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  • The Secret History of World War II

  • Spies, Code Breakers, & Covert Operations
  • Written by: Neil Kagan, Stephen G. Hyslop
  • Narrated by: Andrew Reilly
  • Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (37 ratings)

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The Secret History of World War II

Written by: Neil Kagan, Stephen G. Hyslop
Narrated by: Andrew Reilly
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Publisher's Summary

From spy missions to code breaking, this account of the covert operations of World War II takes listeners behind the battle lines and deep into the undercover war effort that changed the course of history.

From the authors who created Eyewitness to World War II and numerous other best-selling reference books, this is the shocking story behind the covert activity that shaped the outcome of one of the world's greatest conflicts - and the destiny of millions of people. National Geographic's landmark book illuminates World War II as never before by taking you inside the secret lives of spies and spymasters; secret agents and secret armies; Enigma machines and code breakers; psychological warfare and black propaganda; secret weapons and secret battle strategies. Seven narrative chapters reveal the truth behind the lies and deception that shaped the "secret war". Renowned historian and top-selling author Stephen Hyslop and Neil Kagan reveal this little-known side of the war in captivating detail, weaving in extraordinary eyewitness accounts and information only recently declassified.

©2016 Neil Kagan and Stephen G. Hyslop (P)2016 Blackstone Audio, Inc.
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What listeners say about The Secret History of World War II

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Interesting stories not found elsewhere

I admit I almost bailed after the first five minutes as the narration was a bit too monotone for me, but I kept listening because the content was of such interest. After awhile I stopped noticing the narration, it seemed fine. Great book if you are interested in WWII deception techniques.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Quite well done.

not a bad compilation of random facts. A hard thing to do, condense so much time into so little. bit of a teaser.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Anecdotes

Neil Kagan and Stephen G. Hyslop do a very nice job collecting and compiling examples of covert action during WWII (spying, double-agent misdirection, stealing technical plans, scheming among POWs to escape, etc). They also emphasize the importance of Signals Intelligence victories like America cracking the Japanese Red/Purple ciphers (Operation 'Magic') and Alan Turing's breaking of Germany's Enigma system (with the 'Ultra' program team). Each example of clandestine warfare in the book is explained clearly and presented with praiseworthy vocabulary and prose. The book is definitely readable.
Unfortunately, some of the technical detail is hard to visualize in the audiobook format and the authors do a poor job tying the examples together into a cohesive thesis. This version of the book consequently feels scattershot and frustratingly aimless (given a choice between this and a paper or eBook iteration.. take the text copy).

The "average" narration from Andrew Reilly contributes to the "passable" status of the recording. Blackstone Audio Inc did well to enlist Reilly - his diction, timbre, cadence, and tone are praiseworthy - but nothing special.. any professional reader could do a similar job (and sound engineers are frankly lazy while splicing re-recorded segments into the audiobook. Poorly-matched audio often makes the book sound thrown together).

I am grateful to Audible for making this 6 out of 10 star recording available as a 'Plus' selection - for "free" it's definitely worth the time investment for anyone interested in some of the underemphasized initiatives of Allied, Axis, and Resistance Forces during the Second World War. Despite it's undeniable edifying value, however, 'The Secret History of World War II' is unlikely to be worth a Credit.

[ATTN PRODUCERS: An appended PDF with figures (showing how the Enigma Device worked for encryption, for example) would improve this product considerably]

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Pretty good!

Excellent entertainment if you haven’t already known about the clandestine part of ww2… otherwise some new info and it is really well articulated.

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