Nicholas Rankin

Adolf Hitlers failure to take Gibraltar in 1940 lost him the Second World War. But in truth the formidable Rock, jutting between the Mediterranean and the Atlantic, was extraordinarily vulnerable. Every day, ten thousand people crossed its frontier to work, spy, sabotage or escape. It was threatened by Spain, Vichy France, Italy and Germany. After the USA entered the war, Gibraltar became General Eisenhowers strategic headquarters for the invasion of North Africa and the battle for the Mediterranean.

In 1942, Lieutenant-Commander Ian Fleming was personal assistant to the Director of Naval Intelligence - the dynamic figure behind James Bonds fictional chief, M. Here, Fleming had a brilliant idea: why not set up a unit of authorised looters, men who would go in hard with the front-line troops and steal enemy intelligence?Known as 30 Assault Unit, they took part in the major campaigns of the Second World War, landing on the Normandy beaches and helping to liberate Paris. 30AUs final amazing coup was to seize the entire archives of the German Navy - thirty tons of documents. Ian Fleming flew out in person to get the loot back to Britain, where it was combed for evidence to use in the Nuremburg trials. In this gripping and highly enjoyable book, Nicholas Rankin, author of the best-selling Churchills Wizards, puts 30 Assault Units fascinating story in a strategic and intelligence context. He also argues that Ian Flemings Second World War service was one of the most significant periods of his life - without this, the most popular spy fiction of the twentieth century would not have been written.

Trapped in History tells how the British colonised Kenya and how African nationalism arose under Jomo Kenyatta. It describes the terrifying first attacks by the guerrilla freedom fighters known as Mau Mau. Though defeated, the Mau Mau hastened the end of British rule in Kenya. Trapped in History explores the effect the uprising on the author, who grew up as a child in the Kenya colony. The book is both a history, as well as a memoir, of the end of Empire.

The real story of how Winston Churchill and the British mastered deception to defeat the Nazis - by conning the Kaiser, hoaxing Hitler and using brains to outwit brawn. By June 1940, most of Europe had fallen to the Nazis and Britain stood alone. So, with Winston Churchill in charge the British bluffed their way out of trouble, drawing on the trickery which had helped them win the First World War. They broadcast outrageous British propaganda on pretend German radio stations, broke German secret codes and eavesdropped on their messages. Every German spy in Britain was captured and many were used to send back false information to their controllers. Forged documents misled their intelligence. Bogus wireless traffic from entire phantom armies, dummy airfields with model planes, disguised ships and inflatable rubber tanks created a vital illusion of strength.Culminating in the spectacular misdirection that was so essential to the success of D-Day in 1944, Churchills Wizards: The British Genius for Deception 1914-1945 is a thrilling work of popular military history filled with almost unbelievable stories of bravery, creativity and deception. Nicholas Rankin is the author of Dead Mans Chest, Telegram From Guernica and Ian Flemings Commandos. This is a story clamouring to be told. We could not have imagined the scope of the inventiveness, the daring of these peoples imaginations . . . I could not stop reading this book. Doris Lessing

On 26 April 1937, in the rubble of the bombed city of Guernica, the worlds press scrambled to submit their stories. But one journalist held back, and spent an extra day exploring the scene. His report pointed the finger at secret Nazi involvement in the devastating aerial attack. It was the lead story in both The Times and the New York Times, and became the most controversial dispatch of the Spanish Civil War.Who was this Special Correspondent, whose report inspired Picassos black-and-white painting Guernica - the most enduring single image of the twentieth century - and earned him a place on the Gestapo Special Wanted List? George Steer, a 27-year-old adventurer, was a friend and supporter of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Selassie I. He foresaw and alerted others to the fascist game-plan in Africa and all over Europe; initiated new techniques of propaganda and psychological warfare; saw military action in Ethiopia, Spain, Finland, Libya, Egypt, Madagascar and Burma; married twice and wrote eight books.Without Steer, the true facts about Guernicas destruction might never have been known. In this exhilarating biography, Nicholas Rankin brilliantly evokes all the passion, excitement and danger of an extraordinary life, right up to Steers premature death in the jungle on Christmas Day 1944.

George Steer, journalist and adventurer, had a spectacularly exciting career: he was a friend and supporter of Haile Selassie and was the first to unmask the Nazi involvement in the bombing of Guernica. In this biography, Nicholas Rankin reveals his extraordinary life.

Who was the special correspondent whose report shocked the world, galvanized Picasso into painting "Guernica", and earned him a place on the Gestapo''s "Special Wanted List"? On April 26th 1937, amid the rubble of the bombed city of Guernica, the world''s press scrambled to submit their reports. But one journalist spent an extra day exploring the scene. His investigation pointed the finger at the secret involvement of the Nazis - and was the most controversial despatch of the Spanish Civil War. George Steer, a dapper 27-year-old adventurer, was a friend and supporter of the Ethiopian emperor Haile Sellassie I. As a foreign correspondent he alerted others to the Fascist game-plan in Africa and Europe, initiated new field propaganda techniques, and saw military action in Ethiopia, Spain, Libya, Egypt and Madagascar. Without Steer, the true facts about Guernica''s destruction might never have been known. In this biography, Nicholas Rankin evokes all the passion, excitement and danger of an extraordinary life, right up to Steer''s premature death in the Burmese jungle on Christmas Day 1944.

El 26 de abril de 1937, entre los cascotes de la bombardeada ciudad de Guernica, periodistas de todo el mundo rivalizaban por dar la noticia. Pero sólo uno de ellos, George Steer, esperó un día más y volvio a la ciudad demolida. Su cronica - la mas polemica de la guerra civil española- fue primera plana del Times y del New York Times. Conmociono a la opinion publica mundial al revelar la participacion secreta del nazismo en el devastador ataque aereo de la ciudad, sirvio de inspiracion a Picasso para su famosa obra y le valio a Steer un puesto en la lista negra de la Gestapo.

En 1894, a su muerte a los cuarenta y cuatro años en Samoa Occidental, Stevenson era ya una leyenda. Casi un siglo después, Nicholas Rankin sigue sus pasos desde Edimburgo hasta los mares del Sur. El resultado, al mismo tiempo libro de viajes y biografía reveladora, es una obra muy bien documentada y llena de jugosas anécdotas sobre uno de los escritores más influyentes de las letras británicas.