Double Cross: The True Story of the D-Day Spies

Double Cross, by Ben Macintyre, is an unusual World War II story. It is the true and incredible story of how five Allied double agent spies working for the British Security Service, better known as MI5, fooled the Nazis into thinking the D-Day invasion, the biggest amphibious invasion of all time, would take place in a location that it would not take place. This deception, made by the Double Cross agents, the MI5 double agent section, was the most sophisticated and successful deception operation ever to take place. This book was very strong in the detail and interest departments, but weak in the department of being able to appeal to a large audience and was confusing at times. Despite this, I found Double Cross to be very good because of its interesting topic and extensive details. This book was, overall, very well written because it was interesting. The abundant little facts and details draw in the reader. Ben Macintyre uses these facts to make the reader better understand who the spies were and how they were able to make D-Day a victory, despite the odds against them. The reader learns that these spies were not the typical James Bond or Mission Impossible type. They had basic intelligence receiving and transmitting training, very different motivations for participating in the war, and they came from all over the world. “For the D-Day spies were, without question, one of the oddest military units ever assembled. They included a bisexual Peruvian playgirl, a tiny Polish fighter pilot, a mercurial Frenchwoman, a Serbian seducer, and a deeply eccentric Spaniard with a diploma in chicken farming” (5). They did not know martial arts and were not licensed to kill. Their roles were to plant lies into Hitler and the rest of Nazi Germany’s brains to make them the most unprepared for the D-Day invasion. Ben Macintyre does a very good job of making this story interesting and unique. Though Double Cross was a very good book, it has a couple problems. The first of which is not too much of a problem and is quite obvious. This book is intended to be interesting to a select audience, which is okay if the reader is part of this group. The story is very interesting, but not exciting, meaning the author expects that the reader is interested in espionage stories and World War II stories, and the details chosen show that. They make the book interesting to people who like the topic. The book would seem very boring to a reader not interested in World War II history. If this type of reader were to read, Double Cross, I can predict that they will think this book drags on forever. It would also be more confusing to any reader not interested in the topic. These assumptions of the author and the book are reasonable because the book would not have been as good without it. People like me, who love World War II stories, would not find the book as interesting. The second minor problem is that Double Cross gets a little confusing at times. It was clear that this book was going to be a bit confusing because of the complexity of the story, which is okay because it is a true story and is told how it happened. Ben Macintyre, did however, do a very good job of making the story as clear as possible. The story follows five Allied Forces spies which causes confusion at the beginning. It was easy to mix up their names and code names at the start of the book, but was no longer a problem by the middle of the book. The story also has a few important things to remember and can cause confusion if the reader forgets them. The story is also confusing to the reader because it is partially what the story is about. The spies had to confuse and deceive the Germans. Readers who are not interested in the topic will find the book to be more confusing than readers who like it. This is because non interested readers will be more prone to forget key elements and will cause the book to not make sense. Readers who like the book will be able to deal with the confusing bits and find that everything makes sense by the end. To conclude on Double Cross, it was very detailed, had an engaging topic, and will only appeal to those with an interest in the Second World War. Double Cross, in my opinion, was a fascinating book. I loved the extensive detail about this historical series of events. It feels like Ben Macintyre picked apart everything that happened and explained it. It shows how much work he must have put into writing this book to make it the best and most historically accurate as possible. I expected to learn about how the Allies were able to make the Normandy invasion a very possible success before it even happened. My expectation were very much met in this book and I am happy to have read it because of the historical significance of it. I however, would like to reiterate that anyone who does not find interest in espionage and World War II should stay away from this book.

This is a new account of the famous Double Cross system under which German spies in England were immediately turned to work for the Allies. Contrary to the author's assertion that this story has never been told, I have a whole shelf of books which all include this material. DOUBLE CROSS however adds a level of personal detail I have never heard. Not surprisingly the overall narrative matches well with previous accounts of this operation, but the lives and conversations of many individual participants are covered. As I read this I kept wondering where he got all this minutia. I'm betting he made most of it up, or extrapolated small tidbits into whole chapters. I did enjoy the book, and will tentatively allow that it may all be accurate, but if I'm ever on Jeopardy I won't base my answers on this book.

I found this nonfiction story of the D Day spies and double/triple spies very interesting. It was hard to put down. I found it a little difficult to follow the names and code names of each spy if I put the book down for a few days. I highly recommend it. It's especially interesting to see how terrible the Nazis were at developing their own spies and losing their spies as some became double agents for the Allies. And then the Nazis stupidly believed the crap the double spies were feeding them, which ended up saving lives for the Allies. Brazo for the British spy chiefs.

