Major-General Sir Colin Gubbins: SOE Spymaster
Hugh Dalton (right), Minister of Economic Warfare, and Colin Gubbins (center), chief of the Special Operations Executive, talking to a Czech officer during a visit to Czech troops near Leamington…
Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale: The Real-Life Inspirations
A view of the Casino Estoril in Portugal, an inspiration for Casino Royale, showing the courtyard from the beach of Tamariz. The Casino Estoril was a gathering point for spies…
Tom Satterly Delta Force: A Life of Courage and Dedication
Tom Satterly spent 20 years as a member of the elite special forces unit known as Delta Force. His very first combat mission turned out to be the Battle of…
SOE Heroines: Female Spies Who Fought for the Liberation of France
Violette Szabo SOE agent memorial in front of Lambeth Palace. Photo: camerawalker. CC BY 3.0 DEED. Cropped Image. Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by…
Ian Fleming’s London & Other Places That Inspired James Bond
Aston Martin DB5.Photo: © Copyright Aston Martin. Used by permission. Never say ‘no’ to adventures. Always say ‘yes’, otherwise you’ll lead a very dull life.” — Ian Fleming Ian Fleming,…
William King Harvey: America’s James Bond
Counterattack by Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces supported by T-34 tanks near Playa Giron during the Bay of Pigs invasion, 19 April 1961. Photo: Rumlin. CC BY 3.0 DEED. William King…
The Aloha Shirt: A Great Choice for CCW
Vertx Dadeland CCW Shirt Although fall brings cooler temperatures, it is still anything but cool in many parts of the country. When carrying concealed, keeping a low profile can be…
Oleg Penkovsky: The Spy Who Helped Save the World
President Kennedy meets with Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko in the Oval Office on 18 October 1962. The President knows but does not reveal that he is now aware of…
London’s Spy Tunnels: The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels
Kingsway Exchange Tunnel in 2014. Photo: John Pannell from Watford, UK. CC BY 2.0. The Kingsway Exchange Tunnels are a hidden network of underground passages that stretch for about a…
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu
The Battle of Dien Bien Phu commenced in mid-March and concluded in early May of 1954. Ultimately, out of the 16,000 French troops who found themselves besieged at Dien Bien…