James Leasor

Book of the Day: NTR: Nothing to Report by James Leasor

"Superbly authentic atmosphere, taut narration. Mr Leasor would have delighted Kipling." The Observer
"The most clinically accurate description of India and Burma about the time of the Kohima breakthrough I have yet seen." Daily Telegraph
"Mr. Leasor brings to 'Nothing to Report' a journalist's straightforwardness, and an on-the-spot sureness about how frightened men behave, that are both refreshing and effective." Spectator

In the early spring of 1944, when the British fortunes of war in the East were low, the Japanese invaded India. From General Headquarters, the word went out that the invasion must be stayed whatever the cost and thus it was that the men of draft RAKXK were sent to one of the unknown, unheard of places in India to defend one of the smaller sectors of the front. NTR is their story and tells of their battles, their loves, their deaths. For they travelled halfway round the world, they endured dangers by land, sea and air, and then, in the end, what was the message they sent back? NTR – Nothing to Report. The reason behind this, illustrating all the irony of war and its consequences, is related in James Leasor’s semi-autobiographical, moving and realistic novel.

“…Before a battle, everyone comports himself in a different way, and one that is curiously symbolic of the man himself. There are those who lay out their kit neatly by the side of their bed roll, and then calmly, so it seems, unroll their mosquito nets and lie down, ready and willing for sleep, no more concerned, at least to the looker-on, than if they were off on a week’s holiday next day. There are others who lie, nets up, surrounded by busy mosquitoes, talking with friends in low tones, trying to peer through the dimness of the night and see the future and the day beyond. Still others smoke nervously and constantly, jamming their ci******es through the hole in the concealing to***co tin, lonely, yet drawn in on themselves like snails with their feelers beneath their shells.

All waiting. All passing the time in the only way they know that would make it seem to go quickly. But for all of them, the time drags slowly, and there is no way of making it hurry. Some lucky ones actually fall asleep unexpectedly, and he on their backs, fully dressed, snoring. But even for them, two o’clock eventually comes; for some too soon, and for others far too late…”

“…When the dust had cleared there was no-one left among them to grumble at all, not even Mr Brown. Ten men accounted for in an instant by one shell that had been made months before in a munition sweat shop outside Yoshida City by bare-foot, hungry workers; that had been carried a thousand miles in a ship with some hundreds of British civilians who were being transferred to Changi Jail from Hongkong, and then up through Malaya to Bangkok and Rangoon; and then brought lashed on the backs of mules, six shells a side, to Nyaunglebyin, where a gun crew of unknown Japanese lubricated it with urine and slapped it in the breach….”

“…Men who had come from opposite sides of the world to meet so fiercely thus in a place none had heard of a month before. Men who did not hate each other because they did not know each other, but who were intent on killing quickly if they could, for otherwise they might be killed themselves…”

NTR is based on James Leasor’s own wartime experiences in Burma, where he served with 1st Bn The Lincolnshire Regiment

NTR: Nothing to Report by James Leasor — Chiselbury Publishing "Superbly authentic atmosphere, taut narration. Mr Leasor would have delighted Kipling." The Observer "The most clinically accurate description of India and Burma about the time of the Kohima breakthrough I have yet seen." Daily Telegraph "Mr. Leasor brings to 'Nothing t

Book of the Day: The One That Got Away by James Leasor

‘A good story, crisply told’ New York Times

Franz von Werra was the only German prisoner of war to escape and return to Germany after being captured by the Allies. An incredibly charismatic, inventive and self-confident man, he was a Luftwaffe ace shot down in the Battle of Britain.

The One that Got Away tells the full and exciting story of his two daring escapes in England and his third and successful escape: a leap from the window of a prisoners' train in Canada. Enduring snow and frostbite, he crossed into the then neutral United States.

James Leasor's book is based on von Werra's own dictated account of his adventure, coupled with first-hand accounts from many of those involved, and makes for a compelling read.
First published in 1953 it was probably the first book about WWII that gave an objective and fair view to both sides, and as such, was an immediate sensation.

It was filmed in 1956 with Hardy Kruger starring as von Werra.

