Between 1940 and 1944 forty Belgians were trained in industrial sabotage at Brickendonbury Manor, near Hertford, UK. This book tells the stories of their successes and failures when they were dropped into Belgian. They include: Emile Tromme, Robert Jourdain, Armand Campion, Octave Fabri, Jean Scohier, Jean Cassart, Henri Verhaeghen, André Wendelen, Achille Hottia, Oscar Catherine, Valère Passelecq, Willy Bernaert, Jean Deflem, Léon Kaanen, ? Piquart, Felicien Moreau, Victor Lemmens, Pierre Osterrieth, Pierre Vliex, Frederic Veldekens, Henri Frenay, Jean Woluwe and Jean van Gyseghem, Jean Schools, Leon Engelen, Adhemar Delplace, Francois Mathot, André Berten, Alphonse Mabille, Theo Andries, André Bayet, Pierre Davreux, Léon Joye, Georges André, Maurice Bertrand, Robert Duby, Zephir Braibant, Leon Servais, Raymonde Thonon and André Guissart.

During the Second World War daring and highly unusual missions were mounted by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) – formed on Churchill’s orders ‘to set Europe ablaze’ – and its American counterpart, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). In sixteen separate chapters the author describes how the fearless individuals in these clandestine organisations were recruited, trained and armed, and examines some of their guerrilla operations in Europe, Africa and the Far East, such as the raid on Fernando Po, the destruction of the Gorgopotamos Bridge in Greece and the strike against Japanese shipping in Singapore harbour. Also covered are the means SOE and OSS used to subvert the enemy, by employing black propaganda, forgery, pornography and black market currency manipulation. It may well read like fiction but the stories are fact, and shows to what lengths the Allies were prepared to go to crush the Axis powers.

"Riveting and poignant . . . The Winter Fortress metamorphoses from engrossing history into a smashing thriller . . . Mr. Bascomb's research and, especially, his storytelling skills are first-rate."--The Wall Street Journal "Weaving together his typically intense research and a riveting narrative, Neal Bascomb's The Winter Fortress is a spellbinding piece of historical writing." -- Martin Dugard, author of Into Africa and co-author of the Killing series In 1942, the Nazis were racing to complete the first atomic bomb. All they needed was a single, incredibly rare ingredient: heavy water, which was produced solely at Norway's Vemork plant. Under threat of death, Vemork's engineers pushed production into overdrive. If the Allies could not destroy the plant, they feared the Nazis would soon be in possession of the most dangerous weapon the world had ever seen. But how would the Allied forces reach the castle fortress, set on a precipitous gorge in one of the coldest, most inhospitable places on earth? Based on a trove of top-secret documents and never-before-seen diaries and letters of the saboteurs, The Winter Fortress is an arresting chronicle of a brilliant scientist, a band of spies on skis, perilous survival in the wild, Gestapo manhunts, and a last-minute operation that would alter the course of the war. "A taut and peerlessly told adventure story full of thrills, derring-do and heart-stopping tension." -- Seattle Times "Told with both historical and scientific accuracy . . . this book has rocketed into my pantheon of the top suspense-filled stories about World War II], along with The 900 Days and The Colditz Story." -- Ethan Siegel, Forbes

This book contains advice and ideas for sabotage that could be carried out using simple equipment and methods. It considers methods of destruction and also obstructive techniques.

Between 1940 and 1944 dozens of French men and some women were trained in industrial sabotage at Brickendonbury Manor, near Hertford, UK before being infiltrated into France on top secret missions to destroy transport, industrial and telecommunications targets. They included Raymond Basset, Madeleine Bayard, Georges Bergé, M. Bernard, Raymond Cabard, Francis Cammaerts, Marcel Clech, Elizabeth Devereaux-Rochester, J. Forman, John Farmer, Georges, Albert Guèrisse (Pat O'Leary), André Jarrot, Jules Lesage, J. le Tac, Bob Maloubier, Claude Peri, Petit-Laurent, Jean Pillet, Harry Rée, J. Renault, Charles Rechenmann, Robert Rodriguez, Maurice Southgate, André Varnier, Nancy Wake and Pearl Witherington. Numerous other French men and women took part in sabotage activities and their contribution to the country's liberation needs to be acknowledged.

Norwegians trained in industrial sabotage at Brickendonbury Manor, near Hertford, U.K. were infiltrated by the 'Shetland Bus', fishing boats, motorboats, submarines or parachuted in by planes to attack targets across Norway. They included Karl Aarsaether, Jan Allen, Johannes S. Andersen, Gunnar Berg, Torfinn Bjørnås, Svein Blindheim, Peter Deinboll, Andreas Fasting, Kasper Fjell, Gunnar Fougner, Arne Gjestland, Per Getz, Gregers Gram, Sverre Granlund, Torleif Grong, Arne Haegstad, Knut Haukelid, Claus Helberg, Thor Helliessen, Willy Houlder, Kasper Idland, Fredrik Kayser, Arne Kjelstrup, Frithjof Pedersen Kviljo, Ruben Langmo, Alf Lindeberg, Martin Linge, Max Manus, Odd Nilsen, Nils Nordland, Martin Olsen, Erik Gjems-Onstad, Arthur Pevik, Johnny Pevik, Jens Anton Poulsson, Joachim Rønneberg, Einar Skinnarland, Paal Skjærpe, Gunnar Sønsteby Odd Starheim, Hans Storhaug, Birger Strømsheim, Harald Svindseth, Edvard Tallasken, Gunvald Tomstad, Ragnar Ulstein, Karl Vilnes, Leif Well and Aasmund Wisløff. .

During the Second World War daring and highly unusual missions were mounted by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) – formed on Churchill's orders 'to set Europe ablaze' – and its American counterpart, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS). In sixteen separate chapters the author describes how the fearless individuals in these clandestine organisations were recruited, trained and armed, and examines some of their guerrilla operations in Europe, Africa and the Far East, such as the raid on Fernando Po, the destruction of the Gorgopotamos Bridge in Greece and the strike against Japanese shipping in Singapore harbour. Also covered are the means SOE and OSS used to subvert the enemy, by employing black propaganda, forgery, pornography and black market currency manipulation. It may well read like fiction but the stories are fact, and shows to what lengths the Allies were prepared to go to crush the Axis powers.