Amazing article on Fleming's war escapades.

chrisisall

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21629270

May not be news to some, but I didn't know any of these details before!

0073

chrisisall wrote:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21629270

May not be news to some, but I didn't know any of these details before!

Thank you for bringing this up. {[]

chrisisall

0073 wrote:

Thank you for bringing this up. {[]

Did you know this stuff? I just knew some hazy generalities before.

0073

chrisisall wrote:

0073 wrote:

Thank you for bringing this up. {[]

Did you know this stuff? I just knew some hazy generalities before.

Same here. All I knew about the unit came from a smattering of newspaper articles, the 30 commando wiki and this page:

http://30au.co.uk/30_Commando_Assault_Unit_-_James_Bonds_wartime_unit.html

The 30AU is something of an enigma (pun intended) for example the Imperial War Museum book of War Behind Enemy Lines doesn't know that particular unit. It appears (to me) that anytime that the 30 AU is mentioned, it always in conjunction to Ian Fleming. Also the Official History of the MI6 makes no mention of the unit, even though the final moments of the war in Europe, the VE and the aftermath of the war in Europe gets a very thorough going through. Various intelligence and special mission units of the allied forces are mentioned, but no 30 AU.

I had all but lost faith.

chrisisall

0073 wrote:

http://30au.co.uk/30_Commando_Assault_Unit_-_James_Bonds_wartime_unit.html

Interesting stuff here, what with all the 'top secret' documents & such! -{

The Domino Effect

There are a number of great books - mostly published within the last few years - on 30AU. All tend to use Fleming's name in the title presumably to help sales, although in reality there is as much - if not considerably more - about the unit itself, its individual members and their exploits, much like that excellent BBC article. One of the most recent is the one mentioned in the article, Nicholas Rankin's "Ian Fleming's Commandos". If you enjoyed the article, I highly recommend that you read Rankin's book.

chrisisall

Sounds very good!! Not altogether happy, but fascinating.