The One That Got Away by James Leasor (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing ‘A good story, crisply told’ New York Times Franz von Werra was the only German prisoner of war to escape and return to Germany after being captured by the Allies. An incredibly charismatic, inventive and self-confident man, he was a Luftwaffe ace shot down in the Battle of Britain. The One that

Book of the day: Open Secret by James Leasor

Max Cornell had survived the Katyn massacre and the Russian camps. Now he wanted a new life - and the money to enjoy it - in England. And the price of a passport was three years’ work for British Intelligence, running the Russian codenamed Butcher.
Asimir Vasarov, once camp commandant at Katyn, became Stalin's closest aide - a man whose political loyalty was assured and whose power was unlimited.

But the successful British businessman and the man from the shadows of the Kremlin share more than memories of the past. In the post-war world of high politics and backstreet crime, they are linked by an explosive truth which could rock governments if it ever became an OPEN SECRET.

'Fast-moving... a nice seedy atmosphere' SUNDAY EXPRESS

OPEN SECRET by James Leasor — Chiselbury Publishing Max Cornell had survived the Katyn massacre and the Russian camps. Now he wanted a new life - and the money to enjoy it - in England. And the price of a passport was three years’ work for British Intelligence, running the Russian codenamed Butcher. Asimir Vasarov, once camp commandant at Katyn, be...

Book of the Day: Tank of Serpents

‘A good, solid read!’ Daily Mail

‘Unlike Jeffrey Archer, James Leasor seems to have a natural ease with words; and this fluency means that his book moves along at an altogether faster clip.” The Times

‘Well up to the standard we have come to expect from one of Britain’s best thriller writers... a superb study of revenge!’ Evening News

Benares, India, 1945. Captain Richard Blake stands trial at a court martial, accused of stealing a million pounds from one of the wealthiest, most powerful and dangerous men in India. Eight years later, he begins his quest for retribution…

Tank of Serpents (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing ‘A good, solid read!’ Daily Mail ‘Unlike Jeffrey Archer, James Leasor seems to have a natural ease with words; and this fluency means that his book moves along at an altogether faster clip.” The Times ‘Well up to the standard we have come to expect from one of Britain’s best thriller wri...

Book of the Day: They Don't Make Them Like That Any More by James Leasor

'Devoured at a sitting... racy, pungent and swift' The Sunday Times

THEY DON’T MAKE THEM LIKE THAT ANY MORE introduces the earthy and likeable proprietor of Aristo Autos who deals in vintage cars - not forgetting Sara, supercharged with sexual promise, who whets his curiosity and rouses his interest. ln the process of becoming a reluctant hero, he spins across France, Spain and Switzerland, on the track of a rare Mercedes too badly wanted by too many dangerous men. . .

'A racy tale ... the hero spends most of his time trying to get into beds and out of trouble . . . plenty of action, anecdotes, and inside dope on exotic old cars' Sunday Express

They Don't Make Them Like That Any More (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing 'Devoured at a sitting... racy, pungent and swift' The Sunday Times THEY DON’T MAKE THEM LIKE THAT ANY MORE introduces the earthy and likeable proprietor of Aristo Autos who deals in vintage cars - not forgetting Sara, supercharged with sexual promise, who whets his curiosity and rouses his int

Book of the day: Boarding Part by James Leasor - still available as ebook for 99p (last few days...)

New York Times
'Mr. Leasor’s book is truth far more engrossing than fiction… A gem of World War II history.'

Filmed as The Sea Wolves, this is the story of the undercover exploit of a territorial unit. The Germans had a secret transmitter on one of their ships in the neutral harbour of Goa. Its purpose was to guide the U-boats against Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean. There seemed no way for the British to infringe Goa’s Portuguese neutrality by force. But the transmitter had to be silenced. SOE was tasked with dealing with the problem, but how? Then it was remembered that 1,400 miles away in Calcutta was a source of possible help. A group of civilian bankers, merchants and solicitors were the remains of an old territorial unit called The Calcutta Light Horse. With a foreword by Earl Mountbatten of Burma.

Daily Mirror
'One of the most decisive actions in World War II was fought by fourteen out-of-conditions middle-aged men sailing in a steam barge...'

Boarding Party by James Leasor (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing Filmed as The Sea Wolves , this is the story of the undercover exploit of a territorial unit. The Germans had a secret transmitter on one of their ships in the neutral harbour of Goa. Its purpose was to guide the U-boats against Allied shipping in the Indian Ocean. There seemed no way for the Bri

Book of the Day: Follow the Drum

'Once in a while, a book comes along that grabs you by the throat, shakes you, and won't let go until you have read through to the last page.' Hal Burton, Newsday

'Follow the Drum is superb reading entertainment' Best Sellers

Follow the Drum is a story of men and women caught in a cataclysm of mutiny, hatred, fear and passion.

