D-Day: On This Day In History The Allies Landed On The Beaches Of Normandy In World War II

As History.com notes, today is the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. 

On this day in 1944, Supreme Allied Commander General Dwight D. Eisenhower (seen in the below photo) gives the go-ahead for the largest amphibious military operation in history: Operation Overlord, code named D-Day, the Allied invasion of northern France. 

By daybreak, 18,000 British and American parachutists were already on the ground. An additional 13,000 aircraft were mobilized to provide air cover and support for the invasion. At 6:30 a.m., American troops came ashore at Utah and Omaha beaches. 

The British and Canadians overcame light opposition to capture Gold, Juno and Sword beaches; so did the Americans at Utah. The task was much tougher at Omaha beach, however, where the U.S. First Division battled high seas, mist, mines, burning vehicles—and German coastal batteries, including an elite infantry division, which spewed heavy fire. Many wounded Americans ultimately drowned in the high tide. British divisions, which landed at Gold, Juno, and Sword beaches, and Canadian troops also met with heavy German fire.

But by day’s end, 155,000 Allied troops–Americans, British and Canadians–had successfully stormed Normandy’s beaches and were then able to push inland. Within three months, the northern part of France would be freed and the invasion force would be preparing to enter Germany, where they would meet up with Soviet forces moving in from the east.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/d-day?cmpid=email-hist-tdih-2019-0606-06062019&om_rid=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5c08e0d6f0aa&om
_mid=648454229&kx_EmailCampaignID=31492&kx_EmailCampaignName=email-hist-tdih-2019-0606-06062019&kx_EmailRecipientID=de5e4076c942a595dbda53f758321d197499484f6d117f61b6ac5
c08e0d6f0aa

My Washington Times Review Of 'The Girl From Venice'

My review of Martin Cruz Smith’s The Girl From Venice appeared in the Washington Times.

Martin Cruz Smith is perhaps best known for his crime thriller series featuring Arkady Renko, a Russian militia investigator whose decency often made him run afoul of his Soviet masters.

Mr. Smith has also written “December 6,” a thriller about Imperial Japan on the eve of World War II.

“People ask why I took on the subject of an enemy like Japan on the brink of the bombing of Pearl Harbor? I was interested in knowing what was going through the minds of the Japanese at this turning point in our history. I wondered why on earth the Japanese started a war they had so little chance of winning. To me it was an act of desperation,” Mr. Smith explains on his website. “As a writer, I’m drawn to imagining the other side. In ‘Gorky Park,’ it was figuring out where Russians were coming from; in ‘Havana Bay,’ it was telling a Cuban story from the perspective of Cubans. You don’t sympathize, you empathize, which is a harder task.”

In “The Girl From Venice” Mr. Smith returns to World War II and this time he imagines the other side from Fascist Italy.

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/1/book-review-the-girl-from-venice/ 

The 72nd Anniversary of D-Day: A Look Back At The Invasion of Normandy

The U.S. Defense Department offers a special report on the 72nd anniversary of D-Day,

On June 6, 1944, nearly 160,000 Allied troops landed along a heavily fortified, 50-mile stretch of French coastline in the historic operation known as D-Day. More than 9,000 Allied soldiers were killed or wounded on the beaches of Normandy, but by day’s end, the Allies had gained a foothold to begin liberating Europe.

You can read the rest of the special report and view photos, maps and video via the below link:

http://www.defense.gov/News/Special-Reports/0516_dday?source=GovDelivery 

Apologize For Hiroshima? Hell, No!

My late father was an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) frogman during World War II. The UDT combat swimmers cleared the way for the U.S. Marines to take the Pacific islands back from the Imperial Japanese.

I recall him telling me about an intelligence briefing where the UDT men were advised that the losses they would sustain during the planned invasion of mainland Japan would be catastrophic.

The deaths of millions of U.S. military men, as well as Japanese military men and Japanese civilians, was avoided due to the dropping of atomic bombs on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

It took the devastation of this weapon to finally force the proud Japanese to surrender unconditionally.      

