Shadow Knights: The Secret War Against Hitler by Gary Kamiya


Shadow Knights: The Secret War Against Hitler
Title : Shadow Knights: The Secret War Against Hitler
Author :
Rating :
ISBN : 1439109044
ISBN-10 : 9781439109045
Language : English
Format Type : Hardcover
Number of Pages : 160
Publication : First published October 5, 2010

Pulp History brings to life extraordinary feats of bravery, violence, and redemption that history has forgotten. These stories are so dramatic and thrilling they have to be true. In SHADOW KNIGHTS, everyday men and women risk their lives on top-secret missions to sabotage Adolf Hitler’s Third Reich. Hell-bent on conquering Europe, Hitler had just set his sights on England when Winston Churchill reached into his bag of tricks and invented a secret spy network of ordinary citizens. These schoolteachers, housewives, prostitutes, and farmers abandoned their former lives, trained in covert black ops, and set Europe ablaze. Parachuting into Nazi territory under the cover of night, they destroyed factories, armed resistance networks, and turned Hitler’s juggernaut on its head.


Shadow Knights: The Secret War Against Hitler Reviews


  • Jim

    This book is part of a series of books called "Pulp History." It is well-illustrated which added greatly to my interest in the story. It's the story of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) set up by the British to send operatives into occupied Europe to wage a secret war against Hitler during World War II. It should go without saying that these were extraordinary people who took on their assignments. The book focuses on three stories. One is about a woman who operated in occupied in Paris- Noor Inayat Khan. Her father was Indian and she was a gentle artistic woman who, nevertheless, was willing to risk her life to help the Resistance in Paris. Another story features a scholar, Henry Ree. He was sent into eastern France and operated in a rural area. The third-and, to me, the most interesting story-was about the team of Norwegians sent into Norway to sabotage the Nazi heavy-water plant that would aid the Germans in developing the atomic bomb. So the Norwegians' mission was nothing less than trying to prevent Hitler from getting the Bomb. Along with the three stories, we get an overall view of SOE operations in the war. It's a story that needs to be told and it's brilliantly told by Gary Kamiya -- and illustrated by Jeffrey Smith.

  • Charlie

    Ahhh, good stuff to read on SOE. Good story but it got just a bit choppy in delivery. All in all ---- a good book.

  • Skjam!

    In 1940, things were looking pretty bleak for Great Britain. Nazi Germany had swept the continent of Europe, all countries there either under its control, that of Fascist Italy, or staying neutral to avoid invasion. The Americans weren’t coming into the war any time soon, and while an invasion of Britain was strategically unlikely, the Luftwaffe could certainly try to bomb it flat. Part of what was needed was a way to get information out of Europe, saboteurs in, and encourage resistance against the German invaders. Thus Winston Churchill authorized the formation of the Special Operations Executive.

    This shadowy organization, separate from military intelligence, recruited “ordinary” people. British civilians, refugees from occupied Europe, even criminals were recruited, trained in the dirty business of espionage, and smuggled into enemy territory. This book tells some of their stories.

    The focus is on three of those stories: socialist schoolteacher Harry Ree, the Norwegian commando team that took out the Nazi capacity for making “heavy water” (vital to atomic research), and Sufi children’s book author Noor Inayat Khan. Between these stories is a general history of the SOE and how it was set up, and sidebars on various related topics.

    This book is part of the “Pulp History” line of history books, which focus on exciting “action” moments in history in hope of getting people to learn about the past who might be put off by more scholarly texts. Thus the emphasis on people’s stories, and the illustrations recreating various moments. (In addition to photographs and documents from the time period.)

    As I’ve mentioned before, the British were the producers of the world’s best spy novels, not the world’s best spies. The SOE was hastily cobbled together, and many of its management personnel were at best eccentric, while others were outright incompetent. Refusal by the rear echelon to believe that the Germans had captured and “turned” or impersonated some early agents resulted in many more SOE spies being caught and imprisoned or killed. There was constant danger to the agents in the field not just from the Axis soldiers, but from civilian collaboraters and even people in their own networks due to leaky security.

    The Norwegian commandoes succeeded in their mission and remaining alive and uncaptured, a near thing given the harsh Norwegian climate in the areas between them and safety. Mr. Ree was badly wounded, but was able to escape. Ms. Khan was executed at Dachau.

    As time passed, SOE got better at its job, and by D-Day, the Resistance members it had trained and supplied for guerrilla warfare were key to slowing the German military response enough for the Allied invasion to establish a foothold. After the end of World War Two, of course, the Special Operations Executive was dissolved. Its lessons endured in professional spy agencies like the Central Intelligence Agency, and in guerrilla movements around the world, like Fidel Castro’s Communist revolt.

    The afterword posits that the SOE gets its luster not from the glory of war, for there is no glory there, but from the bravery and self-sacrifice of the ordinary men and women who stood up and volunteered for what they felt were the right reasons.

    The book admits that certain facts are in dispute; some people involved were liars, others self-serving, and between secrecy and faulty memories, different accounts cannot be reconciled. Check the bibliography for further research.

    Content note: The book by its nature discusses many of the atrocities associated with war and espionage. Various moments are quite gruesome, and some of the illustrations are bloody. Senior high readers and up should be able to handle the subject matter.

