Ben Macintyre Books

If anyone could be considered a Russian counterpart to the infamous British double-agent Kim Philby, it was Oleg Gordievsky. The son of two KGB agents and the product of the best Soviet institutions, the savvy, sophisticated Gordievsky grew to see his nation's communism as both criminal and philistine. He took his first posting for Russian intelligence in 1968 and eventually became the Soviet Union's top man in London, but from 1973 on he was secretly working for MI6. For nearly a decade, as the Cold War reached its twilight, Gordievsky helped the West turn the tables on the KGB, exposing Russian spies and helping to foil countless intelligence plots, as the Soviet leadership grew increasingly paranoid at the United States's nuclear first-strike capabilities and brought the world closer to the brink of war. Desperate to keep the circle of trust close, MI6 never revealed Gordievsky's name to its counterparts in the CIA, which in turn grew obsessed with figuring out the identity of Britain's obviously top-level source. Their obsession ultimately doomed Gordievsky: the CIA officer assigned to identify him was none other than Aldrich Ames, the man who would become infamous for secretly spying for the Soviets.

From the secret SAS archives, and acclaimed author Ben Macintyre: the first ever authorized history of the SAS 'Impeccably researched, superbly told - by far the best book on the SAS in World War II' - Antony Beevor In the summer of 1941, at the height of the war in the Western Desert, a bored and eccentric young officer, David Stirling, came up with a plan that was radical and entirely against the rules: a small undercover unit that would inflict mayhem behind enemy lines. Despite intense opposition, Winston Churchill personally gave Stirling permission to recruit the toughest, brightest and most ruthless soldiers he could find. So began the most celebrated and mysterious military organisation in the world: the SAS. Now, 75 years later, the SAS has finally decided to tell its astonishing story. It has opened its secret archives for the first time, granting historian Ben Macintyre full access to a treasure trove of unseen reports, memos, diaries, letters, maps and photographs, as well as free rein to interview surviving Originals and those who knew them. The result is an exhilarating tale of fearlessness and heroism, recklessness and tragedy; of extraordinary men who were willing to take monumental risks. It is a story about the meaning of courage.

Master storyteller Ben Macintyre’s most ambitious work brings to life the twentieth century’s greatest spy story. Kim Philby, a brilliant and charming man, rose to head Britain’s counterintelligence against the Soviet Union during the Cold War while secretly working for the enemy. His best friend, Nicholas Elliott, also an MI6 officer, believed he knew Philby well. They shared schools, clubs, and wartime experiences, making it unthinkable for Elliott to suspect Philby of being a communist spy bent on subverting Western values. Yet, Philby was betraying his friend, relaying every word Elliott spoke back to Moscow. In America, Philby also befriended James Jesus Angleton, the head of CIA counterintelligence, whose unwitting disclosures helped Philby undermine Anglo-American spy operations for twenty years, leading to the downfall of countless operatives. As suspicion mounted, Philby resorted to greater lies to maintain his cover, with Elliott and Angleton remaining loyal until it was too late. The devastating truth of his betrayal had profound consequences for both men and the intelligence services left crippled by his actions. Told with heart-pounding suspense and psychological insight, this work is based on personal papers and never-before-seen British intelligence files, marking a high-water mark in Cold War history.

Set against the backdrop of the American hostage crisis in Iran, the narrative unfolds during a tense six-day standoff at the Iranian embassy in London, where six armed gunmen take twenty-six hostages. As police negotiators and intelligence agencies work to resolve the situation, rival protestors clash outside, and the SAS prepares a daring rescue mission. The hostages employ their wits to survive, culminating in a high-stakes raid that leads to a tragic climax. This gripping account highlights the resilience of ordinary individuals in extraordinary circumstances, linking to future historical events.

A gripping tale of loyalty, love, treachery, espionage, and the thin and shifting line between fidelity and betrayal.

