Customer Reviews

The Women Who Lived for Danger: The Agents of the Special Operations Executive

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"They flirted with men...and with death!"
"Sky-Girl spied for 7 Months"
"No plane so Spy Girl died"
"All these unknown young girls have proved one thing forever. The toughest tests of courage and endurance faced by men can be passed with honor by women."

Marcus Binney introduces the reader to 10 young, bold, brilliant and fascinating women recruited to go behind enemy lines, passing themselves off as ordinary citizens, and leading normal lives-in constant danger of arrest and execution. At a time when survival didn't just require physical toughness, but the ability to live a cover story that could hold up under the toughest interrogation, women simply excelled. They were not commandos with masterful martial arts moves, nor modern Bond girls-this was an age when young women wouldn't bicycle for fear of bulky muscular thighs-they were simply charismatic and brilliant and displayed cool courage, intelligence, and adaptability in every situation-passing themselves off as country wenches by afternoon and chic Parisiennes by night. Putting country, and service to Britain and the Allied forces above all concerns for personal safety-they organized dropping grounds for explosives destined for the Resistance; helped operate escape lines for pilots shot down over Europe, and provided the Allies with vital intelligence.

This book is addictive, inspiring, and well worth ordering and sharing with the other women in your life.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book with regard to the female agents of the Special Operations Executive; if anything, I did not want it to end but be more detailed. For someone who is beginning research into the subject, it is an excellent source to begin for some of the top agent names and leads via the sources / bibliography. Other famous agents such as Odette Sanson or Nancy Wake aka the White Mouse are not covered, but one of the most famous and well known agents, Violette Szabo is covered by a chapter. Other books to recommend would be We Landed by Moonlight by a top SOE pilot Hugh Verity,SOE in France by M.R.D. Foot,and Between Silk and Cyanide; Leo Marks.

The sacrifices made by these brave individuals should never be forgotten.

Marcus Binney's book is a wonderful introductory book for anybody wanting information on women involved in espionage during WWII. These are remarkable stories about remarkable women, and a part of WWII history which is rarely covered. The book gives a quick introduction to 10 women who were important to these efforts, along with a glimpse of what they went through to prepare for their missions and the price they sometimes paid. If you want to learn about the women of the OSS, this is a great place to start, before delving into the longer volumes dedicated to the individual women (notably Violet Szabo, Virginia Hall and Vera Atkins).

The stories of ten women who were air-dropped behind enemy lines in WWII to work as secret agents for the British Special Operations Executive, this book seems at first glance to be full of tasty tales of bold women and their daring exploits. Unfortunately, while the author may be an acclaimed historian, he's not a terribly good writer. The juicy nuggets excerpted from case files are encased in layers of clunky prose, making the reading less exciting and more just plain hard work. A better writer could have woven the facts into gripping narrative threads; I hope that better writer will come along and do this amazing material justice.

While I'm just starting this book, I know it will be a good read. Excellent condition and arrived in a timely manner.

A fascinating volume of ten short accounts of the women agents ,who infiltrated France and other parts of Europe, of the Special Operations Executive, which was formed by Winston Churchill in 1940 to 'set Europe ablaze'
Trained to use weapons, fluent in French, trained to pose as chic Parisiennes by night and country woman by the day, these valiant, beautiful, dedicated and intelligent women endured, danger, deprivation, torture and sometimes death at the hands of the Gestapo, SS and SD as well as the French collaborationist police, and contributed greatly to the war effort of Britain to defeat Nazism
Gripping and informative. Some really interesting facts about espionage during World War II.The author conducted interviews and used the official documents which adds authenticity to this volume.

He recounts that it was the 'highly intelligent sensitive'women who endured torture best, not the 'tough guys'.
People who had been tortured revealed that it was the 'smaller things' such as puling out of death or nails, not the beatings, hangings by the wrists, electric shocks or near drownings, which made them semi-conscious after a time.
Most agreed if you could endure the first quarter of an hour without talking you probably wouldn't talk at all.

The biographies of such women as Christina Granville, Violette Szabo, Noor Inayat Khan and Paola Del Din, what motivated them, what made them effective as agents and what they endured is a valuable\ insight into understanding both the espionage during the Second World War and the role of espionage in that war.
In today's fight against terror and Islamo-Nazism, the heroism of new men and women will be required and revealed
Carve their name in gold