    Overall: An exciting book with a lot of true stuff in it. It’s perhaps best suited to late teens and early twenties readers with an interest in World War Two or spies. It should go over well as a gift.

  • Ted Henkle

    Nearly six years ago, Simon & Schuster started a line of books called Pulp History. The intent was to introduce readers to some of the past's most thrilling stories.

    And what could be more thrilling than British agents infiltrating Nazi-occupied Europe?

    "Shadow Knights: The Secret War Against Hitler" is an illustrated book about some of the men and women of Britain's Special Operations Executive (SOE).

    While the book touches on various aspects of SOE's existence, the focus rests on the exploits of Harry Ree, Noor Inayat Khan, and the team of Norwegians responsible for the destruction of Germany's heavy water production.

    In addition to stirring accounts of survival, betrayal, capture and the occasional triumph; Shadow Knights is lavishly illustrated with maps, sidebar notes, while artist Jeffrey Smith's splash pages bring the characters to life.

    I give this book a solid four-star rating, leaning more towards work of entertainment than an in-depth historical analysis of irregular warfare waged against Nazi Germany. For the sake of telling stories of derring do, Shadow Knights "pulps over" many aspects of World War II, outside the scope of SOE's operations.
    The book has a 4.5-star rating out of 5 on Amazon.com.

    Unfortunately, Simon & Schuster's Pulp History fizzled out after releasing only two books, the second being, "Devil Dog: The Amazing True Story of the Man Who Saved America."

    Both books can be found in used book stores or through Amazon.com.

  • Christine

    I heard about this book from two sources. One was an ad in the History Book Club, and the second was a long article in The New York Times. That article reported that the creators of Pulp History wanted to get mnore people intersted in history and decidied to do so by making it "pulp". For some reason, I got it into my head that it was a graphic novel. It isn't. It is an illustrated history.

    Shadow Knights focuses on the British S.O.E, highlighting the role of Noor Khan, a group working in Norway, and Harry Ree. The inclusion of the Norway group was good because it shifted the interst further than simply France, where much Resistance novels or histories seem to be concerned.

    In addition to focusing on the three stories, Kamiya also includes sidebars about various sub topics (the S.O.E. had manufactured exploding turds; the debate over whether the agents were scarificed and so on). The book includes a detailed further reading/reference list at the end.

    It is true, as another review has pointed out, that the book does drag a bit in places. Yet, the stories are compelling told and the book even offers an examination of the morality of the S.O.E. While the writing style is friendly to teens, it is also friendly to adults.

  • Ben

    A fantastic re-telling of some of the rip-roaring (as well as harrowing) adventures of the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), a little known clandestine service which existed solely during World War II and played an integral role in the Allied victory. This exciting and gripping book, filled with drawings and sidebars, gives a general history of the SOE, it's top brass, and three of the most interesting story-lines from during the war: one in Norway against the Germany heavy water plant at Vemorsk and two involving the French Resistance. Though this series is title Pulp History, don't let that fool you. These are well-written, well-researched books. The author explains when information is questionable or unknown, provides plenty of context, etc., while still keeping up a gripping narrative and not getting bogged down in the details. A very interesting read, and spot on as a birthday present from my brother.

  • Steve

    I enjoyed this book quite a bit, though it was a little slow to get going and sometimes the pacing sagged a little bit. But the final chapters picked it up nicely and especially when Kamiya tied the stories together and put them into perspective. In short it tells the story of three operations run by SEO (Special Operations Executive) run by Britian in WWII to disrupt Nazi operations; basically spy operations. The three stories (a woman radio operator in Nazi occupied France, a spy runner in France, and some saboteurs in Norway) are told well. The format, "pulp history" includes lots of illustrations, both photos and paintings, but not enough maps for my taste.

  • Christopher Obert

    This is a very interesting and informative “Pulp History” book. This World War II book is written in the old pulp style of storytelling’, very heavy in illustrations. The illustrations include photographs, posters, maps, sketches and artwork. This book tells the incredible story of everyday British citizens risking their lives to infiltrate Hitler’s Europe. The story is exciting and violent, thrilling and dramatic. I never realized how horrific war could be. If you are looking for a history book that tells you not just facts about the war but the feel of the war, this book is for you. This style of book is a great idea and I look forward to reading many more books like this one!

  • Skallagrimsen

    This illustrated book presents real life acts of World War II espionage in the form of thrilling pulp adventure stories. A brilliant device for stimulating an adolescent's interest in history. As a big fan of the Norwegian Resistance, I especially appreciated Kamiya's depiction its heroic efforts to sabotage Hitler's atomic weapons program. I wish I had a copy of this book when I was a boy. I would have devoured it, and learned a lot.

  • Matthew

    This is another Pulp History entry. I like the art in this better than Devil Dog. On the other hand, the division of the stories told is a bit irritating for the read. Nevertheless this is another solid Pulp History book and makes me hope the series will continue on.

  • James White

    Enjoyed this a lot. A bit like reading a USA Today story of WWII spies.

  • Ayelet Waldman

    So. Much. FUN!!!

  • Roger Charles

    I enjoyed the book although it has that 'back in the day' appearance. Great stories of heroic people, events and difference makers.