Vanguard: The True Stories of the Reconnaissance and Intelligence Missions behind D-Day

by David Abrutat

Overview

Operation OVERLORD, the opening up of an Allied second front by the invasion of the Normandy beaches in June 1944 was the largest military invasion of all time, but it was preceded by years of industrial scale intelligence collection and dangerous clandestine reconnaissance missions off the French coast.

VANGUARD is the untold story of this work, the intelligence machine and covert reconnaissance missions that went into the D-Day planning, such as the signals intelligence intercepts, the agent running operations orchestrated by the 15th Flotilla, to the clandestine work of the X-Craft and COPP (Combined Operations Pilotage Parties) diver teams that scoured the Normandy coast months before the June 1944 deadline.

The book pulls together previously unpublished but declassified Top Secret documents, diaries, letters and personal accounts from some of the few remaining veterans who were there.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781916846623
Publisher:	Unicorn
Publication date:	06/14/2024
Sold by:	Bookwire
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	22 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

David Abrutat is an ex-Royal Marine Commando and former Reconnaissance specialist who has been long being fascinated with the Second World War and the work of clandestine forces around the world. He is currently an Associate Fellow and Lecturer on the MA Security and Intelligence Studies in the Department of Economics and International Studies at the University of Buckingham.

David Abrutat is an ex-Royal Marine Commando and former Reconnaissance specialist who has been long being fascinated with the Second World War and the work of clandestine forces around the world. He is currently an Associate Fellow and Lecturer on the MA Security and Intelligence Studies in the Department of Economics and International Studies at the University of Buckingham.

Editorial Reviews

Former Royal Marine Commando, author and lecturer Abrutat, author of several works on intelligence and special operations, has written an impressive book which adds greatly to public awareness of the Allied intelligence, deception, espionage, and cover planning for D-Day.... Vanguard is a good addition to the literature on the information side of the war in Europe.” —StategyPage

“Vanguard is a worthwhile read. Abrutat highlights fascinating primary source documents and subject interviews that might otherwise never see the light of day. His enthusiasm for the subject and deep respect for the individuals involved is palpable.” —Journal of Intelligence and Counterintelligence

“I commend David Abrutat’s book to those who have a keen interest in the subject matter. As with those who prepared for D-Day, he has clearly invested a great deal of time and effort in his research. [This book] is difficult to put down when you get into your stride.” —The Naval Review

“The book includes many wonderful wartime photographs, both of individuals, facilities, and equipment, as well as charts and sketches, plus a few facsimiles of key documents. There is also a very useful list of acronyms and abbreviations. The book is printed on very heavy, glossy stock, so it will hold up well as a volume to dip into and study the contributions made by many different kinds of specialists who enabled victory on D-Day.” —The Journal of America’s Military Past

“For those interested in the story of D-Day Vanguard offers an unprecedented and densely-packed look at the different activities that went into launching D-Day, one rarely discussed in more conventional histories of the event.” —The Daily News

“Vice Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir Gordon Messenger (a Royal Marine himself), describes Vanguard as an ‘invaluable case study for the modern practioner as an excellent historical account for anyone wanting to understand the Allies’ military success on D-Day.’ Fair comment.” —Warships: International Fleet Review

From the Publisher