I believe it would be a disgrace if President Obama apologizes for the U.S. dropping of an atomic bomb on Hiroshima when he visits the city.

It would be an insult to the men who died during the war, which Imperial Japan began with their sneak attack on Pearl Harbor.

It would also be an insult to the men who survived the war, like my father.  

Stu Bykofsky, a columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News offers his take on the presidential visit to Hiroshima.

THESE ARE THE remarks I would like to hear from President Obama when he visits Hiroshima on Friday:

We gather in this place draped in death and sorrow to respectfully remember those who perished here almost 70 years ago.

Speaking for the United States, we have regrets.

We regret that, 75 years ago this December, Japan killed more than 2,400 Americans in an unprovoked attack against the United States in Hawaii. That's my home.

I regret that the United States was pushed into a war we did not seek and for which we were militarily unprepared.

We believed, correctly, that it was a war between our freedom and your tyranny and butchery.

You can read the rest of the column via the below link:

http://www.philly.com/philly/columnists/stu_bykofsky/20160524_Byko__Apologize_for_Hiroshima__Hell__no_.html

My Crime Beat Column: The Secret War Of James Bond's Creator, Ian Fleming

Ian Fleming often told friends that he planned to write "the spy story to end all spy stories."

And Fleming, true to his word, went on to create the world's best known fictional secret agent, James Bond.

I was first introduced to James Bond at a South Philadelphia movie theater in 1963. I was 11-years-old when I saw Sean Connery's first portrayal of Bond in Dr No and the film inspired me to read Fleming's darker, more complex James Bond thrillers. I've been a Fleming aficionado ever since.

I'm certainly not alone. According to a recent Conde Nast survey, since Casino Royale, Fleming's first Bond thriller, was published in 1953, Bond has generated nearly $14 billion from the book, movies and video games, making Bond one of the most lucrative fictional characters in history.

The Bond novels and films also inspired the spy mania throughout the 1960s, generating a great influx of spy films, novels, TV programs, toys and gadgets, as well as sparking a public interest in the true world of espionage.

In addition to my enjoyment of fictional spies a teenager, I also became an avid student of espionage. I enlisted in the U.S. Navy at 17 and performed security work as a young sailor and later as a Defense Department civilian employee. As a writer, I've covered espionage for newspapers, magazines and Internet publications.

As the latest Bond film, Quantum of Solace, is breaking box office records, I thought I should cover Ian Fleming's World War II experience in the field of espionage.

As a teenager I read John Pearson's biography of Fleming and discovered that he led an interesting life as a journalist, a thriller writer, and as a British naval intelligence officer during World War II.

In addition to working on operations, taking covert trips around the world and performing liaison work with British and American intelligence agencies, Royal Navy Commander Fleming was also instrumental in the creation of a crack team of naval intelligence-gathering ccommandos called the 30 Assault Unit.

Craig Cabell, a British journalist and author who has previously written books on Frederick Forsyth and Dennis Wheatly, used recently released documents, private papers and interviews to present a clearer picture of Fleming's wartime service in Ian Fleming's Secret War (Pen & Sword).

Cabell writes that Fleming was at the center of wartime events and met key figures like Sir William Stephenson and General William "Wild Bill" Donovan.

I contacted Cabell and asked him asked him about Fleming's service.

"Fleming was the personal assistant to the British director of naval intelligence, Rear Admiral John Godfrey, but he managed to do a little more than just his day job, Cabell told me. "He got in early enough in the morning to do all his basic admin duties and worked late into the evening. Fleming's formation of 30 Assault Unit was a major war contribution, and I feel that Fleming had more than a passing knowledge of Hess' infamous flight to the U.K."

Cabell told me that Fleming wanted to see action, but Admiral Godfrey would not allow him, as Fleming was his right-hand man, almost a confidant, and he knew far too much to be allowed to fall into enemy hands.

"Fleming understood that he was desk bound," Cabell said. "But with 30 Assault Unit (30 AU), his brain child, he could be their man at base, filtering intelligence to them, administrating the returns and sticking up for them when they were criticized. They, on the other hand, would do much good on his behalf."