Macintyre deftly weaves an intriguing tale about intrigue that heavily shaped the D-day invasion in World War II. Double Cross tells the amazing story of a motely group of double agents that the German’s thought were feeding them critical information about the Allies but each of the agents was skillfully controlled by the British. Impressively, a small group of British counter-intelligence experts ran the group as a coordinated effort called the Double Cross program. The scope and scale of the effectiveness of their efforts is mindboggling. At the program’s peak the Double Cross team used each agent like a different instrument in an ensemble to craft a sweet tune to which the Germans swayed. Macintyre brings the story to life by delving into each of the cadre of characters on both sides of the grift. In particular it is fascinating to learn so much about the five key agents, their background, how they ended up as spies and then how they excelled and in a couple of cases stumbled, under the pressures of the program. Macintyre is a gifted writer who is accessible and enjoyable to read. My one slight struggle with the book was attempting to keep straight the cast of characters initially. Macintyre attempts to introduce each of them briefly and then return and flesh them out. In time, as the reader you are able to keep straight the mass of characters but initially it is a little daunting. That minor foible aside, the book is filled with insight and gives great color and analysis to an important, and little appreciated, part of World War II history. Hilariously, some of the Double Cross agents were awarded medals by the Germans for their service (even an Iron Cross). At the end of the book, you’ll be so taken with the heroism of this rag tag group of double agents that you’ll want to award them a medal too.

Ben Macintyre has outdone himself, which is quite an accomplishment, in this exciting book on the thrilling espionage & counter-espionage that ultimate won WWII. great writing, great history, great everything.

Ben Macintyre has written what could prove to be the definitive account of the Double Cross system, operated by Britain's Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) during WW11, under which captured German spies were given a stark choice: collaborate with us against the Nazi regime or face execution or imprisonment. For most of those deemed suitable to be `turned' it was an offer they couldn't refuse. B1A Section of the SIS comprised a small collection of able individualists from many different walks of life who became a cohesive group under the brilliant leadership of TAR Robertson (aka Tar). The section was tasked with identifying German agents sent to operate in Britain, capturing them, and where practicable using them as `double' agents to feed misinformation to their German spymasters in order to impede the German war effort in various ways. Thanks to the work cryptographers at Bletchley Park the British had cracked the wireless codes used by the Abwehr and were able to monitor and decode their transmissions. Thus they were forewarned about every Abwehr agent despatched to Britain and were able to capture each and every one of them, without exception. Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in 1942, Germany declared war on the USA and America was inevitably drawn into the war in Europe. On the Eastern front the strategic balance was shifting in favour of the Red Army and in the West there was no doubt that an Allied landing on mainland Europe would occur; the relevant questions were `where' and `when'. Operation Bodyguard was an Allied initiative whose object was to deceive the Germans as to where and when the main thrust of the Allied invasion would occur and for as long as possible to tie up German troops in areas where it would not occur, thus saving innumerable Allied lives. (The name derived from a famous remark made by Churchill that in wartime the truth is so precious that it must be protected by a bodyguard of lies.) It was apparent to the Nazis that the main landings were bound to take place on the French coast and they had built their Atlantic Wall to counteract this threat. They believed the invasion would be attempted either in the Pas de Calais region or on the Normandy beaches. Tar Robertson was tasked with using his double agents to reinforce Hitler's belief that the main thrust would be at the Pas de Calais and not the Normandy beaches. His operation was code named Fortitude. It is well known that it was a brilliant piece of deception; not only did the Nazis believe Pas de Calais would be the focus of the invasion, they clung to this belief long after the D-Day landings - which took the Germans completely by surprise - were underway. Ben Macintyre is an excellent story-teller. He introduces us to the Double Cross system, to Tar Robertson and his team of British spymasters. We learn about the double agents - Artist, Brutus, Bronx, Garbo, Tricycle, Treasure, who played key roles in Operation Fortitude. We read about their German spymasters and the workings of the Abwehr. Much of the remainder of the book is concerned with the denouement of Operation Fortitude as the spies and their British handlers wove a tissue of believable lies to protect the secret of the D-Day landings. Macintyre's book is impeccably researched and I found it entertaining and utterly engrossing. Five stars.

This well written story based on the released documents of MI5 operations during World War two is quite extraordinary. It is all about personalities. The extraordinary character of the spies themselves and the equally extraordinary ability of MI5 case officers who managed them. I have often been struck by the narrow margin by which Britain prevailed over Germany in the Battle of Britain. This book provides insight to the circumstances by which the British confused the Third Reich, especially in preparation for the D-day landings. A remarkable record of deceit and cunning in the interests of survival. Highly recommended.

I love his books. Always historically accurate. The characters always come to life and paint the picture of complicated relationships, and the day to day challenges of human nature in war time events. The eccentric personalities required to execute a believable subterfuge. The assumptions needed to understand the enemy. Such a great story teller

I never thought that a story like this (totally unknown before) could actually catch my attention from the very first page to the last. A real eye opener to what actually happened during the days prior to D-Day.