The War Magician: The man who conjured victory in the desert
(Paperback)
Publishing Details
The War Magician: The man who conjured victory in the desert
By (Author) David Fisher
Orion Publishing Co
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
29th March 2022
31st March 2022
United Kingdom
Classifications
General
Non Fiction
Second World War
Modern warfare
Biography: general
940.548641092
Physical Properties
Paperback
368
Width 128mm, Height 196mm, Spine 22mm
280g
Description
The incredible true story of the greatest illusionist of modern times and the man who altered the course of the second world war.
Soon to be a major film starring Benedict Cumberbatch'A richly entertaining read' SUNDAY TIMESJasper Maskelyne was a world famous magician and illusionist in the 1930s. When war broke out, he volunteered his services to the British Army and was sent to Egypt when the desert war began. Here, he used his unique skills to save the vital port of Alexandria from German bombers and to 'hide' the Suez Canal from them. He invented all sorts of camouflage methods to make trucks look like tanks and vice versa. On Malta he developed 'the world's first portable holes': fake bomb craters used to fool the Germans into thinking they had hit their targets. His war culminated in the brilliant deception plan that helped win the Battle of El Alamein: the creation of an entire dummy army in the middle of the desert.Reviews
Right from his memorable opening line [Fisher] shows a sure touch ... a richly entertaining read * SUNDAY TIMES *
Gripping ... A literally marvellous war tale, well told * ForeignAffairs.com *
A remarkable tale, delightfully told * SOLDIER magazine *
This is one of those books that once you start, you can't give up ... a fascinating read * REGIMENT *
Author Bio
David Fisher is the author of more than 40 books on a wide variety of subjects. His work has appeared on bestseller lists around the world. He lives in New York City with his wife Laura, two sons, two cats and one small but confident dog.
