Germany's Spies and Saboteurs [Paperback]

David Allen Johnson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1998

While both the FBI and British Intelligence claimed that no acts of espionage or sabotage took place in their respective countries during World War II, David Allen Johnson proves them both wrong. Germany's Spies & Sabateurs is a Compilation cloak-and-dagger tales describing the actions of the Abwehr, a German intelligence agency charged with the task of gathering information for the Nazi war effort while disrupting the Allied homeworlds. Some of the stories the author has gathered include:
-- How the Nazis recruited members of the IRA to carry out acts of sabotage in Britain
-- How a German agent infiltrated the U.S. embassy in London, intercepting letters between Roosevelt and Churchill and sending them to Berlin
-- How agents in South America kept the Germans apprised of Allied naval' activities in the Caribbean and South Atlantic
-- How German spies routinely infiltrated the U.S. and Britain from German submarines lurking close offshore under the cover of darkness

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Motorbooks Intl (May 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760305471
• ISBN-13: 978-0760305478
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,890,326 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Contains a different side of the story of espionage, September 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Germany's Spies and Saboteurs (Paperback)

This book seems like it is not a typical documentation of spying and sabateuring as most government and FBI files have publicized to America. It seems to be the "untold" story. A plus for this book is that it presents not only it's perspective upon the spy stories, but others' perspectives as well. Johnson chooses the stories well and alternates between different stories throughout the book, and thus held my interest.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The little known spy war in the United States in WWII., October 29, 2005

By 

Kevin M Quigg (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Germany's Spies and Saboteurs (Paperback)

This is my second book I have read by this author. It was an OK read and dealt with the little known spy and saboteur war in the United States and Great Britain in World War II. I did not know much about this war and how the Germans waged it. This book informed me of the war.

There was some interesting facts in this book. One was how the Germans conspired with the IRA and Ukrainian nationalists in the sabotage war in both countries. The IRA certainly helped the Germans in their use of explosives on both civilian and military sites. The other facts about the U Boat landings in the United States shed light on the use of saboteurs on the war industries. Some other recent books have dealt with some of these episodes.

One criticism I have of this author is that he tends to repeat himself in his writings. I believe he does this to make sure the reader gets his point. I'm not sure all the material he footnotes can be trusted and so his method of repeating himself is his way to make sure the reader believes what he thinks. I think he should let the facts stand by themselves.

This is an informative short read. There are probably better reads out there on this subject.

3.0 out of 5 stars Double and triple crossing in the second world war., March 22, 2000

By 

John Barry Kenyon - See all my reviews

This review is from: Germany's Spies and Saboteurs (Paperback)

The received view about German saboteurs in US and in UK is that they were all captured soon after arrival on foreign soil, then executed or turned into double agents The author makes out a fair case that this was far from the truth. The most interesting case is perhaps that of Hans Hansen who parachuted into England in 1940 and appears to have fooled British Intelligence right up to 1945. There are also some intriguing accounts in the book about nazi spies in Latin America, the IRA connection with the Abwehr and the double dealing of FBI director J Edgar Hoover who continually overstated his own success. One caution: the bibliography contains only secondary sources. An excellent read rather than a work of scholarship.