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Assassins and Secret Listeners
£12.99
The Untold Story of Britain's Secret Army.
Ordinary men and women: farmers, gamekeepers and radio enthusiasts, sworn to silence while fighting a hidden war against Nazi Germany. Their story, finally told.
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About the Ebook
Throughout Britain, all day, every day and in the dead of night, the secret listeners went about their solitary work. Hands on headphones, these men and women, drawn from all walks of civilian life, listened to coded German intelligence messages and passed hundreds of thousands of them on to Bletchley Park.
At the same time, men with firearms experience were recruited into secret patrols trained in sabotage and silent killing. In June 1940, with a full-scale German invasion expected any day, these auxiliary units were poised to undertake suicidal missions attacking enemy supply lines and assassinating collaborators. They dug operational bases in remote, hidden places (the ruins of many still exist today) and stashed them with supplies and weapons.
Alistair Moffat tells the half-forgotten stories of immense bravery by thousands of ordinary men and women. Sworn to secrecy, their heroic work has long been overlooked, yet it played a crucial part in the Allied victory in 1945. This book finally pays them their due.
Why You'll Love This Ebook
- Uncovers the secret listeners, saboteurs and assassins who operated across wartime Britain
- Reveals the hidden network of Scottish radio enthusiasts, farmers, gamekeepers and young women who fought and stayed silent for decades
- A gripping blend of military history and personal story, told with Moffat's acclaimed narrative range
- Praised by The Scotsman, Sunday Post and military historian James Holland
Reviews
'An engrossing study of a little-known aspect of the Second World War... fascinating stories told with narrative panache.' The Scotsman
'Compelling, exciting, revelatory and, perhaps most importantly of all, immensely entertaining.' James Holland
'Reveals the extraordinary stories of Scottish radio enthusiasts, farmers, gamekeepers and young women who fought a secret war against Nazi Germany, then kept quiet about it for decades.' Sunday Post
About the Author
Alistair Moffat was born and bred in the Scottish Borders. A former Director of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and Director of Programmes at Scottish Television, he is also the founder of the Borders Book Festival. From 2011 he served as Rector of the University of St Andrews. The author of more than thirty highly acclaimed books on Scottish history, he lives in the Scottish Borders.
Publication Details
Publisher: Birlinn Ltd
Publication Date: 1 October 2026
Print Length: 304 pages (Ebook edition)
ISBN (Ebook): 9781788858816
Format: Ebook
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