"Admiral Godfey was the model for "M," clearly," Cabell said. "M and Godfrey served aboard the smae Royal Navy ship and enjoyed the smae wine. And Lt. Commander Patrick Dalzel-Job, a 30 AU member, was the real inspiration for Bond; well, at least partly."

According to Dalzel-Job's obit in the Guardian, "He could ski backwards, navigate a midget submarine and undertake the riskiest parachute jumps. His WWII exploits are the epitome of derring-do behind enemy lines ... and like Bond, he sometimes defied authority."

In my view, Fleming created Bond with 30AU commandos like Dalzel-Job and secret agents like Sidney Reilly in mind, but he also added what he called his own "quirks and characteristics" to his famous character.

Cabell said that 30 AU recovered enemy documentation and equipment, took prisoners, interrogated them, and then got the information home to Fleming.

"The 30 AU discovered much intelligence about u-boats, locations of German naval bases around the world, radar and codes and, most importantly - as far as I'm concerned - the locations and filtering of intelligence concerning V rocket sites, which must have assisted operations "Cross Bow," "Big Ben" and "Paperclip" in a major way," Cabell explained.

The unit was not popular with everyone, including General George S. Patton, the commander of the U.S. Third Army, who called the 30 AU commandos "Limey gangsters" after they blew a bank vault as part of one operation.

"30 AU looked like a bunch of rebels and Patton wasn't very happy with that," Cabell said. "The fact that they didn't wear their helmets annoyed him to hell. The 30 AU veterans i met were very proud of that quote."

"I love the veterans and I feel proud to have met them," Cabell continued. "They were very proud of Fleming's input into the unit and gave him credit for providing them with the very best equipment. They said that he looked after them even though it was only the officers who met him."

Cabell said that Fleming's service gave him a solid intelligence background, which he later used in his thrillers. Cabell said that there are isolated incidents ina ll the early books, especially Moonraker, where Fleming wrote about the original V rockets and a 30 AU connection.

Cabell's book is a must for Fleming aficionados and for students of espionage.

Note: The above column originally appeared at Greathistory.com.           

Ministers At War: Winston Churchill And His War Cabinet

Veteran journalist and author Joseph C. Goulden offers a good review of Jonathan Schneer's Ministers at War: Winston Churchill and His War Cabinet in the Washington Times.

How nervous was an unprepared Great Britain about a possible German invasion in 1940? The fears were made plain in a memo that Winston Churchill sent to the War Office soon after being made prime minister.

Churchill noted the British military had a mortar “which is capable of throwing an ordinary bottle — for example, a beer bottle — 150 yards or more. These bottles could be filled with high explosives.” He also suggested that commercial vans could be enforced and converted into “rolling pill boxes.”

The British military, of course, pulled up its socks in short order. The Germans never came close to invasion, and the beer bottles remained unlaunched. The national perseverance under duress was largely due to Churchill’s leadership, as Nathan Schneer, a history professor at Georgia Tech, documents in a fascinating work containing some of the best academic writing I have ever encountered.

Britain certainly needed firm leadership to replace the bumbling Neville Chamberlain, who set a record for inept “statesmanship” in his negotiations with Hitler during the 1930s. Mr. Schneer’s account of the political maneuvering that led to Churchill’s ascension should fascinate even readers who care naught for British politics.

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/may/12/book-review-ministers-at-war-winston-churchill-and/ 

American Caesar: Happy Birthday To General Douglas MacArthur

As Biography.com notes, today is General Douglas MacArthur's Birthday.

General Douglas McArthur was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, on January 26, 1880. After graduating from West Point in 1903, he fought in World War I, and in World War II was the commander of Allied forces in the Pacific. When he criticized President Harry Truman's handling of the Korean War, he was relieved of his command. MacArthur died on April 5, 1964, and was buried in Norfolk, Virginia.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a short video via the below link:

http://www.biography.com/people/douglas-macarthur-9390257

You can learn more about General MacArthur by reading William Manchester's American Caesar.

