Killing the Enemy - Assassination Operations During World War II

During World War II, the British formed a secret division, the 'SOE' or Special Operations Executive, in order to support resistance organisations in occupied Europe. It also engaged in 'targeted killing' - the assassination of enemy political and military leaders. The unit is famous for equipping its agents with tools for use behind enemy lines, such as folding motorbikes, miniature submarines and suicide pills disguised as coat buttons. But its activities are now also gaining attention as a forerunner to today's 'extra-legal' killings of wartime enemies in foreign territory, for example through the use of unmanned drones. Adam Leong's work evaluates the effectiveness of political assassination in wartime using four examples: Heydrich's assassination in Prague (Operation Anthropoid); the daring kidnap of Major General Kreipe in Crete by Patrick Leigh Fermor; the failed attempt to assassinate Rommel, known as Operation Flipper; and the American assassination of General Yamamoto.

Product details

• Authors: Adam Leong Kok Wey, Adam Leong Kok Wey Adam Leong Kok Wey, Leong Kok Wey Adam, Adam Leong Kok Wey Adam Leong Kok Wey, Adam Leong Kok Wey, Wey Adam Leong Kok
• Publisher: Tauris, I.B.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 28.09.2015
• EAN: 9781784530723
• ISBN: 978-1-78453-072-3
• No. of pages: 272
• Series: International Library of Twentieth Century History; International Library of Twent
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > History; European History, military history, 20th century history: c 1900 to c 2000, HISTORY / Military / Special Forces, 20th century, c 1900 to c 1999, Second World War, HISTORY / Europe / Great Britain / General, c 1938 to c 1946 (World War Two period), Modern warfare, c 1940 to c 1949, c 1939 to c 1945 (including WW2), History and Archaeology, Genocide & ethnic cleansing, Genocide and ethnic cleansing, HISTORY / Wars & Conflicts / World War II / General