T-Force: The race for Nazi War Secrets, 1945
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Review
Once again, Sean Longden has proved himself a tenacious sleuth of Second World War secrets, and a talented solver of its mysteries. --Andrew Roberts
A fascinating account of the early roots of war. --Financial Times
A great book and has all the elements of a riveting page-turner at times you have to stop and remind yourself that you re reading a piece of factual history and not a 007 thriller. --Soldier Magazine
A fascinating account of the early roots of war. --Financial Times
A great book and has all the elements of a riveting page-turner at times you have to stop and remind yourself that you re reading a piece of factual history and not a 007 thriller. --Soldier Magazine
Book Description
The true story behind the elite secret unit that went behind enemy lines
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
21 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I am amazed that after more than 60 years it has been possible for Mr Longden to find a new story on World War 2! So many books have re-told the stories of so-called 'elite units' that it is refreshing to find a specialist unit I have never previously heard of. More to the point, how come I had never even heard of the unit which (it appears) made the British Army's final advance of the war in north-west Europe? As a result, I did a bit of 'digging around' on the internet but there is virtually nothing on this subject. Even 'deep web' resources do not reveal anything about 'T Force'. I did find the unit mentioned in a piece on post-war economics but even that was inaccurate and failed to mention T Force's wartime actions. I enjoyed the balance between the memories of the individuals involved and the documentary evidence of the unit's activities. In particular, I was fascinated by the stories of how the British Army extracted German scientists from the Soviet zone. It was like something out of a spy novel. The traditional history we are normally fed, of how the Russians exploited Germany post-war, is shown to be unfair: the British extraced vast amounts of industrial material from germany and exploited the country's top military and scientific researchers. this has completely changed my understanding of the end of WW2 and the origins of the Cold War.
P.S. I was shocked to read the 'casahistoria' rview on this page. The writer was surprised that the book read like a history of a British army unit! Of course of reads like that: it is a history of a British Army unit!!!
P.S. I was shocked to read the 'casahistoria' rview on this page. The writer was surprised that the book read like a history of a British army unit! Of course of reads like that: it is a history of a British Army unit!!!
18 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I was surprised to see another reviewer complaining that this was merely the history of a unit. Like most of Sean Longden's books it is a very personal story - via new eye witness accounts of what it was like to be in this unique unit, who were given the task of getting Nazi scientific knowhow before the Japanese and the Russians could. It's this personal perspective and focus on the unit, similar to the approach in Band of Brothers which gives the book its strength. James Bond style antics, planned by Ian Fleming but carried out by a group of individuals (raw recruits and recently injured men previously deemed unfit for front line duty) who each have their own story.
That's not to say however that T-Force fails to contribute to the wider debate. As someone who specialised in German/Russian history of this period at University, reading the last chapters I was suprised to see much of what I'd learnt about the Russian impact on the German postwar economy - was equally true - thanks to unit's like T-Force - of the British impact. And what I would have given to have had access to this book back then when I was doing my studies.
That's not to say however that T-Force fails to contribute to the wider debate. As someone who specialised in German/Russian history of this period at University, reading the last chapters I was suprised to see much of what I'd learnt about the Russian impact on the German postwar economy - was equally true - thanks to unit's like T-Force - of the British impact. And what I would have given to have had access to this book back then when I was doing my studies.
15 of 17 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
The British T-Force has been mentioned before (The Paperclip Conspiracy, Tom Bower) but never in such detail. All of the Allies had similar forces and the race was on to get what they could of documents, equipment and scientists before the official carving up of Germany and Austria into zones of occupation which would 'officially' prevent plunder by the other occupiers. As this book tells the story, such smuggling did occur. In fact, there are a few reports of persons unknown making off with a lorry of captured documents, perhaps to bypass the publication of such knowledge to the later economic benefit of their sponsors.
Only the most casual reading would give the impression of vagueness. The authority given to T-Force was broad and explicit: "The holder of this card is entitled on my authority [Major General Freddie de Guingand - Field Marshal Montgomery's Chief of Staff], to deny any member of the forces entry or access to the building or area which he is guarding." A list of some of the items discovered includes:
"...a submarine 'Schnorkel' with a radar unit attached, the first of its type to be uncovered."
"... a new type of anti-aircraft predictor, only two examples of which were believed to be in existence. Assessors described the find as of the 'utmmost importance.'"
"Beneath the factory were three cellars full of ball bearings... were urgently required for evacuation, since a British ball-bearing manufacturer had recently been bombed, halting production: 'We flew out three Dakotas full of ball bearings, from Rheine airfield to the UK.'"