Happy Birthday To General George Patton

As Biography.com notes, today is the birthday of the late great General George Patton.

George Patton was born in San Gabriel, California on November 11, 1885.

Considered one of the most successful combat generals in U.S history, he was the first officer assigned to the Tank Corps in WWI. During WWII, he helped lead the Allies to victory in the invasion of Sicily, and was instrumental to the liberation of Germany from the Nazis.

He died on December 21, 1945 in Heidelberg, Germany.

You can read the rest of the piece and watch a video clip via the below link:

http://www.biography.com/people/george-patton-9434904

My Washington Times Review Of 'Savage Will: The Daring Escape Of Americans Trapped Behind Nazi Lines'

My review of Timothy M. Gay's Savage Will: The Daring Escape of Americans Trapped Behind Nazi Lines appeared in today's Washington Times.   

Mr. Gay’s “Savage Will” begins in a dramatic fashion with a 23-year-old British Special Operations Executive (SOE) officer in Egypt named Jon Naar receiving a surreal late-night telephone call.

“‘Captain Naar here,’ he answered, in his brisk British public school way,” Mr. Gay writes. “The connection was remarkably free of static. A female operator said, “Please hold for the president.” A moment later, there was no mistaking the patrician Yankee accent, so famous from radio broadcasts and movie newsreels.”

The caller was President Franklin Roosevelt, and he demanded to know why it was taking so long to get the nurses out of Albania. Seven decades later, Mr. Naar, at 93, still recalled the telephone call.

“Before I could explain the logistical complexities of trying to extricate 30 Americans in the dead of winter from a mountainous country occupied by three divisions of the Wehrmacht and several brigades of pro-Nazi Albanian collaborators entirely in control of all the major roads and airfields, the president said ‘Captain, if any one of those girls is so much as touched, there’ll be serious consequences!’

“After a slight pause, FDR snapped, ‘They are the flower of American womanhood. They must be saved at all costs!’”

As this was one of the rare cases of women being trapped behind enemy lines, the British SOE and the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS), along with the Allied air forces, put together a desperate rescue mission to get the nurses and medics out of Albania. Looking over their shoulders with impatience were FDR and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/2/book-review-savage-will/?page=all#pagebreak

A Look Back At Ian Fleming's 1964 Memorial Service

As Ian Fleming died on this day in 1964, I was pleased to come across Fleming's good friend William Plomer's address at Fleming's memorial service.

Thanks to the web site Spyvibe, one can read what Plomer said about Ian Fleming at the service:

Only since his death has it begun to be more generally understood that he had done well in several different careers, and that he was a character of some complexity. But those who were at school with him, or who used to work with him in the City, or in Reuters, or in the Admiralty, or in the newspaper world, who had watched him creating his original and important library, or who saw him enjoying life in Jamaica, or who at any time travelled or played cards or golf with him, can confirm that he was a man who touched life at many points. And how many men can one say of him, not only that he had much to give but gave all he had got? One is reminded of James Bond's saying: "I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time."

... from 1939, seven years of his life were absorbed by his work in the Naval Intelligence Division. Just before the War, Admiral Godfrey, the Director of Naval Intelligence, who had long shown a more elastic understanding of the world and of his own profession than was likely to be discernible in more conventional sailors, recruited Ian from the City. This was on the recommendation of no lesser persons than Sir Edward Peacock and Sir Montague Norman, the Governor of the Bank of England.

It wasn't only his quick and resourceful brain that Ian brought to the service of his country, but administrative ability. He was an unfailing source of brilliant and constructive ideas, and he had the faculty of knowing how to apply them in a practical way. Also, in a service traditionally silent, and sometimes tongue-tied, he was notably articulate both in conversation and on paper; and, like most capable officers, he felt that there were times when the risk of giving offense was nothing compared with the importance of being, if necessary, blunt. He was never ready to defer to pomposity, incompetence and red tape. As right-hand man to the Director of Naval Intelligence, Ian was inevitably tied down to the Admiralty, but he did make a number of necessary sorties, with or without his chief.  No doubt it was his anxiety to take his own share in active service (though his own kind of service could hardly be called inactive) that caused Admiral Godfrey to send him to sea as an observer during the assault on Dieppe, with strict instructions to take care that he didn't get lost in France. 

