The 43 Group: Battling with Mosley's Blackshirts
Written by a founding member, the remarkable history of an incredibly effective anti-fascist action group that shut down thousands of fascist meetings and rallies

Oswald Mosley decided he could carry on where Hitler and Mussolini had left off, and on street corners his fascist speakers would proclaim "not enough Jews were burned at Belsen." Enter the 43 Group. In a ferocious, bloody, and brilliantly covert five-year campaign, they destroyed the Mosleyites. The membership of the Group was almost entirely made up of British servicemen, the original 43 members quickly swelling to more than 300 and including a Battle of Britain ace, a VC winner—and Vidal Sassoon. The Group's philosophy of the "3 D's"—Discuss, Decide and Do it—was quickly manifested on the streets of London, with literally thousands of fascist meetings and rallies sent packing. Quickly gaining a reputation, the 43 Group was organized in "wedges" of a dozen or so. These wedges would attend a British Union of Fascists rally and at a given signal would storm the speaker's platform, attacking BUF stewards and speaker. The Group's military background ensured tight discipline and brutally effective actions. This, combined with a number of spies within the fascist ranks, ensured the 43 Group almost always came out on top, closing down two-thirds of all fascist activity in the UK until its simultaneous demise with organized fascism in Britain in 1950.

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The 43 Group: Battling with Mosley's Blackshirts
Written by a founding member, the remarkable history of an incredibly effective anti-fascist action group that shut down thousands of fascist meetings and rallies

Oswald Mosley decided he could carry on where Hitler and Mussolini had left off, and on street corners his fascist speakers would proclaim "not enough Jews were burned at Belsen." Enter the 43 Group. In a ferocious, bloody, and brilliantly covert five-year campaign, they destroyed the Mosleyites. The membership of the Group was almost entirely made up of British servicemen, the original 43 members quickly swelling to more than 300 and including a Battle of Britain ace, a VC winner—and Vidal Sassoon. The Group's philosophy of the "3 D's"—Discuss, Decide and Do it—was quickly manifested on the streets of London, with literally thousands of fascist meetings and rallies sent packing. Quickly gaining a reputation, the 43 Group was organized in "wedges" of a dozen or so. These wedges would attend a British Union of Fascists rally and at a given signal would storm the speaker's platform, attacking BUF stewards and speaker. The Group's military background ensured tight discipline and brutally effective actions. This, combined with a number of spies within the fascist ranks, ensured the 43 Group almost always came out on top, closing down two-thirds of all fascist activity in the UK until its simultaneous demise with organized fascism in Britain in 1950.

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The 43 Group: Battling with Mosley's Blackshirts

The 43 Group: Battling with Mosley's Blackshirts

The 43 Group: Battling with Mosley's Blackshirts

The 43 Group: Battling with Mosley's Blackshirts

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Overview

Written by a founding member, the remarkable history of an incredibly effective anti-fascist action group that shut down thousands of fascist meetings and rallies

Oswald Mosley decided he could carry on where Hitler and Mussolini had left off, and on street corners his fascist speakers would proclaim "not enough Jews were burned at Belsen." Enter the 43 Group. In a ferocious, bloody, and brilliantly covert five-year campaign, they destroyed the Mosleyites. The membership of the Group was almost entirely made up of British servicemen, the original 43 members quickly swelling to more than 300 and including a Battle of Britain ace, a VC winner—and Vidal Sassoon. The Group's philosophy of the "3 D's"—Discuss, Decide and Do it—was quickly manifested on the streets of London, with literally thousands of fascist meetings and rallies sent packing. Quickly gaining a reputation, the 43 Group was organized in "wedges" of a dozen or so. These wedges would attend a British Union of Fascists rally and at a given signal would storm the speaker's platform, attacking BUF stewards and speaker. The Group's military background ensured tight discipline and brutally effective actions. This, combined with a number of spies within the fascist ranks, ensured the 43 Group almost always came out on top, closing down two-thirds of all fascist activity in the UK until its simultaneous demise with organized fascism in Britain in 1950.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780752499420
Publisher: Spellmount, Limited Publishers
Publication date: 04/01/2014
Edition description: New
Pages: 240
Product dimensions: 4.80(w) x 7.70(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Morris Beckman was a founding member of the 43 Group. He is the author of The Jewish Brigade. Vidal Sassoon (1928-2012) was an internationally famous hairdresser, businessman, and philanthropist, and the author of Vidal. He was the youngest member of the 43 Group. David Cesarani is a historian who specializes in Jewish history and the author of Becoming Eichmann.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements 7

Editor's Introduction to the First Edition 9

Foreword to First Edition by Vidal Sassoon CBE 11

Foreword to Second Edition by David Cesarani OBE 13

Prologue 19

Chapter 1 31

Chapter 2 40

Chapter 3 51

Chapter 4 60

Chapter 5 67

Chapter 6 77

Chapter 7 92

Chapter 8 103

Chapter 9 114

Chapter 10 124

Chapter 11 132

Chapter 12 144

Chapter 13 153

Chapter 14 163

Chapter 15 173

Chapter 16 183

Chapter 17 190

Epilogue 195

Appendix A Post-war fascist leaders 202

Appendix B Fascist Publications 207

Appendix C Fascist Organisations 215

Appendix D Fascist Book Clubs 219

Index 221

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