Warships Pod

Naval Intelligence in WW2 - Eavesdroppers & the Secret War

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Episode notes

Our guest on this episode is Dr Helen Fry, the author of more than 25 books on the social history of WW2, not least British intelligence activities, spies and the like. 

She is a leading authority on many related topics, including on the ‘secret listeners’ who eavesdropped on what enemy Prisoners of War were discussing. This was in order to gain insights into what was going on in the foe’s war effort and also the mindset of the German opposition. 

In the discussion with podcast host Iain Ballantyne, Dr Fry touches on various naval angles not least the eavesdropping that was used across various sites where German U-boat crews were held.

This includes the use of deliberately casual interrogations to lull the PoWs into a false sense of security for when they discussed things later with their comrades in captivity (not knowing they were being listened to). We also learn how one U-boat sailor in 1940 gave away Enigma machine secrets in a most extraordinary fashion.

The unsung, backroom work of women and others in British naval intelligence, including for the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, is included in the fascinating chat.  

Also discussed is the use of female interrogators, and also how German and Austrian refugees from Nazi oppression (due to their Jewish faith) became players in the British intelligence-gathering system and even commandos.

• The next edition of Warships IFR is published on May 17, in the UK and globally. It includes a special D-Day 80 feature section, commemorating the Allied invasion of Normandy that began the liberation of Northwest Europe from Nazi oppression. For more on the June 2024 edition https://bit.ly/w2406c (live from 17.5.24) or visit the magazine web site http://bit.ly/wifrmag Also, follow us on X @WarshipsIFR Facebook @WarshipsFR and Warships IFR TV on YouTube @warshipsifrtv3668 For more on various editions of the magazine https://bit.ly/wifri
• Among Dr Fry’s books are ‘Women in Intelligence’, ‘The Walls Have Ears’ and ‘The London Cage’. Her next book is ‘Why I Became an X Troop Commando’ (out later this year). All of the aforementioned are published by Yale University Press. Visit Helen’s web site https://www.helen-fry.com or follow her on X @DrHelenFry
• Iain Ballantyne is the founding and current Editor of Warships IFR (first published in 1998) along with its ‘Guide to the Royal Navy’ (since 2003) and ‘Guide to the US Navy’ (since 2018). Iain is also author of the books ‘Hunter Killers’ (Orion) and ‘The Deadly Trade’ (Weidenfeld & Nicolson), both about submarine warfare, plus ‘Arnhem: Ten Days in The Cauldron’ and ‘Bismarck: 24 Hours to Doom’ (published by Canelo). Visit his web site Bismarckbattle.com and follow him on X @IBallantyn

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