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Ian Fleming's War: The Inspiration for 007
'By shining new light on Fleming's role in intelligence, the people he met and the adventures he had with them, Mark Simmons brilliantly illuminates the hero who was his greatest creation.' Anthony Horowitz
In 1953, Ian Fleming's literary sensation James Bond emerged onto the world's stage. Nearly seven decades later, he has become a multi-billion-pound film franchise, now equipped with all the gizmos of the modern world. Yet Fleming's creation, who battled his way through the fourteen novels from 1953 to 1966, was a maverick a man out of place. Bond even admits it, wishing he was back in the real war the Second World War. Indeed, the thread of the Second World War runs through the whole of the Bond series, and many were inspired by the real events and people Fleming came across during his time in Naval Intelligence.
In Ian Fleming's War, Mark Simmons explores these remarkable similarities, from Fleming's scheme to capture a German naval codebook that appears in Thunderball as Plan Omega, to the exploits of 30 Assault Unit, the commando team he helped to create, which inspired Moonraker.
In 1953, Ian Fleming's literary sensation James Bond emerged onto the world's stage. Nearly seven decades later, he has become a multi-billion-pound film franchise, now equipped with all the gizmos of the modern world. Yet Fleming's creation, who battled his way through the fourteen novels from 1953 to 1966, was a maverick a man out of place. Bond even admits it, wishing he was back in the real war the Second World War. Indeed, the thread of the Second World War runs through the whole of the Bond series, and many were inspired by the real events and people Fleming came across during his time in Naval Intelligence.
In Ian Fleming's War, Mark Simmons explores these remarkable similarities, from Fleming's scheme to capture a German naval codebook that appears in Thunderball as Plan Omega, to the exploits of 30 Assault Unit, the commando team he helped to create, which inspired Moonraker.
Hardcover
Published August 3, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 2, 2021
Note: My actual rating is three and a half stars. Since Goodreads doesn’t allow half-stars, I’ve rounded up to four. I received this book in exchange for a review but have no relations with the author or publisher.
If you are looking for a history of Ian Fleming’s war years, and a demonstration of how much they influenced the creation of James Bond and his adventures, then this book is exactly what you needed. Mark Simmons is a former commando, much like those overseen by Fleming during the war, and his command of military knowledge is impeccable.
During WWII Fleming served as the assistant to the director of Naval Intelligence and thus was too valuable, and knew too much, to be sent into battle. On several occasions he endured considerable risk, but heavily fictionalized TV films and series have presented him as a proto-Bond action hero. The truth is more complex and interesting, as proved by Simmons.
Unlike many books on Bond, this one is deeply researched and has an impressive bibliography—not just secondary sources but also archival ones. I realized I was in safe hands after seeing how much material was directly sourced from the National Archives, private papers, and Admiralty records. For example, to demonstrate how Fleming inspired Operation Mincemeat, Simmons quotes directly from the “Trout memo” of Fleming’s ideas.
Being a serious work on Fleming, this book draws on the classic biographies by John Pearson and Andrew Lycett. If you’ve read both you might not find earthshaking discoveries, but you will appreciate many new and welcome details. For instance, did you know the wartime tunnels dug into Gibraltar inspired Dr. No’s complex in Crab Key?
Simmons starts with Fleming’s recruitment by naval intelligence and then gives a pre-war history of the Naval Intelligence Division, which is slightly padded but remains informative. Ensuing chapters cover Fleming’s pursuit of Admiral Darlan, his part in the British evacuation of Bordeaux, and his role in Operation Golden Eye, a stay-behind sabotage and intelligence-gathering operation intended for Spain if the Nazis invaded.
Chapter 6 discusses Fleming’s proposal for "Operation Ruthless," a Bondian ruse to obtain German naval codebooks by hijacking a German rescue plane. Simmons links this to the plane hijack in "Thunderball," but that idea was Kevin McClory’s, not Fleming’s. Next comes a somewhat padded account of the Rudolf Hess Affair (which Fleming ultimately had little to do with). Simmons repeats the claim, first made by John Pearson, that Aleister Crowley was the inspiration for Le Chiffre, the first Bond villain. Further chapters cover Fleming’s experience in Portugal’s Estoril Casino (inspiration for the card games in "Casino Royale") and his dealings with William S. Stephenson and Wild Bill Donovan. The exact contents of the document Fleming wrote for Donovan, rumored to be the blueprint of the CIA, remains unknown.
