One Day in August: Ian Fleming, Enigma, and the Deadly Raid on Dieppe

by David O'Keefe

Overview

'A lively and readable account' Spectator

'A fine book ... well-written and well-researched' Washington Times

In less than six hours in August 1942, nearly 1,000 British, Canadian and American commandos died in the French port of Dieppe in an operation that for decades seemed to have no real purpose. Was it a dry-run for D-Day, or perhaps a gesture by the Allies to placate Stalin's impatience for a second front in the west?

Historian David O'Keefe uses hitherto classified intelligence archives to prove that this catastrophic and apparently futile raid was in fact a mission, set up by Ian Fleming of British Naval Intelligence as part of a 'pinch' policy designed to capture material relating to the four-rotor Enigma Machine that would permit codebreakers like Alan Turing at Bletchley Park to turn the tide of the Second World War.

'A fast-paced and convincing book ... that clears up decades of misinformation about the ignoble raid' Toronto Star

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781785786303
Publisher:	Amberley Publishing
Publication date:	11/05/2020
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	680,545
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.30(h) x 1.80(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Professor David O'Keefe, a former officer in the Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment of Canada) is an award-winning historian, author, film-maker and leading authority on Canadian military historical research. He currently teaches history at Marianopolis College in Quebec.

Table of Contents

About the author ix

List of Illustrations xi

Note on Sources xv

Prologue 1

1 The 'Canadian' Albatross 5

2 A Very Special Bond 19

3 A Ruthless Start 43

4 Annus Mirabilis 67

5 Swimming With Sharks 99

6 Fade to Black 127

7 Kick at the Darkness 155

8 'Authorized Looters' 177

9 Darkness to Daylight 189

10 All the King's Men 213

11 Dieppe by Design 235

12 All Essential Features 263

13 Of Blood and Thunder 301

14 All In on the Main Beach 341

Epilogue: Recalibration 353

Abbreviations 367

Glossary 369

Bibliography 373

Acknowledgements 389

Photo Credits 395

Permissions 399

Notes 401

Index 463

Editorial Reviews

'A lively and readable account'

Washington Times

'Magnificent and engrossing, this is a deep dive into one of the most fascinating and clandestine mysteries, which O’Keefe has cracked open. With extensive research, he produces a captivating and revealing narrative full of intricate detail and written in an accessible and flowing manner. Much of the information is new and I can safely say this will appeal to those interested in history, in particular, that of WWII, and those who find strange and enduring mysteries compelling. A compulsive, informative and eminently readable book, One Day in August is a multilayered and deeply thrilling expose.'

The Book Doctor

‘A fast-paced and convincing book … that clears up decades of misinformation about the ignoble raid’

From the Publisher

"A fast-paced and convincing book … that clears up decades of misinformation about the ignoble raid"

Toronto Star

"A lively and readable account"

The Spectator