In a forbidding Gothic castle on a hilltop in the heart of Nazi Germany, an unlikely band of British officers spent the Second World War plotting daring escapes from their German captors. Or so the story of Colditz has gone, unchallenged for 70 years. But that tale contains only part of the truth. The astonishing inside story, revealed for the first time by bestselling historian Ben Macintyre, is a tale of the indomitable human spirit, but also one of class conflict, homosexuality, espionage, insanity and farce. Through an astonishing range of material, Macintyre reveals a remarkable cast of characters, wider than previously seen and hitherto hidden from history, taking in prisoners and captors who were living cheek-by-jowl in a thrilling game of cat and mouse. From the elitist members of the Colditz Bullingdon Club to America's oldest paratrooper and least successful secret agent, the soldier-prisoners of Colditz were courageous and resilient as well as vulnerable and fearful -- and astonishingly imaginative in their desperate escape attempts. Deeply researched and full of incredible human stories, this is the definitive book on Colditz.

The incredible story behind the greatest female spy in history from one of Britain's most acclaimed historians. In the quiet Cotswolds village of Great Rollright in 1944, a thin, and unusually elegant, housewife emerged from her cottage to go on her usual bike ride. A devoted mother-of-three, attentive wife and friendly neighbour, Sonya Burton seemed to epitomise rural British domesticity. However, rather than pedalling towards the shops with her ration book, Sonya was heading for the Oxfordshire countryside to gather scientific secrets from a nuclear physicist. Secrets that would enable the Soviet Union to build the atomic bomb. Far from an obedient homemaker, Sonya Burton was a dedicated communist, a decorated colonel and a veteran spy who risked her life to keep the Soviet Union in the nuclear arms race. In Mrs Burton, Ben Macintyre reveals the astonishing story behind the most important female spy in history.

The untold story of Eddie Chapman, Britain's most extraordinary wartime double agent.

From the bestselling author of Agent Zigzag. The thrilling true story of the greatest and most successful wartime deception ever attemptedA Richard & Judy Book Club selection

The amazing tale of a resourceful and unscrupulous early-19th-century American adventurer who forges his own kingdom in the wilds of Afghanistan.

In his celebrated bestsellers, Ben Macintyre explores remarkable WWII stories, including a double agent and a corpse used to deceive the Nazis. In this latest work, he unveils the untold story of the grand final deception of the war and the extraordinary spies behind it. On June 6, 1944, 150,000 Allied troops landed on Normandy's beaches, achieving a remarkably low casualty rate. This military success was also a masterclass in deception. Operation Fortitude and the Double Cross system misled the Nazis into believing the Allies would attack at Calais and Norway instead of Normandy. This sophisticated operation kept an entire German army occupied, saving countless lives and securing an Allied victory at a crucial moment. While D-Day has often been recounted through the eyes of soldiers and generals, this narrative focuses on the key figures in the Double Cross System. These include a brilliant intelligence officer, MI5 handlers, and five unique spies: a Serbian playboy, a Polish pilot, a bisexual Peruvian, an eccentric Spaniard, and a passionate Frenchwoman. Their peculiar unit thrived on a delicate relationship with both German and British intelligence. The narrative reveals the crucial role of a sixth spy whose sacrifice was pivotal to their success. Macintyre's meticulous research and engaging storytelling bring to life the spies who ensnared Hitler’s army and ensured the safety of thousands during D-Day.

Enables you to learn the advantages of having your own signature word. This title shows why the lifts in the House of Commons have posh accents. It also lets you discover the discreet art of the loophemism.

A riveting look into the world of James Bond and his creator.

A wartime romance, survival saga and murder mystery set in rural France during the First World War. height of the fighting on the Western front in August 1914; unable to get back to their units, they shelter in the tiny French village of Villeret. Living in daily fear of capture and execution, they are fed, clothed and protected by the villagers including the local matriarch, Madame Dessenne, the baker and his wife. in love with the twenty-year-old-daughter of one of his protectors and in November 1915, with war waging a few miles away, she gives birth to a baby girl. The child is just six months old when someone betrays the men to the Germans. They are captured, tried as spies and summarily condemned to death. Using the testimonies of the daughter, the villagers, detailed town hall records and most movingly -- the soldiers' last letters -- Ben Macintyre reconstructs an extraordinarily story of love, duplicity and shame -- ultimately seeking to discover through decades of village rumour the answer to the question, 'Who betrayed Private Digby and his men?'