Later chapters cover the British defense of Gibraltar, including Operation Tracer (which may have inspired "From A View to a Kill") and the sabotage activities of the Italian Navy’s X MAS division (an inspiration for "Live And Let Die" and "Thunderball"). Simmons also covers Fleming’s observation of the Dieppe raid and the activities of the 30AU (Royal Marines Assault Unit) overseen by Fleming, including its capture of an Enigma machine (model for the similar cipher machine in "From Russia With Love"). We also learn about Fleming supervising the compilation of a “Black Book” of intelligence targets and we receive a detailed breakdown of all the parts of "Casino Royale" that were inspired by Fleming’s wartime experiences and knowledge.
There are two appendices. The first, “James Bond Books and Their Second World War Content,” consists of already -divulged information, aside from three exceptions that should be sourced. The second, “Other Writers of Bond Books and Their Books” is completely irrelevant and should have been cut.
Simmons points out that Bond has more in common with a Special Operations Executive operative than a member of the Special Intelligence Service. Bond was influenced by various men of action like Merlin Minshall, Peter Fleming (Ian’s brother), Biffy Dunderdale, Buster Crabb, Dusko Popov, Peter Smithers, Dunstan Curtis, and Patrick Dalzel-Job. Simmons discusses all of them but correctly concludes that any hunt for a “real James Bond” is a “fruitless quest,” especially since Bond shared so much with Fleming himself.
Unlike Fleming, Simmons is not an elegant author. Sometimes he’s downright awkward, especially in transitional sentences and paragraphs. He has trouble making smooth segues from WWII facts to the Bond books, even when there are relevant connections. This gives a nearly free-associational quality to the occasional pile-ups of disconnected paragraphs. At other times he lapses into excessive summaries of entire novels or induces a one-fact-after-another feeling. The book features a large cast of characters and walk-ons, but Simmons doesn’t always make it easy for the reader to keep up. His indisputable command of detail is compromised by the faulty organization of it. He has also been let down by the editors at The History Press, who evidently have better things to do than proofreading or catching factual errors (pre-1917 Russian troops are referred to as “Soviets”).
These flaws do not prevent "Ian Fleming’s War" from being the most comprehensive account of Fleming’s military service. Simmons proves without a doubt that Bond really was a creature of World War II; without it he wouldn’t exist. Simmons also demonstrates how genuinely creative Fleming was—contrary to more sensationalist accounts, Bond and his adventures were not simply handed to Fleming by reality. Instead, an odd assortment of incidents and characters was given transformative unity and life by the richness and force of the author’s imagination—in the manner of all works of enduring fiction.
If you are looking for a history of Ian Fleming’s war years, and a demonstration of how much they influenced the creation of James Bond and his adventures, then this book is exactly what you needed. Mark Simmons is a former commando, much like those overseen by Fleming during the war, and his command of military knowledge is impeccable.
During WWII Fleming served as the assistant to the director of Naval Intelligence and thus was too valuable, and knew too much, to be sent into battle. On several occasions he endured considerable risk, but heavily fictionalized TV films and series have presented him as a proto-Bond action hero. The truth is more complex and interesting, as proved by Simmons.
Unlike many books on Bond, this one is deeply researched and has an impressive bibliography—not just secondary sources but also archival ones. I realized I was in safe hands after seeing how much material was directly sourced from the National Archives, private papers, and Admiralty records. For example, to demonstrate how Fleming inspired Operation Mincemeat, Simmons quotes directly from the “Trout memo” of Fleming’s ideas.
Being a serious work on Fleming, this book draws on the classic biographies by John Pearson and Andrew Lycett. If you’ve read both you might not find earthshaking discoveries, but you will appreciate many new and welcome details. For instance, did you know the wartime tunnels dug into Gibraltar inspired Dr. No’s complex in Crab Key?
Simmons starts with Fleming’s recruitment by naval intelligence and then gives a pre-war history of the Naval Intelligence Division, which is slightly padded but remains informative. Ensuing chapters cover Fleming’s pursuit of Admiral Darlan, his part in the British evacuation of Bordeaux, and his role in Operation Golden Eye, a stay-behind sabotage and intelligence-gathering operation intended for Spain if the Nazis invaded.