India, in the mid-nineteenth century, was virtually nun by a British commercial concern, the Honourable East India Trading Company, whose directors would pay tribute to one Indian ruler and the depose another in their efforts to maintain their balance sheet of power and profit. To back up their decisions they maintained an Indian native army with British officers helped, when needed, by British regular troops.

But great changes were already casting dark shadows across the land. The electric telegraph, the steamship and the railway were shrinking distances, while missionaries were preaching new gospels. Indian soldiers feared that their ancient traditions were being eroded, and when a stupid order was given to use cartridges greased with cow fat and pig lard (one animal sacred to Hindus and the other abhorrent to Moslems) there was mutiny.

Even then, the British senior officers, many of them drink-sodden and long past retiring age, did not realise the magnitude of the opposition to them. They responded by having sepoys fired from guns and disbanding whole regiments, which, instead of calming tempers, merely accelerated the eruption of the Indian Mutiny.

In the terrible days of the burning summer of 1857, the British, outnumbered in some garrisons by ten to one, in others by a thousand to one, fought back for bare survival. Conventional leaders were thus frequently displaced by unconventional men, such as Hodson and Nicholson, who brought daring new conceptions and mobility to waging war. The lives of millions were changed for ever; among them the Indian ruler, Nana Sahib, who bore a grudge against the British; Arabella MacDonald, the courageous and hot-blooded daughter of an English regular officer; the old King of Delhi, toothless and enfeebled, a virtual prisoner of the people he tried to rule; Richard Lang, an idealistic nineteen-year-old who began that year as a boy and ended it as a man.

Follow the Drum is a documentary novel of tremendous sweep of action and descriptive power, in which fact and fiction are blended into compelling narrative.

Follow the Drum by James Leasor (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing 'Once in a while, a book comes along that grabs you by the throat, shakes you, and won't let go until you have read through to the last page.' Hal Burton, Newsday 'Follow the Drum is superb reading entertainment' Best Sellers Follow the Drum is a story of men and women caught in a cataclys

Book of the Day: The Millionth Chance: The Story of the R.101

'Mr Leasor's account of a tragedy that ought not to have happened, is full and moving.' The Times

The R101 airship was thought to be the model for the future, an amazing design that was ‘as safe as houses. . .except for the millionth chance’. On the night of 4 October 1930 that chance in a million came up however.
James Leasor brilliantly reconstructs the conception and crash of this huge ship of the air with compassion for the forty-seven dead, including a cabinet minister – and only six survivors. One of the biggest disasters of British aviation history, which marked the end of commercial airships as a serious form of transport, this book also reads as a textbook of how state attempts to manage commercial ventures so often end in a disaster of one kind or another.

The Millionth Chance: The Story of the R.101 (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing ' Mr Leasor's account of a tragedy that ought not to have happened, is full and moving.' The Times The R101 airship was thought to be the model for the future, an amazing design that was ‘as safe as houses. . .except for the millionth chance’. On the night of 4 October 1930 that chance in a mi

Book of the day: Green Beach by James Leasor

‘Of all the war stories I have read, truth or fiction, this is the best’ – Ottawa Journal

‘…a cracking good story’ – Globe & Mail

In 1942 radar expert Jack Nissenthall volunteered for a suicidal mission to join a combat team who were making a surprise landing at Dieppe in occupied France. His assignment was to pe*****te a German radar station on a cliff above "Green Beach". Because Nissenthall knew the secrets of British and US radar technology, he was awarded a personal bodyguard of sharpshooters. Their orders were to protect him, but in the event of possible capture lo kill him. .His choice was to succeed or die. The story of what happened to him and his bodyguards in nine hours under fire is one of World War II's most terrifying true stories of personal heroism.

'Green Beach has blown the lid off one of the Second World War's best-kept secrets' Daily Express

'If I had been aware of the orders given to the es**rt to shoot him rather than let him be captured, I would have cancelled them immediately' Lord Mountbatten

'Green Beach is a vivid, moving and at times nerve-racking reconstruction of an act of outstanding but horrific heroism' Sunday Express

GREEN BEACH by James Leasor (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing ‘Of all the war stories I have read, truth or fiction, this is the best’ – Ottawa Journal ‘…a cracking good story’ – Globe & Mail In 1942 radar expert Jack Nissenthall volunteered for a suicidal mission to join a combat team who were making a surprise landing at Dieppe in occupied ...

