Agent Zigzag
This book is in a Controlled Release!
1 journaler for this copy...
Arrived today from paperbackswap member. It was on my wish list.
What an interesting story!
Eddie Chapman was a criminal, having blown up safes as much for fun and excitement as for the money. While he was in prison on the island of Jersey, a self-governing territory of the British Crown (one of the Channel Islands, close to Normandy) in 1940, the island was occupied by the Germans. Ever out for himself, Chapman saw an advantage in appealing to the Germans. He offered to spy for them. In time his offer was accepted, as he was just the sort of person the Germans were looking for, to enter England and perform acts of sabotage.
When he was finally sent to England after extensive training in France, Eddie immediately made himself known to the British, offering to become a double agent.
Because of his wily ways and tendencies to enjoy himself too much, he was not immediately trusted, and even over the years there have been those who suspected he always worked for his own advantage, not for a particular country. However, what he accomplished for the British was undeniable and remarkable.
His life was full of daring, dangerous feats and certain courage.
The story is so well documented that it reads like fiction, even fiction that seems impossible. The state of the spy game both in England and in Germany was in its infancy and it shows in the fumbling. The Germans in particular made gross mistakes in their spy management, a factor in their defeat.
I was engrossed by the details and the characters. It occurred to me that those who were belligerently pro-Nazi were not particularly introspective or thoughtful people. Not everyone in the German military was, in fact, antiSemitic or pro-Hitler (not that they could share this view). We might remember that Hitler came into office with a minority of the vote. This tale reveals the character of some of the German military leaders, especially including spymaster Stephan von Groning, whose own fortunes were tied up in his protege's.
Because of the extensive documentation, the story tells us much about the two governments and the birth of a vast network of spies that has since grown into adulthood. It also reveals how the thrill-seeking character of Eddie Chapman, combined with his questionable ethics, would become exactly what the spymasters were looking for.
Eddie Chapman was a criminal, having blown up safes as much for fun and excitement as for the money. While he was in prison on the island of Jersey, a self-governing territory of the British Crown (one of the Channel Islands, close to Normandy) in 1940, the island was occupied by the Germans. Ever out for himself, Chapman saw an advantage in appealing to the Germans. He offered to spy for them. In time his offer was accepted, as he was just the sort of person the Germans were looking for, to enter England and perform acts of sabotage.
When he was finally sent to England after extensive training in France, Eddie immediately made himself known to the British, offering to become a double agent.
Because of his wily ways and tendencies to enjoy himself too much, he was not immediately trusted, and even over the years there have been those who suspected he always worked for his own advantage, not for a particular country. However, what he accomplished for the British was undeniable and remarkable.
His life was full of daring, dangerous feats and certain courage.
The story is so well documented that it reads like fiction, even fiction that seems impossible. The state of the spy game both in England and in Germany was in its infancy and it shows in the fumbling. The Germans in particular made gross mistakes in their spy management, a factor in their defeat.
I was engrossed by the details and the characters. It occurred to me that those who were belligerently pro-Nazi were not particularly introspective or thoughtful people. Not everyone in the German military was, in fact, antiSemitic or pro-Hitler (not that they could share this view). We might remember that Hitler came into office with a minority of the vote. This tale reveals the character of some of the German military leaders, especially including spymaster Stephan von Groning, whose own fortunes were tied up in his protege's.
Because of the extensive documentation, the story tells us much about the two governments and the birth of a vast network of spies that has since grown into adulthood. It also reveals how the thrill-seeking character of Eddie Chapman, combined with his questionable ethics, would become exactly what the spymasters were looking for.
Offered on paperbackswap.
Sent to paperbackswap member.
