on into their eighties and nineties.
The amount of research that went into this book was incredible. Hebditch manages to cover the individual backstories of many agents and go into detail about the technical aspects of cryptology and radio transmission in the 40s. For anyone who enjoys historical fiction about this topic, this is a great introduction to the nonfiction side. If you’ve already read a lot on the subject, Hebditch goes beyond the areas and actors usually discussed in this subgenre. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning more. It is also a great book for those who love reading books that make you want to pick up a million more books about individuals or events mentioned in passing.
Thank you so much to Pen & Sword and Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.
April 10, 2021
Princess Fuzzypants here: We just watched a very good show on women agents behind the lines during WW II so this book was a timely read. It was dangerous enough to be a common or garden spy but add in the complexities of the machinery and the difficulty in transporting it and keeping its location hidden and you have danger on steroids.
It took some courageous, resourceful and dedicated individuals to gather information, convert it into code and then send it back to the people who could make good use of it. In many cases nerves of steel does not begin to describe it. These people needed to be trained to be good agents as well as technicians. One could not call up a service repairman if something went wrong. In this area, the British were the gold standard in training and while credit is often glossed over in favour of a good book or movie, even the Americans could not have succeeded behind enemy lines without their assistance in training.
The book does a good job of telling the stories of different fronts and the people who got out reconnaissance crucial to the war effort. The conditions in which they toiled were quite different but the cost of failure was the same- a gruesome and often excruciating death. The odds of coming home safely were not great but these heroes did it anyway.
Kudos to the brave souls who did the job and kudos in telling their stories. Four purrs and two paws up.
It took some courageous, resourceful and dedicated individuals to gather information, convert it into code and then send it back to the people who could make good use of it. In many cases nerves of steel does not begin to describe it. These people needed to be trained to be good agents as well as technicians. One could not call up a service repairman if something went wrong. In this area, the British were the gold standard in training and while credit is often glossed over in favour of a good book or movie, even the Americans could not have succeeded behind enemy lines without their assistance in training.
The book does a good job of telling the stories of different fronts and the people who got out reconnaissance crucial to the war effort. The conditions in which they toiled were quite different but the cost of failure was the same- a gruesome and often excruciating death. The odds of coming home safely were not great but these heroes did it anyway.
Kudos to the brave souls who did the job and kudos in telling their stories. Four purrs and two paws up.
January 1, 2021
Author David Hebditch published the book “Covert Radio Agents, 1939–1945: Signals From Behind Enemy Lines” in 2021 (April). Mr. Hebditch has published three books.
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’. The book tells the stories of several covert radio agents acting behind enemy lines in WWII. Most served in the European Theater of Operations, but a few are from the Pacific.
Included is a chapter that provides many details on the equipment used. Details of the procedures are also included. Allied agents followed strict rules to send and encrypt their messages. The German radio direction finding units had their own rules to follow.
I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 320-page WWII history. I had read about some of the activities before, but this book certainly contained a lot of new material. I found the technical details towards the end of the book to be particularly interesting. You will find this book of special interest if you are researching SOE & OSS activities during the war. I do like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
I received an ARC of this novel through https://www.netgalley.com in return for a fair and honest review. I categorize this book as ‘G’. The book tells the stories of several covert radio agents acting behind enemy lines in WWII. Most served in the European Theater of Operations, but a few are from the Pacific.
Included is a chapter that provides many details on the equipment used. Details of the procedures are also included. Allied agents followed strict rules to send and encrypt their messages. The German radio direction finding units had their own rules to follow.
I enjoyed the 8.5 hours I spent reading this 320-page WWII history. I had read about some of the activities before, but this book certainly contained a lot of new material. I found the technical details towards the end of the book to be particularly interesting. You will find this book of special interest if you are researching SOE & OSS activities during the war. I do like the chosen cover art. I give this book a 4.5 (rounded up to a 5) out of 5.
You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).
March 2, 2021
This book tells the story of radio agents in WWII, which is a story not often told. It covers agents all over Europe as well as the Solomon Islands.
Well researched and meticulous detail are the hallmark of this book. There are tales of derring-do interspersed with logistical nightmares and the sad end of some of the radio agents. Being a radio agent was very risky work and there are a lot of soldiers who owe their lives to these men and women.
I particularly liked the story of Tommy Macpherson - what a character! And I am considering learning morse, now that I know you can do a course online. Talk about melding 20th century smarts and 21st century technology.
Enjoyable book! Dare I say it - quite a nerdy one. If you are a radio enthusiast, you will love it. Or someone who loves cyphers and codes.
5 stars from me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword.
Well researched and meticulous detail are the hallmark of this book. There are tales of derring-do interspersed with logistical nightmares and the sad end of some of the radio agents. Being a radio agent was very risky work and there are a lot of soldiers who owe their lives to these men and women.
I particularly liked the story of Tommy Macpherson - what a character! And I am considering learning morse, now that I know you can do a course online. Talk about melding 20th century smarts and 21st century technology.
Enjoyable book! Dare I say it - quite a nerdy one. If you are a radio enthusiast, you will love it. Or someone who loves cyphers and codes.
5 stars from me.
Thank you to Netgalley and Pen & Sword.
September 21, 2021
Superb account of some major international actions, by brave men and women. As a radio amateur, I found the technical detail to be really interesting, but it was light enough for the non-technical reader to understand. Good notes about cryptography, Morse/ CW, etc, can be found at the back of the book, and these are well written, and suitable for any audience. Well done to David, the author. Highly recommended!
Chris (2E0FRU (IO81vk))
Chris (2E0FRU (IO81vk))
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