Book of the Day: Mandarin-Gold

‘Highly absorbing account of the corruption of an individual during a particularly sordid era of British imperial history’ The Sunday Times

‘James Leasor switches to the China Sea more than a century ago, and with pace and ingenuity tells, in novel form, how the China coast was forced to open up its riches to Englishmen, in face of the Emperor’s justified hostility’ Evening Standard

‘In the nasty story of o***m – European and American traders made fortunes taking the forbidden dope into nineteenth century China, and this novel tells the story of their deadly arrangements and of the Emperor’s vain attempts to stop them. Mr. Leasor has researched the background carefully and the detail of the Emperor’s lavish court but weak administration is fascinating. The white traders are equally interesting characters, especially those two real-life merchants, Jardine and Matheson.’ Manchester Evening News

This was Robert Gunn's introduction to the China coast. The young Englishman little suspected that he would remember it later as one of the least shocking and least shameful things he had done on his ruthless search for money and power...It was the year of 1833 when Robert Gunn arrived on the China coast. Only the feeblest of defences now protected the vast and proud Chinese Empire from the ravenous greed of Western traders, and their opening wedge for conquest was the sale of forbidden o***m to the native masses.This was the path that Robert Gunn chose to follow... a path that led him through a maze of violence and intrigue, lust and treachery, to a height of power beyond most men's dreams — and to the ultimate depths of personal corruption.Here is a magnificent novel of an age of plunder—and of a fearless freebooter who r***d an empire.

Mandarin-Gold (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing ‘Highly absorbing account of the corruption of an individual during a particularly sordid era of British imperial history’ The Sunday Times ‘James Leasor switches to the China Sea more than a century ago, and with pace and ingenuity tells, in novel form, how the China coast was forced to open ...

Book of the Day: WHEELS TO FORTUNE: The Life and Times of William Morris, Viscount Nuffield

William Richard Morris, later Viscount Nuffield, set up business as a cycle agent and manufacturer in Oxford, in 1893, at the age of sixteen. He was, through sheer hard work, to go on to make the Morris-Oxford car and set up the famous car works at Cowley, where many other Morris designs were manufactured, becoming Britain’s largest motor manufacturer.

This is an account of his life and of his vision: ‘the £100 car’, a car the public could afford to buy. Leasor tells of this unusual and determined man’s success, the millions he made and the millions he gave away.

His direct industrial legacy has sadly almost gone, with the demise of the British motor industry that has gone from being one of the largest in the world to just a niche player in the specialist market as well as a convenient location for assembly plants for various foreign manufacturers.But his memory lives on as possibly the greatest British philanthropist. Over his lifetime he gave away over £30million, which if compared to relative share of GDP would amount to some £5billion at today’s (2011) prices.

There are still numerous bodies that bear his name and are based on his initial grants, that are household names, such as the Nuffield Foundation, the Nuffield Trust, Nuffield College, Nuffield Health, The Nuffield Institute for Health Services Studies, Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust, and Nuffield Trust for Forces of the Crown.

Few beneficiaries probably ever spend any time thinking of the man who started it all as a bicycle repairer in tiny rented premises in Oxford, or how their funding came about. This is that story.

WHEELS TO FORTUNE: The Life and Times of William Morris, Viscount Nuffield by James Leasor — Chiselbury Publishing William Richard Morris, later Viscount Nuffield, set up business as a cycle agent and manufacturer in Oxford, in 1893, at the age of sixteen. He was, through sheer hard work, to go on to make the Morris-Oxford car and set up the famous car works at Cowley, where many other Morris designs were manufa

Book of the Day: Singapore: The Battle that Changed the World

When Singapore fell to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, it was a devastating blow to the Allies, the British Empire and signalled a significant turning point in history. It was the greatest defeat for Britain since Cornwallis surrendered at Yorktown in the American War of Independence. Its impact was arguably even
greater.

James Leasor’s story begins as far back as the early nineteenth century, with imperialism and the settlement founded by Sir Stamford Raffles. He charts the years leading up to Singapore’s defeat and the realisation that the West was not invincible.