Chapter 6 discusses Fleming’s proposal for "Operation Ruthless," a Bondian ruse to obtain German naval codebooks by hijacking a German rescue plane. Simmons links this to the plane hijack in "Thunderball," but that idea was Kevin McClory’s, not Fleming’s. Next comes a somewhat padded account of the Rudolf Hess Affair (which Fleming ultimately had little to do with). Simmons repeats the claim, first made by John Pearson, that Aleister Crowley was the inspiration for Le Chiffre, the first Bond villain. Further chapters cover Fleming’s experience in Portugal’s Estoril Casino (inspiration for the card games in "Casino Royale") and his dealings with William S. Stephenson and Wild Bill Donovan. The exact contents of the document Fleming wrote for Donovan, rumored to be the blueprint of the CIA, remains unknown.
Later chapters cover the British defense of Gibraltar, including Operation Tracer (which may have inspired "From A View to a Kill") and the sabotage activities of the Italian Navy’s X MAS division (an inspiration for "Live And Let Die" and "Thunderball"). Simmons also covers Fleming’s observation of the Dieppe raid and the activities of the 30AU (Royal Marines Assault Unit) overseen by Fleming, including its capture of an Enigma machine (model for the similar cipher machine in "From Russia With Love"). We also learn about Fleming supervising the compilation of a “Black Book” of intelligence targets and we receive a detailed breakdown of all the parts of "Casino Royale" that were inspired by Fleming’s wartime experiences and knowledge.
There are two appendices. The first, “James Bond Books and Their Second World War Content,” consists of already -divulged information, aside from three exceptions that should be sourced. The second, “Other Writers of Bond Books and Their Books” is completely irrelevant and should have been cut.
Simmons points out that Bond has more in common with a Special Operations Executive operative than a member of the Special Intelligence Service. Bond was influenced by various men of action like Merlin Minshall, Peter Fleming (Ian’s brother), Biffy Dunderdale, Buster Crabb, Dusko Popov, Peter Smithers, Dunstan Curtis, and Patrick Dalzel-Job. Simmons discusses all of them but correctly concludes that any hunt for a “real James Bond” is a “fruitless quest,” especially since Bond shared so much with Fleming himself.
Unlike Fleming, Simmons is not an elegant author. Sometimes he’s downright awkward, especially in transitional sentences and paragraphs. He has trouble making smooth segues from WWII facts to the Bond books, even when there are relevant connections. This gives a nearly free-associational quality to the occasional pile-ups of disconnected paragraphs. At other times he lapses into excessive summaries of entire novels or induces a one-fact-after-another feeling. The book features a large cast of characters and walk-ons, but Simmons doesn’t always make it easy for the reader to keep up. His indisputable command of detail is compromised by the faulty organization of it. He has also been let down by the editors at The History Press, who evidently have better things to do than proofreading or catching factual errors (pre-1917 Russian troops are referred to as “Soviets”).
These flaws do not prevent "Ian Fleming’s War" from being the most comprehensive account of Fleming’s military service. Simmons proves without a doubt that Bond really was a creature of World War II; without it he wouldn’t exist. Simmons also demonstrates how genuinely creative Fleming was—contrary to more sensationalist accounts, Bond and his adventures were not simply handed to Fleming by reality. Instead, an odd assortment of incidents and characters was given transformative unity and life by the richness and force of the author’s imagination—in the manner of all works of enduring fiction.
August 25, 2021
Simmons guides the reader through the World War 2 of the creator of the James Bond novels; Ian Fleming. As its subtitle suggests, Simmons examines how Fleming's war experiences helped him to create the fictional spy. For example, the V2 rocket was the inspiration for Moonraker.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2021
Features a deep dive into British data finding, Fleming is a stockbroker so he is wrangled into the info service (risk management). He visits some locations and may have received special training. Ponders who may have been the source idea for Bond, compares his real life to book situations. Marry, writes some books. B/W images. Not hard to set down occasionally.
Mentions WWII situation mentions in books, mentions other authors. RIP.
Mentions WWII situation mentions in books, mentions other authors. RIP.
January 4, 2026
interesting life
An interesting read and a great explainer of the life Ian Fleming lead during WW2, which explains a lot of the influences behind the character of James Bond and the situations in the books.
An interesting read and a great explainer of the life Ian Fleming lead during WW2, which explains a lot of the influences behind the character of James Bond and the situations in the books.
December 2, 2025
Not very exciting
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews