A compilation of cloak-and-dagger tales describing the World War II actions of the Abwehr, a German intelligence agency charged with the task of gathering information for the Nazi war effort while disrupting the Allied homelands. Johnson uncovers stories such as how the Nazis recruited members of the IRA to carry out sabotage in Britain.

In 1942, Hitler's Nazi regime trained eight operatives for a mission to infiltrate America and do devastating damage to its infrastructure. It was a plot that proved historically remarkable for two reasons: the surprising extent of its success and the astounding nature of its failure. Soon after two U-Boats packed with explosives arrived on America's shores–one on Long Island, one in Florida–it became clear that the incompetence of the eight saboteurs was matched only by that of American authorities. In fact, had one of the saboteurs not tipped them off, the FBI might never have caught the plot's perpetrators–though a dozen witnesses saw a submarine moored on Long Island. As told by Michael Dobbs, the story of the botched mission and a subsequent trial by military tribunal, resulting in the swift execution of six saboteurs, offers great insight into the tenor of the country--and the state of American intelligence--during World War II and becomes what is perhaps a cautionary tale for our times.

A gripping tale of the little-known Nazi plot to attack on American soil, and the brave individuals who got in the way. In 1942, amid a growing German threat, Nazi agents infiltrated the United States in hopes of destroying American infrastructure and sowing panic throughout the nation. Nazi Saboteurs tells the nail-biting tale of this daring plot, buried in history, for young readers for the first time. Black-and-white historical photos throughout paint a picture of a nation on edge, the FBI caught unawares, and the incredible capture of eight dangerous criminals. A thrilling historical narrative for WWII buffs, reluctant readers, and adventure junkies.

At Nuremberg, in 1945, General Erwin von Lahousen-Vivremont, head of Abwehr II—the sabotage division of the German Armed Forces Secret Service—shocked the world with his revelations of Nazi war crimes. He exposed the activities of Göring, Ribbentrop, and other top-ranking Third Reich officials. But there was much more he did not tell! Here is the rest of his story-the top-secret details of Germany’s international espionage ring during World War II. Lahousen had kept a diary. In the United States, Britain, France and other countries, his agents—often citizens of these countries, for Lahousen believed Germans lacked the spontaneity that made for expert spies—carried out some of the war’s most daring missions. In his diary, Lahousen named names and described espionage activities in detail. He wrote of Hermann Lang in the United States, a German-American who provided the Nazis with blueprints of U.S. military machinery; of Robey Leibbrandt, the young African “Olympic Boxer Spy”; of beautiful Vera, bilingual mistress of an Abwehr agent; and many others. Their astounding stories, along with that of the master spy, Lahousen, appear documented and unabridged in these pages. No fictional spy novel can compare with the drama and excitement of the authentic espionage missions revealed here. “Full of fascinating and astounding tales”—Library Journal “Gripping...”—Springfield Republican “A painstaking and convincing record of the daily world of espionage...”—Saturday Review

"As the title implies with 100s of ills, maps etc. WWII history, homefront history."

“The book's teenage protagonists and their bravery will enthrall young adults, who may find themselves inspired to take up their own causes.” —Washington Post An astonishing World War II story of a trio of fearless female resisters whose youth and innocence belied their extraordinary daring in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands. It also made them the underground’s most invaluable commodity. May 10, 1940. The Netherlands was swarming with Third Reich troops. In seven days it’s entirely occupied by Nazi Germany. Joining a small resistance cell in the Dutch city of Haarlem were three teenage girls: Hannie Schaft, and sisters Truus and Freddie Oversteegen who would soon band together to form a singular female underground squad. Smart, fiercely political, devoted solely to the cause, and “with nothing to lose but their own lives,” Hannie, Truus, and Freddie took terrifying direct action against Nazi targets. That included sheltering fleeing Jews, political dissidents, and Dutch resisters. They sabotaged bridges and railways, and donned disguises to lead children from probable internment in concentration camps to safehouses. They covertly transported weapons and set military facilities ablaze. And they carried out the assassinations of German soldiers and traitors–on public streets and in private traps–with the courage of veteran guerilla fighters and the cunning of seasoned spies. In telling this true story through the lens of a fearlessly unique trio of freedom fighters, Tim Brady offers a fascinating perspective of the Dutch resistance during the war. Of lives under threat; of how these courageous young women became involved in the underground; and of how their dedication evolved into dangerous, life-threatening missions on behalf of Dutch patriots–regardless of the consequences. Harrowing, emotional, and unforgettable, Three Ordinary Girls finally moves these three icons of resistance into the deserved forefront of world history.

From 1940 to 1942, French secret agents arrested more than two thousand spies working for the Germans and executed several dozen of them—all despite the Vichy government’s declared collaboration with the Third Reich. A previously untold chapter in the history of World War II, this duplicitous activity is the gripping subject of The Hunt for Nazi Spies, a tautly narrated chronicle of the Vichy regime’s attempts to maintain sovereignty while supporting its Nazi occupiers. Simon Kitson informs this remarkable story with findings from his investigation—the first by any historian—of thousands of Vichy documents seized in turn by the Nazis and the Soviets and returned to France only in the 1990s. His pioneering detective work uncovers a puzzling paradox: a French government that was hunting down left-wing activists and supporters of Charles de Gaulle’s Free French forces was also working to undermine the influence of German spies who were pursuing the same Gaullists and resisters. In light of this apparent contradiction, Kitson does not deny that Vichy France was committed to assisting the Nazi cause, but illuminates the complex agendas that characterized the collaboration and shows how it was possible to be both anti-German and anti-Gaullist. Combining nuanced conclusions with dramatic accounts of the lives of spies on both sides, The Hunt for Nazi Spies adds an important new dimension to our understanding of the French predicament under German occupation and the shadowy world of World War II espionage.