About this item
This book tells the story of the various Allied operations and schemes instigated to keep Spain and Portugal out of WWII, which included the widespread bribery of high ranking Spanish officials and the duplicity of Admiral Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr.Ian Fleming and Alan Hillgarth were the architects of Operation Golden Eye, the sabotage and disruption scheme that would be put in place had Germany invaded Spain. Fleming visited the Iberian Peninsula and Tangiers several times during the war, arguably his greatest achievement in WWII and the closest he came to being a real secret agent. It was these visits which supplied much of the background material for his fiction - Fleming even called his home on Jamaica where he created 007 'Goldeneye.'The book begins with Hitler's dilemma about which way to move and his meeting with Francisco Franco at Hendaye in October 1940, a major turning point in the war when an alliance between Germany and Spain seemed possible.
About the Author
Mark Simmons was born in PLymouth into a family with a long tradition of service in the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. In the 1970's he served in the Royal Marines, with 40 Commando RM, 3 Commando Brigade, and with the Commando Logistics RegimentIn the 1980's he was a member of the Confederate Historical Society and the American Civil War Reserach Association.He has written over one hundred feature articles, mainly on naval/military and travel subjects for publication in the UK and USA.His first book "A Crack in Time" a search for the echoes of the American Civil War was published in 2004."From the Foam of the Sea" his first novel was published in 2007 telling the story of Royal Marines on Cyprus, it has been compared to the work of Alistair MacLean and Desmond Bagley."The Serpent and the Cross" was published in August 2010, the story of an SOE operation in Italy during World War II, set against the background of Motor Racing another of Mark's interests. It has been profiled in the Alfa Romeo Owners Club Magazine.His non-fiction naval history book "The Battle of Matapan 1941" was published in April 2011, reviews have been good,and sales encouraging.
