The secret history of World War II : spies, code breakers & covert operations / Niel kagan and Stephen G. Hyslop.

Includes index.

Chapter 1. Setting Europe Ablaze.--Chapter 2. Deciphering Japan's Secret.--Chapter 3. Resisting the Reich.--Chapter 4. Unlocking the Enigma Code.--Chapter 5. Endgame Europe.--Zero Hour in the Pacific.

From spy missions to code breaking, this richly illustrated account of the covert operations of World War II takes readers behind the battle lines and deep into the undercover war effort that changed the course of history. From the authors who created Eyewitness to World War II and numerous other bestselling illustrated reference books, this is the shocking story behind the covert activity that shaped the outcome of one of the worlds greatest conflictsand the destiny of millions of people. National Geographics landmark book illuminates World War II as never before by taking you inside the secret lives of spies and spymasters; secret agents and secret armies; Enigma machines and code breakers; psychological warfare and black propaganda; secret weapons and secret battle strategies. Seven heavily illustrated narrative chapters reveal the truth behind the lies and deception that shaped the secret war; eight essays showcase hundreds of rare photos and artifacts (many never before seen); and more than fifty specially created sidebars tell the stories of spies and secret operations. Renowned historian and top-selling author Stephen Hyslop and Neil Kagan reveal this little-known side of the war in captivating detail, weaving in extraordinary eyewitness accounts and information only recently declassified. Rare photographs, artifacts, and illuminating graphics enrich this absorbing reference.