Operation Autonomous : With S.O.E. in Wartime Romania

by Ivor Porter

Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, Ivor Porter took a job in Romania teaching English and became so involved in the political events of the capital, Bucharest, that he was to feature later in Olivia Manning's "The Balkan Trilogy". Porter left the country in 1940 when Romania became a satellite of the Axis powers, but returned three years later as part of an SOE plot to overthrow the pro-German government of Marshal Antonescu. Operation Autonomous and the subsequent coup not only hastened the end of the European war by six months, but were to have a profound effect on the post-war settlement of Eastern Europe. Combining the author's own adventures and experiences with detailed military and diplomatic history, this book examines an often neglected but crucial military operation of the war. Illustrated with photos.

Genres: Nonfiction

272 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1989

Reviews

[A.L. Sowards · Rating 4 out of 5]

The memoirs of a former British diplomat who spent several years in Romania, both before WWII heated up in Eastern Europe, and then again during the last year or so of the war. He does a good job of showing the complexity of Romania's position, especially in 1940: USSR annexing several important territories and powerful enough to take more; Hungary wanting Transylvania; Bulgaria ready for a land-grab as well; traditional allies of France and Britain either occupied or about to be invaded. Is is any surprise that the Romanians aligned themselves with Germany? Who else could keep the Russians from invading? Some parts of the book read like a page turner (especially leading up to the coup), and others were on the dull side. Worth reading if you have an interest in the subject.

[Horia Bura · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very poignant and interesting memoir about Porter's involvement in wartime Romania, full of details and less-known aspects regarding the context of the 23rd August coup d'etat. This book also provides an interesting outside look at the country and its people in the years of WW 2.

[Ciprian Bujor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is definitely one of the best books about the war and the Romanian history in particular. Porter lived in Romania during the war and really knows its people and politics. The lecture is fluid, easy to follow and most of the time captivating. A must read if one wants to understand the Romanian history.

[Teodor Hossu-Longin · Rating 5 out of 5]

O carte extraordinară despre luptele interne care s-au dat, mai ales în 1944, pentru ca România să iasă din alianța cu Germania și să întoarcă armele.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This fascinating "novel" chronicles the experiences of a British agent in Romania during WWII. Apparently it is nonfiction and has won at least one award. The history is well written and only hard to follow because the persons who figure largely in the history have similar names and not well developed backgrounds. Yet, the take away is clear. Churchill = bad, Stalin = badder, Hitler = baddest. The lesser crew from Romania seem to be either idealistic, naive, misguided but never bad. Pro-blem!!! A must read for Romaniaphiles, all three of you.

[Vikas Datta · Rating 5 out of 5]

An exciting account of the desperate effort to take Romania out of WWII - snookered by the dilatory inconsistency of the main participants, the capture of the Allied team and the inability of the Western Allies to win the peace. An incisive account of WWII and post WWII Romania and its main players especially the Conducator and revealing of the fact that the conflict was never so black and white as is believed...

[R · Rating 4 out of 5]

Memoriile unui spion britanic parasutat in Romania celui de-al doilea razboi mondial care urmarea scoaterea tarii din razboiul dus alturi de nemti...

Desi a fost o actiune esuata, veti cunoaste istoria care nu se invata la scoala !

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an interesting work about Romania during WW2, written by someone who was there at the time and had access to much more information than the average Joe. These well written memoirs present a colorful world with plenty of great people working hard to save a small country caught between two superpowers. The ending is hard hitting even though I knew what was coming.
I appreciate how much the author liked Romania and I think he does a very good job at giving nuance to what happened, as most accounts are very black and white. It's also interesting to read about all these historical figures I leaned about in school, but in this book they are real people with flaws, doubts and egos, as they should be.
My only small qualm with the book is related to the controversial figure of Antonescu. Even though the author fleshes him out really well and I understand he was missing a lot of information, being jailed and all, there were some atrocities committed by the Romanian army which are never mentioned. I will just hope this was due to not knowing rather than hiding under the rug.
Overall a great book for anyone who wants a nuanced view about what happened. Very entertaining read too.

[Andrei Avram · Rating 3 out of 5]

O perspectivă complet diferită asupra celui de-al doilea război mondial în România, văzută prin ochii unui britanic care a ajuns asistent universitar în România înainte de război, a plecat împreună cu ambasada britanică când România a intrat în război alături de Germania doar ca să se întoarcă mai târziu, parașutat în noapte lângă Alexandria alături de doi alți agenți ai SOE britanic cu misiunea de a grăbi / încuraja un armistițiu cu URSS și căderea Germaniei.

Urmărește destinele mai multor persoane cheie ale evenimentelor celui de-al doilea război mondial în România, în special a lui Maniu și a susținătorilor lui, arată de ce românii s-au simțit trădați de Aliații Occidentali și pictează un tablou incredibil a vieții din România, mai ales din București a vremii și vremurilor.

Deși are sub 350 de pagini, am găsit-o ușor dificil de citit întrucât face foarte multe salturi încrucișate înainte și înapoi între diferite momente, în așa fel încât cronologia nu e foarte ușor de urmărit.