The Man Who Never Was (Oxford Paperbacks) [Paperback]

Ewen Montagu (Author), Alan Stripp (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 12, 1996 | Series: Oxford Paperbacks

This text provides an insider account of the counter-intelligence operation (Operation Mincemeat) which paved the way for the Allied invasion of Sicily during World War II. It outlines the audacious and innovative plot to outwit the Germans by washing up a dead body on Spanish shores complete with apparently confidential information concealed about its person. Surprising and often amusing difficulties were faced in creating a new life and persona for "the man who never was", but as the new introduction to the book shows, the operation was a phenomenal success.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...a splendid read about the most curious scheme of World War II." --Nautical Magazine, February 2004 --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

During the Second World War, Ewen Montagu ran a highly secret sub-branch of the naval intelligence division at the Admiralty handling counter-espionage. He was present at the W board, the informal committee that ran the most secret intelligence war, and sat as the naval member of the XX committee which supervised the playing-back of captured Abwehr agents. At the end of the war he returned to law, becoming judge advocate of the fleet in 1945. In addition to The Man Who Never Was, he also published Beyond Top Secret U, a war autobiography explaining how much of his work had depended on the deciphering done at Bletchley Park

Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (September 12, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0192853228
• ISBN-13: 978-0192853226
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,832,571 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars First hand account of a brilliant espionage campaign, July 19, 2002

By 

A. Woodley "Patroness, Janeites, the Austen list" (New Zealand) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man Who Never Was: World War II's Boldest Counter-Intelligence Operation (Paperback)

Modern novellists would never have thought of this simple yet highly complicated plan to deceive the Germans during World War II. This book is written by Ewen Montagu who actually undertook the whole operation. Due to the fact of its high secrecy it could not first be revealed until the Mid-1950's when the first edition came out. Even then the full story could not be told for one of the other great secrets of WWII (the fact that the British had cracked the German code 'Engima') meant that the progress of the deception was monitored throughout its progress.

The deception was simple - dump a body with highly secret documents in a place where the Germans will be party to the find. Make it so convincing that they will take the bait. This was to mislead the Germans over the true place where the allies wanted to land (Sicily) so getting them to fortify another part of South Eastern Europe instead - the Dodecanese and Sardinia. It was a plan to save lives - as many allied lives as possible by reducing German resistance. And it worked - beautifully.

This book by Montagu gives us the absolute inside story with all the twists and turns to how the idea was conceived and how it was implemented. And for such a simple idea it was of course relatively complicated to implement. How to find an appropriately dead body to dump - where to dump it - how to make sure the Germans would find it without being suspicious of the material and so on. All very fascinating stuff and makes for a good, quick and easy read - it is very well-written and if nothing else is such an amazing story it is hard to put down.

This story is well publicised now - it has been the subject of at least one film and one documentary in the "Secrets of World War II" series, however it is nothing like information straight from the horses mouth to make you appreciate what it was all about.

My conclusion - Relatively short book but highly readable and very well worthwhile picking up even if your interest isn't in the arena of either War or World War II.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The British deception before the Sicily landing in WWII., June 23, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Man Who Never Was (Oxford Paperbacks) (Paperback)

The book tells the story how British Intelligence decided to mislead the Nazis in 1943 about where the next landing in the Mediterranean would occur. The original story was that they waited until a young man died of pneumonia, so he would have fluid in the lungs as cause of death. In fact, he was an unclaimed homeless man who died from eating rat poison. A submarine slipped his body into the sea off Spain, making it look like he was a Royal Marine officer and courier, and a victim of an offshore airplane crash. This was done near a town with a known active Nazi agent. The brief case he was carrying falsely showed that the Allies would invade Greece, not Sicily. The Nazi agent was allowed to see his papers which showed a coming landing in Greece. The movie has King George himself meet with the family to convince them to give over the body, missing burial with his family. In reality, the man eventually was buried with military honors in Spain. Since the original book was published, a new edition has appeared (Oxford University Press, 1996). We have learned that the first edition would never have been written had not a novel appeared in 1950 with substantially the same plot. The new (1996) edition reveals approval by the Twenty Committee in charge of these projects (Twenty = XX = double cross). The new introduction also reveals the British monitored the progress of the deception using Ultra. In the original edition, the one who conceived the operation was "George." Now it can be revealed that it was created by a lowly Flight-Lieutenant, Charles Cholmondeley, and carried out by the author, who later became chief judicial officer of the Royal Navy. The deception was a success. The Nazis did move some forces away from Sicily. Even two weeks into the invasion of Sicily, the Germans were still believing the main attack would be in Greece. It is a great read on how long it takes to put together a successful deception, and the great risks as wel! l. If it had failed, the Nazis would have known for sure the invasion would be in Sicily. The benefit was Nazi forces sat in Greece waiting for an invasion that never came.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A man that did more than he will ever know., December 21, 2008

By 

C. R. Harris "Richard" (Memphis, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews

These were desperate times during WWII. Operations in Africa were just beginning to turn in favor of the British forces. The allied forces needed some good fortune before the ensuing invasion of France, is executed, "Operation Overlord". Some how some way a situation was needed to draw forces away from the coast of Normandy. A plan was conceived and it was called "Operation Mincemeat".

This is a true story. The author, Ewen Montagu, was the main instigator of the plan. The style of Montagu allows the plot to slowly unfold while adhering to the main facts. There are times when you will see the raw emotions of all of the characters in the team revealed. This can be seen in both men and women assigned to the task and will range from elation to doubt to sadness. There will be times when the team struggles with the morale issues that face them in carrying out the details of the operation. But it is the overall good that will come if the operation is successful. Its knowing that success is possible which drives the team to complete all the necessary tasks and that every detail is flawless which will ensure the operation's success while pushing the envelope of human ingenuity.

The reader will be presented with documentary and photographic evidence of the German reaction to "Operation Mincemeat". For those who find history boring, this book will be the exception. Montagu allows the story to unfold like a mystery. It will keep the reader dangling with suspense as to how the plot and all of the subplots are revealed.