I wish to emphasize, because it may not be fully understood even among many who knew him, or thought they knew him, that long before he began to write his first book, Ian was one of those whose services to his country, during those menacing years, made it possible for us to survive and to be here together indulging in reminiscence today. That may seem to you too obvious a remark, a kind of memorial cliche, but it isn't. When I was lately talking over with Admiral Godfrey the nature of Ian's wartime services, he summed it all up in a most memorable phrase, better I think than any laurel wreath or shining medal. "Ian," he said, "was a war-winner."

You can read the rest of the address via the below link:

http://spyvibe.blogspot.com/2013/08/ian-fleming-memorial-service.html   

Happy Father's Day To An Old U.S. Navy Frogman

 

On Father's Day my thoughts are of my late father, Edward M. Davis, who died of cancer in 1976. He was only 57.

I'm proud of my father, who served as a U.S. Navy frogman in World War II.

My father (seen in the below photos) was a Chief Petty Officer with Underwater Demolition Team (UDT) 5.

UDT 5 saw fierce combat against the Imperial Japanese on Tinian, Saipan and Letye Gulf in the Pacific.

To honor my father and his teammates, I wrote a magazine piece that looked back at the World War II frogmen, who were the forerunners of the modern day U.S. Navy SEALs.

I wrote briefly about my father and I interviewed several former UDT frogmen, including my father's former team leader, Commander Robert Marshall, USN (Ret).

 You can read the Counterterrorism magazine piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

Happy Father's Day to all dads.   

Review Of 'Stalin's Curse'

Veteran journalist and author Joseph C. Goulden offers a good review of Robert Gellately's Stalin's Curse: Battling for Communism in War and Cold War in the Washington Times.

Robert Gellately's incisive work could well be titled, “Stalin’s Worst Blunder.” It is the story of how his rejection of Marshall Plan aid in 1947, both for the Soviet Union and the Eastern European nations falling under its domination, precipitated the Cold War and eventually led to the economic collapse of the Soviet bloc.

Mr. Gellately gives short shrift to individuals in the West — notably President Roosevelt and George Kennan of the State Department — who felt the wartime alliance would continue once peace arrived. He makes plain that Stalin had no such intention. Instead, he was determined to establish Communist regimes throughout Eastern Europe and beyond. During the war, he milked the alliance for all it was worth while he planned to plant Soviet-friendly regimes wherever the Red Army went.

You can read the rest of the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/mar/13/book-review-stalins-curse/

Veteran's Day: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta Salutes Veteran's Seleflessness, Sacrifice

The American Forces Press Service released Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta's message today that pays tribute to the men and women who have served the United States in uniform as the nation observes the Veterans Day holiday:

Since our nation's founding, brave young Americans from every generation have answered the call to serve in uniform and put their lives on the line to defend this country. Today, we honor all of those who've added new chapters to that very proud legacy of selflessness and sacrifice.

On this Veterans Day I recall how, as a boy in California, I had the great privilege of greeting and thanking soldiers that were stationed near my home and destined to fight in World War II. In the years that followed, I knew veterans of the Korean War, who fought bravely in unimaginably difficult conditions.

During the Vietnam era, I served in the Army and I remember how our nation failed to fully recognize the costs and sacrifices made by those who served in that war. Our nation has learned from that failure, and as we mark the 50th anniversary of that war, we honor our Vietnam veterans for all they have done for our country.

The United States is now emerging from the longest continuous time of war in its history, and a new generation of veterans is returning home. They have carried a very heavy burden. They've dealt with multiple deployments, long separations from loved ones, and the tragic consequences of war. Some have sustained grievous, life-altering injuries, and they are dealing with significant challenges, both seen and unseen.

