Imagine stepping out of a plane at night, a heavy wireless set strapped to your chest. The parachute snaps open, jolting you violently. When you hit the ground, the thirty-pound case slams into your chin, and your head hits the ground. No helmet. No medics. Just the start of a mission you are already too […]
Concussion, Confabulation, and Caroli: Rethinking an “Unreliable” Agent Read More »
Last September, I wrote a blog post about an email from Bengt Caroli, the grand-nephew of Gösta Caroli—one of the lucky few LENA spies who survived the war. Bengt asked if I’d ever been in touch with his father, Ulf Caroli. Ulf, son of Gunnar Caroli (Gösta’s brother), passed away in 2016, but he had
From Silver Foxes to Double Agents: Ulf Caroli’s Family Story Read More »
While chasing down obscure clues about “Bella in the Wych Elm,” I stumbled across a Quora thread with an eerie, specific claim: that the skeleton of a German Luftwaffe pilot—shot down over Kent during the war—was discovered still hanging from his parachute in a tree… over 30 years later. … A German fighter pilot was
Lost for Decades: The WWII Pilot Found Hanging in a Tree Read More »
As noted in the previous post, the first part of Margaret’s second memoir/letter (published 28 July, 2014) covered the tale end of the Second World War, while the second part delved into her Cold War Adventures. The third and final memoir/letter (published 25 August, 2014) continued the Cold War theme, so I have lumped the
Defying the Iron Curtain: Margaret Spencer’s Daring Cold War Exploits Read More »
Margaret Spencer is about to tell us about her wartime exploits in this, the first of her “memoir” letters published in the Eastbourne Herald on 21 July, 2014. We are not sure when these letters were written. If they were written in the last few years of her life, then Margaret would have been in
The Daring Midwife Spy: Margaret Spencer’s Fantastical WWII Exploits Read More »
In July and August 2014, the Eastbourne Herald published three letters that Margaret Spencer had written to her family. The letters detailed some of Margaret’s supposed wartime (and post war) adventures as an SIS agent (Secret Intelligence Service – aka MI6). Published posthumously after her death by her family, the letters paint a picture of
Elite SIS Operative: Exposing Margaret Spencer’s Hidden Life During WWII Read More »
I admit to being sucked down a rabbit hole. When I overheard that conversation in a community centre, about a German spy parachuting into England dressed as a nun, I had just wanted to confirm or deny that it actually happened. In searching for “spies dressed as nuns”, I came across the story of Margaret
Nurse, Wife, Nun, Spy: The Strange WWII Story of Sister Evangeline Read More »
N.B. This is Part 5 of a 5-part series on Ely Goldsmith. Links to earlier articles are at the bottom of this post. Introduction We’ve learned a lot about Ely Goldsmith over the last four blog posts. He left a very large footprint in the court records and press. But what of his family? His
The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 5: Virtually Invisible Female Relations Read More »
NB. This is Part 4 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Links to other articles are at the bottom of this post. Introduction As the 1930s dawned, we find Ely in and out of prison. Released from the federal penitentiary in Atlanta, he was immediately taken into custody for financial fraud. He did
The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 4 – The Cuban Connection Read More »
N.B. This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on H. Ely Goldsmith. Previous blog post links are at the bottom of this post. Introduction In the previous installment of this series, we witnessed Ely slide from a legitimate, presumably successful accountant to a sketchy, unqualified immigration consultant. Ely also put the American justice system
The Unusual Case of H. Ely Goldsmith – Part 3: Unrepentant Convicted Felon Read More »