Not all targets were on the 'black-lists' carried by T-Force. Targets of opportunity were sometimes stumbled upon. (A look at the titles of some B.I.O.S. Reports will find such designations on the cover.) "The factory was producing equipment for use in guided rocket systems, jet- and rocket-propelled aircraft, and chemical fuels. ... Just ten days after the operation the Admiralty produced a 300-page book of translations of the seized documents."
There was also the discovery of a hidden laboratory and some scientists who were working on a 'de-atomisation bomb.' The laboratory was dismantled, crated and sent to England. Some Americans were involved, including some in uniform that appeared to be scientists under cover.
I won't spoil the rest. Suffice it to say that history, as currently written, is off the mark in some significant areas. And let's not forget the post-war operations like PAPERCLIP and LUSTY. Even the Australians had a program titled ESTEA.
Only the most casual reading would give the impression of vagueness. The authority given to T-Force was broad and explicit: "The holder of this card is entitled on my authority [Major General Freddie de Guingand - Field Marshal Montgomery's Chief of Staff], to deny any member of the forces entry or access to the building or area which he is guarding." A list of some of the items discovered includes:
"...a submarine 'Schnorkel' with a radar unit attached, the first of its type to be uncovered."
"... a new type of anti-aircraft predictor, only two examples of which were believed to be in existence. Assessors described the find as of the 'utmmost importance.'"
"Beneath the factory were three cellars full of ball bearings... were urgently required for evacuation, since a British ball-bearing manufacturer had recently been bombed, halting production: 'We flew out three Dakotas full of ball bearings, from Rheine airfield to the UK.'"
Not all targets were on the 'black-lists' carried by T-Force. Targets of opportunity were sometimes stumbled upon. (A look at the titles of some B.I.O.S. Reports will find such designations on the cover.) "The factory was producing equipment for use in guided rocket systems, jet- and rocket-propelled aircraft, and chemical fuels. ... Just ten days after the operation the Admiralty produced a 300-page book of translations of the seized documents."
There was also the discovery of a hidden laboratory and some scientists who were working on a 'de-atomisation bomb.' The laboratory was dismantled, crated and sent to England. Some Americans were involved, including some in uniform that appeared to be scientists under cover.
I won't spoil the rest. Suffice it to say that history, as currently written, is off the mark in some significant areas. And let's not forget the post-war operations like PAPERCLIP and LUSTY. Even the Australians had a program titled ESTEA.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Fascinating material, needs editing
The author has certainly done exhaustive research into a fantastically interesting topic, about which I was wholly ignorant. He deserved a lot of credit for that. Read more
Published 24 days ago by S. H. O. Moss
A very surprising read
Having read the other reviews, I find myself in broad agreement with the majority of the good ones, with no time at all for those who found it 'boring'; an adjective which this... Read more
Published 2 months ago by swimaging
Not a great read.
This book is full of historical detail and extensive research, and there are some very interesting facts and annecdotes. Read more
Published 2 months ago by P. Cheetham
boring
Really, really, really boring... It does not add any new information and it is not even told with rithm. A book to avoid.
Published 8 months ago by Enrique Cano Torrijo
Wonderful history book that often reads like a novel. Tighter editing...
Beginning with the swift formation of the elite unit toward the end of WWII, 'T-Force' details the evolution of this force and some related units as they attempt to rapidly and... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Lloyd Morgan
A gripping read-but more tech please?
Sean Longdon's book on the T-force shows a clear view of the efforts made by the British to unearth the Nazis technical secrets and why these were so important. Read more
Published 9 months ago by M. B. Jennings
T-Force..... A great read!
I read this book during a week's visit to Germany and found it absolutely fascinating. During the visit I spent a day at the Miettelbau-Dora V2 factory at Nordhausen and having the... Read more
Published 18 months ago by Ian: 30 AU.
Rather dull
I was hoping for a lot more information about the technology and the 'secrets' they were after/found and why they were so important and how they were used, its a bit boring reading... Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2009 by NathanB
racing to grab the war secrets, but not very clearly
This book has been a disappointment. Familiar with both the geographical area and the background technological and military history I found this little more than a regimental... Read more
Published on 14 Nov 2009 by Les Fearns
His best so far
I always enjoy Sean Longden's books and this is one of his best so far. He always goes the extra mile with research, gets to all the veterans and puts their stories together in a... Read more
Published on 28 Oct 2009 by Angus
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