This was a fascinating true story of espionage during WWII. I have added his earlier book to my "for later" list. I could not put it down, reading late into the night, despite having to get up early the next morning, taking every free moment I had to read a few more pages.

This book is about a strange, yet true, espionage plan England used to deceive Germany. England's plan involved using a dead body carrying falsified documents to misled Germany into thinking that they were going to attack Greece and Sardinia instead of the obvious target, Sicily. Some of the details of this plan seem so much like a spy novel that it is no surprise that some of those people who contributed to this plan wrote spy novels (including Ian Fleming).

 

I love reading about World War II and am especially fascinated to learn more about the espionage, and spying that went on during it. I am absolutely amazed at what England was able to pull off by using the dead body as a sort of spy. The elaborate planning of minute details of this plan was definitely interesting to read about.

 

I not only liked reading about the plan itself but I liked getting to read about those who developed and helped the plan succeed. Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley deserve recognition for all they have done for Operation Mincemeat. I also loved reading about Bill Jewell. I was holding my breath while reading the part about the beginning of the attack on Sicily. I felt so connected to him that I didn't want anything to happen to him. I would have loved to have met Derrick Leverton (and also his brother). I still can't believe that he was able to nap during the attack and drink some tea too. The guy just seems awesome.

 

If you are really interested in learning more about this crazy espionage plan that England pulled off I would recommend this book to you. Operation Mincemeat needs to be recognized for the great impact it had on WWII.

Apparently, whilst writing [b:Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal|655627|Agent Zigzag A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal|Ben Macintyre|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1320497271s/655627.jpg|846926], [a:Ben Macintyre|32137|Ben Macintyre|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1271482179p2/32137.jpg] became aware of this strange tale of espionage and deception. I read, and really enjoyed, [a:Ben Macintyre|32137|Ben Macintyre|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1271482179p2/32137.jpg]'s Agent Zigzag in April 2013, and so didn't need much convincing to read this book too. It's not as entertaining and compelling as Agent Zigzag, however, whilst not quite as gripping, it is a story of huge significance to the way the Second World War played out. It saved lives, shortened the war's duration, and quite possibly changed the outcome. It's well worth reading

The book is full of fascinating facts about spying and deception. Using creativity, opportunity, imagination and wish-fulfilment, a cast of characters - many bizarre, idiosyncratic and eccentric - work up a fascinating tale which they hope will deceive the Nazis. It worked, and travelled from a bunker in London, to a submarine in Scotland, to the coast of Spain, and then on to Germany, finally arriving at Hitler's desk. There are many wonderful aspects to this book, highlights for me included the psychological second guessing; the shambolic nature of Germany's spying operations; the different factions at work in wartime Spain; the delicate subterfuge required by the British in the know, to convince the Germans the documents were important, whilst trying (not too hard) to retrieve them and allowing them the opportunity to get access.

The book contains some remarkable characters too, these include a British establishment Table Tennis-loving Soviet spy, explorers and adventurers, a cross-dressing Colonel, a Jewish Nazi, a German aristocrat deliberately misleading Hitler a pompous pathologist, a Welsh tramp, a racing driver, a submarine captain, and many many more. Were there more eccentrics in those days?

[a:Ben Macintyre|32137|Ben Macintyre|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1271482179p2/32137.jpg] is a consumate story teller, and as with Agent Zigzag, he tells this tale with skill, verve, and wit, and really brings the story to life, by weaving together private documents, photographs, memories, letters, diaries, and most significantly newly released material from the intelligence files of MI5. The story of Operation Mincemeat has been told before however this version is unquestionably definitive.

I am now inspired to continue to read more of Ben Macintyre's work. If you have any interest in the Second World War, spying and espionage, and/or history, then you should get a lot out of this book.

Audacious world war II plan to deceive the Germans about the invasion of Southern Europe

When a dead man becomes a highly effective spy, fools the enemy and helps win a war with the world in the balance, well, that sounds like something James Bond writer Ian Fleming would concoct. Oh wait, he did.

To be specific (and more correct), Operation Mincemeat, a plan devised by Britain's intelligence agency MI5 to convince Germany that a southern attack on Europe via the Mediterranean by Allied forces, was signed off on by Fleming, one of many in Britain's spy ring.

Though Fleming may not have been top dog, he was what drove me to this bizarre tale. Certainly, there was an interest in the story itself, but I also wanted to hear about those familiar names of history, literature and even the culinary arts (even tv chef Julia Child did her bit for secret service during WWII) that had a hand - underhandedly - in taking down the Axis powers. Ben Macintyre provides plenty of background information on these shadows. With the declassification of files, writer's like Macintyre are able to cast light on the actions of agents for both sides, and some of it is as exciting as any fiction you'll ever read!

Those of you into WWII spy craft may be familiar with Macintyre's other relatively popular work on the subject, Agent Zigzag. As of the writing of this review, I haven't gotten around to reading that one yet, but if it's as competently and enticingly written as Operation Mincement I'll be on it like a tail that can't be shaken.