Deceiving Hitler: Double-Cross and Deceptions in World War II

During the Second World War the Allies controlled every active German agent in Britain. This placed Allied Intelligence services in a unique position. The Allies were able to feed spurious information back to Germany which mixed scraps of truthful information with misleading details in a believable mix of information. Out of this process of deception grew an entire organization which specialized in the manufacture of elaborate deceptions to confuse and hinder Axis powers. To maintain the deception, complex camouflage and tactical deception operations were to be undertaken on the ground, involving the use of inflatable tanks, fake towns which misdirected the German blitz, bogus troop formations and a catalog of Hollywood-style special effects.

At times bizarre and often intriguing, these operations were used in all the major theaters of the war and saved countless Allied lives. From disappearing North African pipelines to bogus radio stations, this book is an entertaining and absorbing account of the deceptions used by the Allies in World War II. The third in a series of books by Terry Crowdy that exposes the underworld of military history, Deception uses rare, recently declassified information and photographs, much of which is being made available to the public for the first time to reveal the art of military misdirection.

Terry Crowdy has long been fascinated by many aspects of military history and takes great pleasure delving into forgotten historical sources and seeking information that has eluded others. He is the author of a number of articles and books including The Enemy Within for Osprey. The author lives in Kent, UK.