Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory by Ben Macintyre
By Ben Macintyre, ©2010
Published by Harmony Books; Illustrated, 400 pages

I was only ten years old when World War II ended, but I already had a keen and growing interest in the history and literature of war and espionage which has remained with me my entire life. Of the many non-fiction books on the subject which I have enjoyed reading over the past sixty-five years, I have seldom found one more interesting than Operation Mincemeat. It is a great gift idea for anyone on your list who shares such interests.

Agent Zigzag: A True Story of Nazi Espionage, Love, and Betrayal by Ben Macintyre

In 1943, as the Allies mopped up the last Axis forces in North Africa, British intelligence conceived a spectacular deception to draw German attention away from our obvious next objective, Sicily.

The bait was a briefcase full of carefully forged documents attached to the wrist of Major William Martin, Royal Marines — a fictitious identity given to a body floated ashore in 'neutral' Spain. Making the deception plausible was the task given to two highly unconventional secret intelligence officers: Lt. Comdr. Ewen Montagu and Squadron Leader Charles Cholmondeley.

Macintyre recounts their adventures and misadventures with panache. The body was that of a derelict. An attractive secretary provided the photo of an imaginary fiancée. The carefully constructed documents setting up the bogus operation against Greece and Sardinia convinced even Hitler himself. The Sicily landings were achieved as almost a complete surprise. And the “man who never was” entered the history and folklore of WWII.

— © 2010 John Malone for SeniorWomen.com

Editor's Note: Operation Mincemeat was chosen by The New York Times as a Notable Book of 2010 as was
The Three Weissmanns of Westport: A Novel by Cathleen Schine.

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