Our veterans are also much stronger because of their hard won experiences in the deserts of Iraq, the mountains of Afghanistan, and elsewhere around the world. They are leaders who take responsibility and initiative, who think independently, and who inspire others. They are trained to operate some of the world's most sophisticated technical equipment. Above all, they love the country that they've served so well in uniform, and they are already giving back to their communities here at home.

Over the next five years, more than one million service men and women will leave the armed services and transition back to civilian life. Some will finally be able to marry the person they love and start a family. Others will be reunited with husbands, wives, and children after years spent apart. By pursuing the dream of giving their children a better life, our nation's veterans will help shape the future of this country. They will be doctors and lawyers, teachers and nurses, mayors and members of Congress.

America owes each of our veterans – from every generation – gratitude and support. November is Military Family Month, a time for all Americans to do more to recognize and support the members of their community who have fought on our behalf. For those who are transitioning out of military service, in particular, we must do everything we can to help them find a job, start a business, or obtain a quality education. These veterans are national assets who stand ready to contribute to our economic recovery and to a stronger America.

Let us all renew our pledge to fight for those who fight for us with such bravery and distinction. In some small way, today and every day, find a way to thank a veteran. Nothing means more to them than knowing that their service and sacrifice is appreciated right here at home. Thanks to our veterans, the American dream is safe and secure for us and our children.

Thank you, and may God bless all Americans serving around the world in uniform. 

Stalin's General: The Life Of Georgy Zhukov

Joseph C. Goulden, the veteran journalist and author, wrote an interesting review of Geoffrey Robert's Stalin's General: The Life of Georgy Zhukov. 

The review of the book on the World War II Russian general was published in today' Washington Times.

You can read the review via the below link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jul/2/russian-general-best-in-world-war-ii/  

Honoring U.S. Sailors Lost During D-Day Invasion

In the above U.S. Navy photo, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus reads the inscription on the U.S. Navy memorial honoring Sailors lost during the D-Day invasion of Normandy at Utah Beach in Sainte Marie du Mont, France.

Mabus also delivered remarks at a local ceremony praising the extraordinary courage of the landing forces at Utah Beach on June 6, 1944, and highlighted the role of U.S. naval forces on that historic day.

The above U.S. Navy photo was taken by Chief Mass Communication Specialist Sam Shavers.

A Salute To A World War II Veteran On Pearl Harbor Day

On this day in 1976, my father, Edward Miller Davis, died of cancer.

My older brother and I noted that my father would have liked the idea of his passing away on December 7th, Pearl Harbor Day, as he was most proud of having served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

My father (seen in his Navy uniform in the above photo) was a chief petty officer and an Underwater Demolition Team (UDT 5) frogman and he fought against the Japanese in the Pacific War Theater.

He was wounded in the war but he survived and came home to my mother (Claire) and their two children. My older brother and I were post-World War II additions to the family.

On this Pearl Harbor Day I salute my father and the many other men who went on after December 7th, 1941 to fight and defeat the Imperial Japanese and the Nazi Germans in World War II.

I wrote about my father briefly in a piece on the influence of the WWII frogmen on today's Navy SEALs in Counterterrorism magazine. You can read the piece via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

Ian Fleming's Wartime Naval Jacket Sold At Auction

MI6, the James Bond web site, not the British Secret Intelligence Service, offers coverage of the auction sale of Ian Fleming's British Royal Navy jacket.

He wore the jacket (seen above) aboard a British warship during the Dieppe Raid in World War II.

At the outbreak of war Ian Fleming joined the Naval Intelligence Division, where he was quickly promoted from lieutenant to commander. He liaised on behalf of the director of naval intelligence with the other secret services. One of few people given access to Ultra intelligence, he was responsible for the navy's input into anti-German black propaganda" (ODNB). Primarily based at the Admiralty's Room 39, Fleming accompanied the allied troops as an observer on the "Dieppe Raid", an assault on the German held port carried out on 19 August, 1942.