Elisabeth Nietzschová und die letzte arische Kolonie Die Geschichte einer imposanten und zugleich erschreckenden Figur, der Schwester des bedeutenden Philosophen und Fälschers seiner Werke, die vor mehr als einem halben Jahrhundert zusammen mit ihrem Mann die rassistische Kolonie Nueva Germania im Herzen Südamerikas gründete, die als Brutstätte eines hochgezüchteten germanischen Volkes dienen sollte. Diese Publikation wirft einen neuen Blick auf das Leben und den nachträglichen Ruhm eines der herausragendsten modernen Philosophen und deckt unbekannte Tatsachen über den schädlichen Einfluss auf, den Elisabeth Nietzschová auf ihren Bruder während seines Lebens und insbesondere nach seinem Tod hatte. Elisabeth Nietzschová kündigte mit ihren Ansichten eine der dunkelsten Perioden der Menschheitsgeschichte an, genoss jedoch über vierzig Jahre Ruhm und Reichtum als führende europäische literarische Persönlichkeit. Sie starb gerade zu dem Zeitpunkt, als Menschen, die viele ihrer Ansichten teilten, sich darauf vorbereiteten, Europa in einen verheerenden Krieg zu stürzen und einen Massaker an der jüdischen Bevölkerung des alten Kontinents auszulösen. Mit unerschütterlichem Willen gründete sie ein Neues Deutschland im Herzen Paraguays und half ein halbes Jahrhundert später, ein weiteres, diesmal in Form des Dritten Reiches, zu etablieren. Sie war eine imposante und zugleich erschreckende Figur.

Vom KGB-Offizier zum meistgesuchten Doppelagenten der Welt Oleg Gordijewskis Weg in den sowjetischen Geheimdienst war ihm als Sohn zweier KGB-Agenten in die Wiege gelegt. Da er Deutsch konnte, brachte ihn eine seiner ersten Anstellungen nach Berlin, wo er den Bau der Mauer hautnah mitbekam – es sollte sich als eines von vielen Ereignissen erweisen, die seinen Glauben an den Kommunismus zerrütteten. Ganz brach er mit ihm aber erst 1968, als sowjetische Truppen in Prag einmarschierten, und bot sich dem britischen MI6 als Doppelagent an. Schnell wurde er zur wichtigsten Informationsquelle für den Geheimdienst Ihrer Majestät. Seine Identität wurde nicht nur vor den Sowjets geheim gehalten, auch die engsten Verbündeten tappten im Dunkeln. Etwas, was die CIA nicht auf sich sitzen lassen konnte: Sie beauftragte einen ihrer Offiziere mit der Identifizierung des Mannes. Der Offizier hieß Aldrich Ames und sollte noch zu zweifelhaftem Ruhm als sowjetischer Spion gelangen … Ben Macintyres Buch entfaltet ein Dreiecksspiel zwischen den Geheimdiensten der USA, Großbritanniens und der Sowjetunion und gipfelt in Oleg Gordijewskis fesselnder und filmreifer Flucht aus Moskau 1985. Wie ein Roman von John le Carré entführt es den Leser in eine Welt des Verrats und der Täuschung.

V létě 1941, během vrcholu války v Západní poušti, měl excentrický mladý důstojník David Stirling vizi nového způsobu vedení války – útočení na nepřítele za jeho liniemi. Přes odpor britského vrchního velení získal osobní souhlas Winstona Churchilla k náboru nejdrsnějších a nejchytřejších vojáků. Tak začala nejoslavovanější a nejzáhadnější vojenská organizace na světě – SAS. Na základě tajných záznamů, dosud neznámých filmových záběrů a rozhovorů se zakládajícími členy SAS se odhalují pozoruhodné příběhy této bojové jednotky a cena za uskutečnění Stirlingovy vize. Britská Special Air Service byla výsledkem jeho strategického myšlení, které kontrastovalo s bezcílností jeho raného života. Zatímco většina jeho kolegů viděla na mapě bojiště vleklé střety, Stirling spatřoval příležitost. S malým počtem elitních vojáků plánoval údery za nepřátelské linie, aby ničil jejich letouny a materiál. Spolu s ukázněným Jockem Lewesem vytvořil revoluční bojovou skupinu, která změnila rovnováhu ve válce a samotný způsob boje. Čelil odporu těch, kdo považovali jeho taktiku za nepřijatelnou, ale jeho činy proti nacistům v Africe a Evropě se staly základem pro budoucí speciální jednotky. Kniha je literární předlohou pro TV seriál "Pluk mizerů".