Being there . . . . in Britain after the Fall of France for the onslaught of German espionage and
collaborative activities in preparation for Hitler’s invasion certain to come. Via some of the best
narration of 2023, participate in Churchill’s brilliant counter-espionage activities, some of which
were still classified until recently, almost 80 years after World War II’s end. Universally, spying
had been referred to as ‘’the world’s second oldest profession’’, since in war or peace nations
have sought the secrets of both their enemy and friendly countries. For awhile prior and during
World War I Britain’s intelligence services, established in 1909, led the way with its growing
networks to not only discover what potential enemies were up to, robbing them of surprise
attacks, but also providing their own forces with methods of duping enemies about British
intentions. Separate home and foreign security services were born – – i.e., Sections MI5, MI6,
and “Z”, to name a few. After victory over Germany in 1918, the networks shut down because
there were no agents left on the Continent.
A FASCINATING NEW BOOK USE RECENTLY RELEASED WW II DOCUMENTS TO EXPLORE HOW
PREWAR GERMAN AGENTS PENETRATED BRITAIN’S BORDERS, EXPLAINING HOW ADVANCED
NAZI METHODS OF RECRUITMENT FOR SPYING AND COLLOBRATION WERE MORE SERIOUS AND
SUCCESSFUL THAN ORIGINALLY BELIEVED
Reviewed and Highly Recommended by Don DeNevi
“NAZI SPIES & COLLABORATORS IN BRITAIN, 1939 – 1945”, by Neil R. Storey. Pen & Sword,
MILITARY, dist. by Casemate Publishers: 2023, 256 pages, 6 ½” x 9 ½”, hardcover, $49.95. Visit,
www.penandswordbooks.com, or, E-mail: Uspen-and-sword@casematepublishers.com.
DON’T HELP THE ENEMY! Careless Talk May Give Away Vital Secrets
The true extent of Nazi secret agent activity in Britain has received little attention, in large
part due to the highly classified nature of the subject. All that, during these past eight decades,
has changed with the release of material not examined since 1946.
Some German spies were arrested and handed over to the MI5 for interrogation. Several
were turned and became “double-cross” agents, while others were tried and executed or
incarcerated in Camp 020 and other facilities There were also those who came and left
undetected and were only revealed after the Nazi records were seized in various enemy cities
and locales with the Allied advance in 1944 – 1945.
But this rarely explored story does not end there. While British authorities urged the public to
beware of spies and posters warned “Careless talk costs lives”, the actual existence of Nazi
collaborators in Britain was played down. Author Neil R. Storey’s discovery of MI5’s and
Regional Security Panels’ “Black Lists” of those considered to be, “ . . . likely to assist the
enemy” in the event of invasion reveals the climate of fear along with the identities and case
studies of suspected collaborators in key invasion areas.
World War II buffs, of course, know Neil is an accomplished award-winning historian and
author who specializes in the impact of war on British society in the first half of the 20 th
Century. In addition, he has had published over 40 books, has written for national magazines
and journals and appears regularly on television documentaries and nonfiction programs as
guest historian. His Pen and Sword Books include the highly respected “The King’s Men: The
Sandringham Company and Norfolk Regiment Territorial Battalions 1914 – 1918”, “Beating the
Nazi Invader”, and “Britain’s Coast at War.”
