Counterfeit Hero: Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy [Hardcover]

Art Ronnie (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1995

Duquesne's 20th century heroics were as counterfeit as the medals he wore, but his incredibly colorful life was filled with drama, danger, and high adventure.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 390 pages
• Publisher: Naval Institute Press (August 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1557507333
• ISBN-13: 978-1557507334
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #170,598 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Counterfeit Hero:Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy, June 19, 2000

By 

Thomas Allen "Tom" - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Counterfeit Hero: Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy (Hardcover)

The title of this book: *Counterfeit Hero Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy* describes the incredible life of Frederick (Fritz) Joubert Duquesne (pronounced Doo-Cain). Fritz as his friends called him, was a bon vivant , stockbroker, prisoner of war, womanizer, confidence man, reporter, novelist, African hunting adviser to Teddy Roosevelt, and publicist for Joseph P. Kennedy's movie company, and above all, spy or saboteur for the Germans in both world wars. This is an exciting book that was painstakingly researched by the author Art Ronnie. Ronnie presents the reader with a depiction of a complex man of many facets.

The Boar war in South Africa was the contorting factor in Fritz Duquesne adventurous life and explains his Anglophobia. His Boar patriotism lead to his "forty-year career as a professional spy and a counterfeit hero-a man who would constantly reinvent himself to suit the needs of the moment." He was always living on the edge of destruction. Never holding a steady job for long and invariably needing money. He lived by wits alone to survive in the nebulous world of espionage.

Fritz always, despite lack of money, liked to associate and recount Münchausen adventures with the socially elite in his travels around the world. Both friend and foe have attested to his skill as a raconteur. Yet, there was always some truth in what he recounted. That is the main problem with this book, trying to separate fact from fiction.

Thankfully, the author, Art Ronnie, serves as a guide through a chaotic quagmire of lies and deceit that had been promulgated by Fritz and his friends. The author engages the reader with information and then carefully evaluates it and gives his opinion when there are not any corroborating facts. Conversely, when supporting facts refutes statements given by participants, the author is quick to give correct assessments to the narrative.

The real Fritz Duquesne harbored a hatred of England that caused him to offer his services as spy and saboteur to Imperial Germany during the first world war. There is solid evidence that Fritz and a group of saboteurs were responsible for the destruction of the British merchant ship Tennyson. On 21 February 1916 an explosion and fire in the hold of that ship caused the death of three sailors and beached the ship. There is inferential evidence that he was the prime leader in other acts of German espionage and sabotage against England in South America from 1914 to 1916.

British Intelligence, after the Tennyson sabotage, were always trying to capture or have Fritz extradited to England. In order to elude the British, he retured to the United States in May 1916 to join his wife in New York. The United States at this time was neutral, and Fritz believed he would have a better chance in American courts of excaping extradition if he was discovered. He was later arrested by New York police masquerading as an Australian Captain lecturing on the Great War. He was eventually successful in excaping extradition to England by faking insanity then paralysis, and finally escaping from Bellevue hospital to freedom.

In 1935, Fritz Duquesne, 58 years old, (living in New York) was recruited by Major Nikolaus Ritter of the German Abwehr (military intelligence) for espionage against the United States and Britain. Fritz was eventually apprehended and prosecuted along with other members of the largest espionage ring (1940-41) in the history of the United States. The information that Fritz passed to the Nazis can best be recounted by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris (Chief of Geman military intelligence) who said that Duquesne:

`delivered valuable reports and important technical materials in the original, including U.S. gas masks, radio control apparatus, leakproof fuel tanks, television instruments, small bombs for airplanes, various airplanes, air separators, and propeller-driving mechanisms.'

There is a minor error in the factural information that Ronnie presents on pages 270-271 about Fritz's use of invisible ink. The author states that "Invisible ink was a great favorite. He used wax paper instead of carbon paper to type out secret messages. Dusting what appeared to be blank wax paper with graphite brought out the message." Delete the word "wax" between blank and paper corrects the sentence. Fritz used ordinary wax paper, as a carbon, that is purchased from grocery stores to wrap food. There are other minor errors in the book but they do not detract from an excellent job of research and exposition.

The sad part of this narrative is the incarceration of Fritz in 1942 at the age of 65 in Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary in Kansas. He was mistreated and beaten by other inmates. He was eventually released (last member of the Ritter spy ring) because of deteriorating health on 19 September 1954. He arrived in New York only to die indigent at age 79 on 24 May 1956 at City hospital on Welfare Island. The author Art Ronnie sums it up when he says: "He was no hero, but his incredible life encompassing bizarre exploits of drama, danger,and adventure few people are privileged to live."

The book has an excellent bibliography with primary sources and should be in everyones library of espionage books of World War 11.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Boer War veteran and spy, March 2, 2011

By 

Brakkenjan "Huguenot" (Baghdad, Iraq) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Counterfeit Hero: Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy (Hardcover)

Well researched and well written, this account of an obscure figure in the Boer War, WW 1 and WW 2 history, made for very interesting reading. South African Boer War historians rarely mention the man, and, although there is some proof that he fought on the Boer side, there is very little proof of the rest of his claims. I would not be surprised if it turns out he was, in fact, one of the many European volunteers who came to South Africa before and during the war. (Duquesne is not on the definitive list of 109 South African Huguenot surnames.)

My great-grandfather, Pieter Theron, was a POW on Bermuda at the same time as Fritz. He must have noticed and even known such a vocal and egotistical man.

It would have been great to hear what he would make of the character.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Looks like a great book, June 16, 2010

By 

T.E. - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Counterfeit Hero: Fritz Duquesne, Adventurer and Spy (Hardcover)

I received this book in better than advertised condition and the rest of the book is not much different...exceeds all expectations.