Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Base
It was Christmas 1942. Eleven young women braved the attentions of Nazi U-Boats in the deep Atlantic on their way to North Africa. About to play their part in defeating Hitler, they called themselves the First Eleven.

According to Winston Churchill, the Mediterranean was the key to defeating the Third Reich. And a crucial part of undermining Fascist power in Italy, France and the Mediterranean islands would be subversion and sabotage. But the undercover fighters needed a springboard to spearhead their operations in the 'soft underbelly' of Europe.

Those eleven young women joined soldiers, sailors and heroic secret agents at the Special Operations Executive's new North African base. Code-named Massingham, it was hidden away among pine trees by a Mediterranean beach. SOE, America's OSS and the French intelligence agencies worked together to undermine cruel regimes.

This is the remarkable story of Massingham. Its life was short. Less than two years after its formation, its multinational job was done. British, American, French, Italian, Spanish: together they played a key role in the Second World War.

Alongside the espionage of MI6 and the strategic deception of 'A Force', Massingham's men and women launched covert operations at dead of night: by parachute, by submarine, by canoe easing silently on to a deserted beach. In the tradition of Antony Beevor and Ben Macintyre, this book reveals an aspect of WW2 history that has remained hidden for far too long.

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Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Base
It was Christmas 1942. Eleven young women braved the attentions of Nazi U-Boats in the deep Atlantic on their way to North Africa. About to play their part in defeating Hitler, they called themselves the First Eleven.

According to Winston Churchill, the Mediterranean was the key to defeating the Third Reich. And a crucial part of undermining Fascist power in Italy, France and the Mediterranean islands would be subversion and sabotage. But the undercover fighters needed a springboard to spearhead their operations in the 'soft underbelly' of Europe.

Those eleven young women joined soldiers, sailors and heroic secret agents at the Special Operations Executive's new North African base. Code-named Massingham, it was hidden away among pine trees by a Mediterranean beach. SOE, America's OSS and the French intelligence agencies worked together to undermine cruel regimes.

This is the remarkable story of Massingham. Its life was short. Less than two years after its formation, its multinational job was done. British, American, French, Italian, Spanish: together they played a key role in the Second World War.

Alongside the espionage of MI6 and the strategic deception of 'A Force', Massingham's men and women launched covert operations at dead of night: by parachute, by submarine, by canoe easing silently on to a deserted beach. In the tradition of Antony Beevor and Ben Macintyre, this book reveals an aspect of WW2 history that has remained hidden for far too long.

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Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Base

Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Base

by Peter Dixon
Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Base

Setting the Med Ablaze: Churchill's Secret North African Base

by Peter Dixon

Overview

It was Christmas 1942. Eleven young women braved the attentions of Nazi U-Boats in the deep Atlantic on their way to North Africa. About to play their part in defeating Hitler, they called themselves the First Eleven.

According to Winston Churchill, the Mediterranean was the key to defeating the Third Reich. And a crucial part of undermining Fascist power in Italy, France and the Mediterranean islands would be subversion and sabotage. But the undercover fighters needed a springboard to spearhead their operations in the 'soft underbelly' of Europe.

Those eleven young women joined soldiers, sailors and heroic secret agents at the Special Operations Executive's new North African base. Code-named Massingham, it was hidden away among pine trees by a Mediterranean beach. SOE, America's OSS and the French intelligence agencies worked together to undermine cruel regimes.

This is the remarkable story of Massingham. Its life was short. Less than two years after its formation, its multinational job was done. British, American, French, Italian, Spanish: together they played a key role in the Second World War.

Alongside the espionage of MI6 and the strategic deception of 'A Force', Massingham's men and women launched covert operations at dead of night: by parachute, by submarine, by canoe easing silently on to a deserted beach. In the tradition of Antony Beevor and Ben Macintyre, this book reveals an aspect of WW2 history that has remained hidden for far too long.

Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781916027329
Publisher: Cloudshill Press
Publication date: 07/30/2020
Series: Special Operations Executive , #2
Pages: 300
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Peter Dixon aims to bring history to life through human stories on war and peace. He served for over 30 years as a Royal Air Force pilot and spent the next decade leading the charity Concordis International in its conflict resolution work in Sudan and other divided societies. His PhD research at the University of Cambridge focused on outside intervention in civil wars. His other writing includes Guardians of Churchill's Secret Army, which tells the stories of the men who joined the Special Operations Executive to keep Churchill's secret saboteurs safe. He and his wife Ingrid, also an author, work from their home in Gloucestershire, England, when their five grandchildren allow them to do so.

Table of Contents

Introduction

The Prequel: Operation Torch

Irregulars in North Africa

Learning to Cooperate

Springboard for Subversion

The Training Base

The Operations Base

First Conquer the Islands

Changing Sides

Into Italy

Southern France

Conclusion

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