Written just over 20 years after the end of WW2, it includes direct, first hand input from many of the main players involved including that of Lt-Gen Percival, the British commander who signed the surrender document, shortly before he died.
https://www.chiselbury.co.uk/bookstore/p/singapore-the-battle-that-changed-the-world-by-james-leasor-epub-edition

Book of the Day: 'Who Killed Sir Harry Oakes' by James Leasor

‘The story has all the right ingredients – rich occupants of a West Indian tax haven, corruption, drugs, the Mafia, and a weak character as governor.’ Daily Mail

James Leasor cleverly reconstructs events surrounding a brutal and unusual murder. It is 1943 and Sir Harry Oakes lies horrifically murdered at his Bahamian mansion. Although a self-made multi-millionaire, Sir Harry is an unlikely victim – there are no suggestions of jealousy or passion. Leasor makes the daring suggestion that Sir Harry Oakes’ murder, the burning of the liner Normandie in New York Harbour in 1942 and the Allied landings in Sicily are all somehow connected.

It was made into a major TV mini-series in 1989, called ‘Passion and Paradise’, starring Armand Assante, Catherine Mary Stewart, Mariette Hartley and Kevin McCarthy, with Rod Steiger playing Sir Harry Oakes.

WHO KILLED SIR HARRY OAKES by James Leasor — Chiselbury Publishing ‘The story has all the right ingredients – rich occupants of a West Indian tax haven, corruption, drugs, the Mafia, and a weak character as governor.’ Daily Mail James Leasor cleverly reconstructs events surrounding a brutal and unusual murder. It is 1943 and Sir Harry Oakes lies horrifically ...

Book of the Day: The Marine from Mandalay

‘A remarkable tale, either the man should have been court-martialled - or he should have received instant promotion and a decoration.’ Winston Churchill

This is a true and inspiring story of triumph over incredible adversity.

A Royal Marine who, having been wounded in the early stages of the Japanese invasion of Burma in WW2, undertakes a long and solitary march through the length of country to escape the advancing enemy. He then has to find his way across India and back to Britain to report for duty in Plymouth.

On his journey William Doyle has many encounters and adventures and helps a wide variety of British, Indian and Burmese refugees using skills that he had gained during his training and earlier life.

Once he reaches safety Doyle then has to overcome complete disbelief by the authorities that a single man could walk out of Burma with nothing but his orders - to report to HQ - and his own initiative.

‘An amazing and inspiring story.’ BBC Radio

The Marine from Mandalay by James Leasor (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing ‘A remarkable tale, either the man should have been court-martialled - or he should have received instant promotion and a decoration.’ Winston Churchill This is a true and inspiring story of triumph over incredible adversity. A Royal Marine who, having been wounded in the early stages of the J

Book of the Day: Passport to Oblivion by James Leasor

Passport to Oblivion is the first case book of Dr. Jason Love . . . country doctor turned secret agent.

“Heir Apparent to the golden throne of Bond” The Sunday Times

“Splendid sit-up-all-night-to-finish fun.” Sunday Telegraph

Multi-million selling, published in 19 languages around the world and filmed as Where the Spies Are starring David Niven.

'As K pushed his way through the glass doors of the Park Hotel, he realized instinctively why the two stumpy men were waiting by the reception desk. They had come to kill him. ...' Who was K - and why should anyone kill him? Who was the bruised girl in Rome? Why did a refugee strangle his mistress in an hotel on the edge of the Arctic Circle? And why, in a small office above a wholesale fruiterers in Covent Garden, did a red-haired Scot sift through filing cabinets for the name of a man he knew in Burma twenty years ago? None of these questions might seem to concern Dr Jason Love, a country practitioner of Bishop's Combe, Somerset. But, in the end, they all do.

Apart from his patients, Dr Love has apparently only two outside interests: his supercharged Cord roadster, and the occasional Judo lessons he gives to the local branch of the British Legion. But out of the past, to which all forgotten things should belong, a man comes to see him - and his simple, everyday country-life world is shattered like a mirror by a .38 bullet.

