Camp Z: How British Intelligence Broke Hitler's Deputy

(Paperback)

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On 10 May 1941, Rudolf Hess, then the Deputy Fuhrer, parachuted over Renfrewshire in Scotland on a mission to meet with the Duke of Hamilton, ostensibly to broker a peace deal with the British government. After being held in the Tower of London, he was transferred to Mytchett Place near Aldershot on 20 May, under the codename of 'Z'. The house was fitted with microphones and sound recording equipment, guarded by a battalion of soldiers and codenamed 'Camp Z'.

Churchill's instructions were that Hess should be strictly isolated, with every effort taken to get any information out of him that could help change the course of the Second World War. Stephen McGinty uses documentation, contemporaneous reports, diaries, letters and memos to piece together a riveting account of the claustrophobia, paranoia and high-stakes gamesmanship being played out in an English country house. CAMP Z is a 'locked room mystery' where the 'locked room' is a man's mind that no one can conclude, with any degree of confidence, is sane.

Reviews

'McGintys' writing flows so well that you feel that you are in the house watching the disintegration of a national leader' ARRSE. * ARRSE *
'In this extremely accessible book Stephen McGinty captures the claustrophobia and paranoia within the house' Good Book Guide. * Good Book Guide *
'a fascinating account' historyofwar. * historyofwar *
'The last word on one of the great mysteries of World War II' Daily Mail. * Daily Mail *

Author Bio

Stephen McGinty is an award-winning journalist with The Scotsman newspaper. He has also worked for the Sunday Times in London and the Glasgow Herald. His first book, This Turbulent Priest (2003) was described by the Daily Telegraph as 'The year's most unlikely page-turner'. His also the author of Churchill's Cigar (2007) and Fire In The Night: The Piper Alpha Disaster (2008).