You can read the rest of the piece via the below link:

http://www.mi6-hq.com/news/index.php?itemid=9822&t=mi6&s=news

You can also read my magazine piece on Ian Fleming and his creation of the World War II intelligence-commando group 30 Assault Unit via the below link:

http://pauldavisoncrime.blogspot.com/2011/11/look-back-at-30-assault-unit-british.html

Nicholas Rankin On Ian Fleming's World War II Commandos, The 30 Assault Unit

The British newspaper the Daily Mail offers a Q & A with Nicholas Rankin, author of Ian Fleming's Commandos (Oxford University Press).

The new book tells of Fleming's World War II experiences and his creation of an intelligence-commando group, the 30 Assault Unit.

Royal Navy Commander Ian Fleming is seen in the above photo in Room 39 of the British Naval Intelligence Division.

We all know Ian Fleming as the author of the James Bond fantasy spy novels of the 1950s and early sixties. But what is striking is just how deeply involved he was in real war-time intelligence, as Commander Ian Fleming RNVR. He worked closely with Britain's two Directors of Naval Intelligence throughout the Second World War from 1939 to 1945. '17 (F)' - as he appears in the Naval Intelligence files and dockets - was a man who knew many secrets. He was Naval Intelligence's liaison with 'C', the head of the Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, and also with the sabotage and resistance organisation, SOE, the Special Operations Executive. He knew the people who ran double agents and deceptions in the Security Service, MI5. He regularly visited Bletchley Park, the Government Code and Cypher School that cracked enemy secret messages, and he knew the American General Bill Donovan who founded the OSS, the Office of Strategic Services, the forerunner of the CIA. So the Bond fictions are grounded in genuine reality.

You can read the rest of the interview via the below link:

http://my.maillife.co.uk/news/43/qa-with-author-nicholas-rankin

I also interviewed Nicholas Rankin for an article on Ian Fleming and his commando group for the next issue of Counterterrorism magazine.

The piece will also include my interview with Craig Cabell. Cabell is the author of a previous book on Fleming and his commandos called the The History of the 30 Assault Unit: Ian Fleming's Red Indians (Pen & Sword).

I'll post my piece here when it comes out.

92-Year-Old WWII Frogman Gets Grand Honor During Visit To National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum

TCPalm.com reports that Norval Nelson, a 92-year-old World War II veteran, was recently honored at the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Florida.

Nelson appears in the center of the above photo by Eric Hasert

Nelson was being honored as one the graduates of the Underwater Demolition Team School at the U.S. Naval Amphibious Training Station at Fort Pierce during World War II. He arrived under the auspices of Charity Stripe, an Illinois not-for-profit group that tries to fulfill final wishes, similar to the Make a Wish Foundation.

You can read more about Nelson's visit to the UDT-SEAL Museum via the below link:

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2011/apr/05/wwii-frogman-gets-grand-honor-during-visit-to-in/

My late father, Edward M. Davis, was also a graduate of the Underwater Demolition Team School during WWII and he went on to fight in the Pacific as a Chief in UDT 5. He passed away in 1976.

I wrote an article for Counterterrorism magazine about the WWII UDT frogmen and how the combat swimmers were the forerunners of today's Navy SEALs.

You can read the article via the below links:

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG1.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG2.jpg

http://home.comcast.net/~pauldavisoncrime/pwpimages/WWIIFrogmenJPG3.jpg

You can also visit the National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum's web site via the below link:

http://www.navysealmuseum.com/

Tony Curtis, A Fine Actor and A Proud U.S. Navy World War II Veteran

Tony Curtis died Wednesday. He was 85.

Much as been written about his fine performances in The Sweet Smell of Success, Some Like it Hot, Operation Petticoat and other great films, but there was little coverage of his military service.

In addition to being a fine actor, Tony Curtis was also a proud U.S. Navy World War II veteran.


The Navy Times wrote a good piece about Curtis' wartime Navy service and how he was forever grateful to the Navy.

You can read the Navy Times via the below link:

http://www.navytimes.com/news/2010/09/navy-tony-curtis-093010w/

The top photo shows Curtis as a Navy officer in the service comedy Operation Petticoat. The lower photo is of Curtis as an enlisted man in the Navy.