Passport to Oblivion (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing Passport to Oblivion is the first case book of Dr. Jason Love . . . country doctor turned secret agent. “Heir Apparent to the golden throne of Bond”  The Sunday Times “Splendid sit-up-all-night-to-finish fun.” Sunday Telegraph Multi-million selling, published in 19 lang

Book of the Day: RHODES & BARNATO: The Premier and the Prancer by James Leasor

Cecil Rhodes and ‘Barney’ Barnato were born within a year of each other, one the son of a Hertfordshire clergyman, the other in the East End of London. They separately emigrated to South Africa and, despite all the odds, both became multi-millionaires due to their success at diamond mining. Neither lived to reach fifty.

Their businesses grew into De Beers Consolidated Mines, the international diamond mining conglomerate. In the process they helped transform a minor pastoral colony into a major industrial nation and became two of the most influential people in the world.

This is the story of how they grew in parallel – two giants at the end of the Nineteenth Century.

RHODES & BARNATO: The Premier and the Prancer by James Leasor — Chiselbury Publishing Cecil Rhodes and ‘Barney’ Barnato were born within a year of each other, one the son of a Hertfordshire clergyman, the other in the East End of London. They separately emigrated to South Africa and, despite all the odds, both became multi-millionaires due to their success at diamond mining. Neit...

Book of the Day: Rudolf Hess: The Uninvited Envoy

Rudolf Hess, Hi**er’s Deputy Führer, Leader of the N**i Party, flew alone in an unarmed aeroplane, through a night of fire and ruin, on the most dangerous flight of his life. This is an amazing true story of his secret peace mission in 1941, with plans to end the war but on Germany’s terms. Leasor tells how Hess flew his Messerschmitt to Scotland, parachuting to safety seconds before his plane crashed. A dramatic reconstruction of Hess’ landing, his capture, his desire for an audience with the Duke of Hamilton and his interrogation are recounted here, concluding with the Nuremberg Trials of 1946 when he was sentenced to life imprisonment.

James Leasor’s account includes first hand interviews with many of the principals involved.

Rudolf Hess: The Uninvited Envoy (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing Rudolf Hess, Hi**er’s Deputy Führer, Leader of the N**i Party, flew alone in an unarmed aeroplane, through a night of fire and ruin, on the most dangerous flight of his life. This is an amazing true story of his secret peace mission in 1941, with plans to end the war but on Germany’s terms. Lea...

Book of the Day: The Unknown Warrior

“A volunteer was urgently required for a secret assignment of the highest priority. He must be of non-Jewish appearance, speak German perfectly, and preferably have a German or Austrian background. A good knowledge of French on a conversational level was also desirable. ...This man would be required to work in dangerous circumstances, totally on his own.”

James Leasor first heard of The Unknown Warrior's unique assignment from Major General Sir Leslie Hollis, KCB, KBE, Senior Military Assistant Secretary to the War Cabinet and Chiefs of Staff Committee. Some years later, when more had been made public about the immense secret contribution to victory of these deception plans, Sir Ronald Wingate, Bt., CB, CMG, CIE, OBE, recalled this episode, in which he had played such an important part. At that time, James Leasor was working on Green Beach, which described an incident in the 1942 Dieppe landing, when another volunteer, Flight-Sergeant Jack Nissen, a radar expert in the RAF, accompanied the Canadians to assess a new German radar station at Pourville. Because of Nissen's knowledge of Allied radar, orders were given that if capture seemed likely he was to be killed by his es**rt of 12 soldiers. Lord Mountbatten was horrified at these orders. He remarked that there had been no need whatever to put radar secret at risk when members of X-Troop were trained for such tasks. He suggested that James Leasor should write a book based on the experiences of these men.

The Unknown Warrior is the true story of one of these men and his amazing part in the deception plans to persuade the Germans that the invasion would happen near Calais and not in Normandy and thus ensure that they did not commit their reserves until too late. Born to a humble German background, with a Jewish father and Catholic mother, he was brought up as English due to a mix-up when he was very small. Not really sure of his real name or nationality he is initially interned by the British but enlists for service and ends up in X-Troop. He volunteers for an unknown secret mission which sees him dropped in France, pursued by both the Resistance and the Germans, briefing first Rommel and then Hi**er in a role that saved perhaps thousands of lives.

THE UNKNOWN WARRIOR by James Leasor (ePub edition) — Chiselbury Publishing “A volunteer was urgently required for a secret assignment of the highest priority. He must be of non-Jewish appearance, speak German perfectly, and preferably have a German or Austrian background. A good knowledge of French on a conversational level was also desirable. ...This man would be requir...