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Michael Bloch

Operation Willi: The Nazi Plot to Kidnap the Duke of Windsor/July 1940 Hardcover – November 1, 1986

by Michael Bloch (Author)

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Print length

266 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Grove Pr
Publication date

November 1, 1986
ISBN-10

9781555840204
ISBN-13

978-1555840204
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The plot originated with Nazi foreign minister Ribbentrop, who convinced Hitler that the Duke of Windsor lost his throne because of his pro-German sympathies and would be delighted to recover it through collaboration with the Nazis. (Bloch, having examined the evidence, concludes that it is highly unlikely that the Duke "flirted" or "intrigued" with the Nazis.) The plan was to lure the Duke to Spain, invite him to collaborate, offer to restore him to the throne of Englandand ask the Spanish government to imprison him if he refused. But the men required to carry it out were either lukewarm or skeptical or incompetent, and, as Bloch notes, what was most surprising about the plot was not that it failed but that it got as far as it did. The conspiracy was nevertheless historically significant because Hitler's preoccupation with it was one of the factors causing him to delay his attack on Britain that summer, giving the British a chance to regroup their forces and survive. Photos.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1555840205
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Grove Pr; 1st American ed edition (November 1, 1986)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 266 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781555840204
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1555840204
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds

Best Sellers Rank: #2,804,885 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #29,221 in True Crime (Books)
- #137,388 in United States History (Books)

Customer Reviews:
19 ratings

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Midcentury Mike

A Valuable Resource Full of Insights

Reviewed in the United States on September 24, 2017

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Michael Bloch does a great job of documenting the people, places, and events surrounding the bizarre events that were part of this ill-conceived plot to recruit the Duke by hook or by crook as a Nazi propagandist. He presents actual written communications among the principals as well as offering his interpretations of the roles each played. While he is obviously pro-Duke, there is plenty of factual material from which to draw your own conclusions. It's a valuable resource that gives fascinating insights into the behind-the-scenes maneuvering among nations to pursue their own interests in a time when outcomes were far from certain.

One person found this helpful

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M. Schwinn

Reasonably Unbiased

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2016

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I subtracted a star for two reasons. First, Bloch is an admitted Windsor apologist. Second, the reader needs a scorecard to track the players in this convoluted plot. This wealth of detail is confusing but necessary, however, and Bloch does not gloss over the duke's blunders in this affair so that his final conclusions seem reasonable enough. Bloch's commentary alone makes for interesting reading.

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Amaxon Customer

One for the History Books

Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2013

In 1933, Hitler withdrew from the League of Nations; in 1935 he expanded the German army and navy, beginning a new arms race. In 1936, he re-occupied the Rhineland and sent troops to aid Franco in the Spanish Civil War. Germany signed an alliance with Italy and Japan in early 1938.
The death of British King George V in January 1936 brought on a crisis that had been building for years. His son Edward was a playboy, did not appreciate court traditions; he enjoyed the pleasures of the flesh and travel more. But the crown passed to him. Being unmarried was not an issue, however keeping company with a once-divorced, married women definitely was. Anyway, the point became moot with abdication.
It is common knowledge that after abdicating in December 1936, he waited until Wallis' divorce was final, and married her in France. Then he returned to his travels- mostly in Europe, and once, Germany- where he was seen giving the 'Heil Hitler' salute with right arm extended. The couple met with Goebbels, Goering, Hess and Hitler.
Publicity created an association in the minds of many Germans:
'...that he had been deposed by an anti-German clique, that his marriage had been a mere pretext to get rid of him, that it would be a good thing for Germany if he were to resume his throne one day, which no doubt represented the cherished desires both of the British people and of himself. ' (p. 38) What did Edward think he was doing, meeting with foreign leaders without diplomatic training or assignment from the crown?
In 1940, Hitler invaded Norway, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, then France. A flood of expats tried to escape France; take a ship, or even drive to Portugal (officially neutral), as the Duke and his entourage do.
Here the book details the plot: the Germans were sending a team to kidnap the Duke before he is removed to the Bahamas. Read this to see how close they came to creating a bigger crisis.
See: Motive for a Mission: The Story Behind Rudolf Hess' Flight to Britain , The Duchess of Windsor: The Secret Life .

One person found this helpful

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Etienne M. Lorenceau

Getting close to the truth

Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2004

Following many other accounts full of guesses, this book reports with incrediblly precise and complete documentation Hitler's attempt to bring the former King Edward VIII to negotiate a peace between nazi Germany and England after the blitzkrieg against Franco-British troops. Edward had just abdicated in July 1936 to become Edward Windsor and marry the (twice divorced German spy) woman he loved. As an attempt to thwart Churchill's pressure, Walter Schellenberg the youg nazi evil genius had been sent to Portugal where the Duke was staying to prevent the couple from leaving for the Bahamas and bring them back into Spain. Edward was to be lured into regaining his throne with Wallis as Queen of England and Hitler was prepared to make a peace with England if he could put his hand on the British fleet. Then he could turn against Stalin with a quiet westeern fornt.

Michael Bloch who is very supportive of the British Crown's concern with its image delivers a very factual report of Operation Willi itself.

But...

The book starts after a brief chapter on Edward official relationship with the nazis presented as a normal peaceful attempt towads the Reich.

It doesn't mention the FBI report conocerning the affair between Ribbentrop and the duchess.

It fails to underline that Wallis Simpson, according to FBI reports, had passed secret information to the nazis in 1935/1936 and had been constantly reporting to von Ribbentrop during the battle of France.

It doesn't indicate that during his British-French mission in 1938/1939 the duke had inspected the Maginot line precisely where von Manstein would cut it in the Blitzkrieg.

It fails to report on Anthony Blunt's mission confided by King George VI in Germany to retrieve all the correspondance of the Duke and the Duchess with their German cousins.

It does not question the production of the Duke's reports by the British SI after Blunt's mission, presenting them as good intelligence reports in favor of the British. (When Churchill decided to check on the Maginot he just asked the French, he didn't have to spy on it.

It doesn't underline that both Blunt and Schellenberg who knew too much about the Duke and the Duchess were protected against the court sentence each of them they deserved.

Despite these essential lacks which leave the subject open, this book remains the most complete and the most documented on the sequence of events purely pertaining to Operation Willi.

There are still archives on this matter,which are kept secret both in England and in the US : why if not owing to something which cannot be known by the general public?

If you have an interest in the debate around Edward Windsor, and want only one book: this is the one, it goes further than any other, but will not tell you the end of the story

8 people found this helpful

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fran ryan

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2018

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In wonderful shape and after the 3 books that I am currently reading this book is next .Thank You

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Owen

Interesting

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 26, 2017

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Very interesting

folkfan

Useful

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 23, 2017

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Useful book for current research.

Nicholas Rankin

The Ribbentrop fantasy...

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 1, 2015

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Detailed, interesting, judicious. And an insight into the bizarre way that the Nazis thought the British Establishment worked. Well-researched, most enjoyable.

One person found this helpful

William Rory O'Brien

Upper class nonsense

Reviewed in Spain on January 20, 2020

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Bit of a disappointment. Too much upper class tripe and indulgence of some evil characters, especially the Spanish ones. However I accept the central thesis that Ribbentrop wanted to kidnap both. Far from being a patriot, Edward VIII comes across as a dithererer. No heroes here and lots of bumbling villains.

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Operation Willi: The Nazi Plot to Kidnap the Duke of Windsor/July 1940 Hardcover – November 1, 1986

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