A Genius For Deception : How Cunning Helped The British Win Two World Wars


Cover of the book A Genius For Deception : How Cunning Helped The British Win Two World Wars by Nicholas Rankin, Oxford University Press, USA
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Nicholas Rankin ISBN: 9780195387049
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA Publication: November 10, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press, USA Language: English
Author: Nicholas Rankin
ISBN: 9780195387049
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Publication: November 10, 2009
Imprint: Oxford University Press, USA
Language: English
In February 1942, intelligence officer Victor Jones erected 150 tents behind British lines in North Africa. "Hiding tanks in Bedouin tents was an old British trick," writes Nicholas Rankin; German general Erwin Rommel not only knew of the ploy, but had copied it himself. Jones knew that Rommel knew. In fact, he counted on it--for these tents were empty. With the deception that he was carrying out a deception, Jones made a weak point look like a trap. In A Genius for Deception, Rankin offers a lively and comprehensive history of how Britain bluffed, tricked, and spied its way to victory in two world wars. As he shows, a coherent program of strategic deception emerged in World War I, resting on the pillars of camouflage, propaganda, secret intelligence, and special forces. All forms of deception found an avid sponsor in Winston Churchill, who carried his enthusiasm for deceiving the enemy into World War II. Rankin vividly recounts such little-known episodes as the invention of camouflage by two French artist-soldiers, the creation of dummy airfields for the Germans to bomb during the Blitz, and the fabrication of an army that would supposedly invade Greece. Strategic deception would be key to a number of WWII battles, culminating in the massive misdirection that proved critical to the success of the D-Day invasion in 1944. Deeply researched and written with an eye for telling detail, A Genius for Deception shows how British used craft and cunning to help win the most devastating wars in human history.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
In February 1942, intelligence officer Victor Jones erected 150 tents behind British lines in North Africa. "Hiding tanks in Bedouin tents was an old British trick," writes Nicholas Rankin; German general Erwin Rommel not only knew of the ploy, but had copied it himself. Jones knew that Rommel knew. In fact, he counted on it--for these tents were empty. With the deception that he was carrying out a deception, Jones made a weak point look like a trap. In A Genius for Deception, Rankin offers a lively and comprehensive history of how Britain bluffed, tricked, and spied its way to victory in two world wars. As he shows, a coherent program of strategic deception emerged in World War I, resting on the pillars of camouflage, propaganda, secret intelligence, and special forces. All forms of deception found an avid sponsor in Winston Churchill, who carried his enthusiasm for deceiving the enemy into World War II. Rankin vividly recounts such little-known episodes as the invention of camouflage by two French artist-soldiers, the creation of dummy airfields for the Germans to bomb during the Blitz, and the fabrication of an army that would supposedly invade Greece. Strategic deception would be key to a number of WWII battles, culminating in the massive misdirection that proved critical to the success of the D-Day invasion in 1944. Deeply researched and written with an eye for telling detail, A Genius for Deception shows how British used craft and cunning to help win the most devastating wars in human history.

More books from Oxford University Press, USA

Cover of the book The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri: Volume 2: Purgatorio by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Writing Alone and with Others by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Reunion and Reaction : The Compromise of 1877 and the End of Reconstruction by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Abortion in America : The Origins and Evolution of National Policy by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Social Entrepreneurship:What Everyone Needs to Know by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Beyond Greed And Fear : Understanding Behavioral Finance And The Psychology Of Investing by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Barack Obama : A Pocket Biography Of Our 44th President by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Cultures in Conflict : Christians Muslims and Jews in the Age of Discovery by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Justice Matters : Legacies of the Holocaust and World War II by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book The Compatibility Gene: How Our Bodies Fight Disease, Attract Others, and Define Our Selves by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Lone Star Rising:Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1908-1960 by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Music In The Late Twentieth Century by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Jefferson Davis's Generals by Nicholas Rankin
Cover of the book Mechanical Witness : A History of Motion Picture Evidence in U.S. Courts by Nicholas Rankin
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy