A Genius for Deception: How Cunning Helped the British Win Two World Wars

by Nicholas Rankin

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In A Genius for Deception , Rankin offers a lively and comprehensive history of how Britain bluffed, tricked, and spied its way to victory in two world wars. As he shows, a coherent program of strategic deception emerged in World War I, resting on the pillars of camouflage, propaganda, secret intelligence, and special forces. All forms of deception found an avid sponsor in Winston Churchill, who carried his enthusiasm for deceiving the enemy into World War II. Rankin vividly recounts such show more little-known episodes as the invention of camouflage by two French artist-soldiers, the creation of dummy airfields for the Germans to bomb during the Blitz, and the fabrication of an army that would supposedly invade Greece. --from publisher description show less

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4 reviews
This is an excellent book describing the origins and development of English camophlage, deception, spying beginning in WWI through WWII and how it all help win both wars. Rankin's writing style is not stuffy. While covering a lot of information in depth, he holds the reader's interest through human interest and a conversational, almost novel-like approach. I learned a lot about both wars in general and particular battles and how deception, propaganda and camophlage was pivotal in their success. The chapters on Lawence of Arabia were fascinating. I highly recommend this book.
Good book; full of detailed anecdotes and personal memories about camouflage and deception practised by the British during the First and Second World Wars. The links to Churchill are somewhat tenuous throughout but so what, it's a well written book about a shady part of warfare .

Keep an eye out for odd words selected by the author...."aroint", to mention just one example !
Nicholas Rankin has a fascinating story to tell of the way the British used deception in the World Wars and tells is competently.
½

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Books About World War II
102 works; 29 members

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Common Knowledge

Original publication date
2008
People/Characters
Solomon J. Solomon; Winston Churchill; T. E. Lawrence; Hesketh Hesketh-Prichard; Herbert Kitchener; Sefton Delmer (show all 7); Dudley Clarke
Important events
World War I (1914 | 1918); World War II (1939 | 1945)
Epigraph
"War has a way of masking the stage with scenery crudely daubed with fearsome apparitions."
- Carl Von Clausewitz, 'On War"
"War is a game that is played with a smile. Of you can't smile, grin."
- Winston S. Churchill, in the trenches near Ploegsteert
Then why have you been so hard to find?

Isn't this what the twentieth century is all about?"
"What?"
"People go into hiding even when no one is looking for them."
- Don Delillo, "White Noise"
"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact."
- Mr. Sherlock Holmes in "The Boscombe Valley Mystery" by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Dedication
This book is for my dearest darling wife of 25 years
Maggie Gee
who helped so much.
First words
When Winston Churchill read the newspapers in Portsmouth he had a sudden, vivid feeling that something 'sinister and measureless' had occurred.
Last words
(Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Nazi Germany surrendered unconditionally on 7 May 1945.

Classifications

Genres
History, Nonfiction, General Nonfiction
DDC/MDS
940.548641History & geographyHistory of EuropeHistory of Europe1918-Military history of World War IIOther TopicsUnconventional warfare of AlliesEuropeBritish Isles
LCC
U167.5 .D37 .R36Military ScienceMilitary science (General)Tactics
BISAC

Statistics

Members
408
Popularity
75,635
Reviews
3
Rating
½ (3.33)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
ISBNs
8
ASINs
9