I find this article from The New Yorker very interesting. In fact at times it reads like a James Bond novel.
Russia’s Espionage War in the Arctic
For years, Russia has been using the Norwegian town of Kirkenes, which borders its nuclear stronghold, as a laboratory, testing intelligence operations there before replicating them across Europe.
Robert Bruce Lockhart was one of the most extraordinary and unconventional agents of the 20th century. A British diplomat, spy, and propagandist, his life was one of scandal and deception - from the jungles of Malaysia to the streets of Moscow, he bore witness to some of history's most pivotal moments. He even took part in a plot to kill Vladimir Lenin and bring down the Communist regime.
I'm a fan of Felton's channel. If I remember correctly Skorzeny and his team rescued Mussolini from the mountain top hotel where he was being held after his arrest.
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
The Glücksburg Heist: SAS Robbed George VI's Royal Relatives? (This event reminds me of the Octopussy short story) The SAS officer in charge of the robbery was one of the about 100 men said to have been the model for James Bond.
This is a bit of a cheat, but I think i can get away with it. The podcast Cold War Conversations is about lots of topics related to the cold war. ranging from people who served in different military, western people who lived behind the iron curtain, growing up in East Germany etc. But there are also many espionage episodes.
Today we're going further than ever back in time. This video is about military intelligence in ancient Rome, especially reconnaissance troops and spies.
Espionage is known from early history. Moses sent spies into Canaan to gather intelligence, a group known as The 12 Spies. Ten of the spies brought back reports that said the inhabitants of Canaan were to strong to conquer, even claiming there were giants there. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, reported that the Promised Land was not to well defended for the Hebrews. They recommended an invasion, but Moses trusted the majority. As punishment God had the Hebrews wander the desert for 40 years until everyone but Joshua and Caleb of those who didn't invade were dead.
I think I can guarantee I won’t go this far back in history again. I think the furthest I've gone back in history in this thread before today was the US civil war, so this was a big jump back in time.
Earlier this year NASA scientist found using radar something large and man made under the Greenland ice.
Here's the location on the map:
It was the remains of a cold war US Army base called Camps Century. Camp Century was built in 1959 as a demonstration for affordable ice-cap military outposts and a base for scientific research. At least officially. In reality it was a part of Operation Iceworm and the goal of the operation was to build a network of install a vast network of nuclear missile launch sites that could survive a nuclear first strike from the Soviet Union. Camp Century had 21 tunnels burried in the ice, 200 personel and a nuclear reactor (!).
I think any James Bond continuation novel authors should take note. Change history a little bit and place nuclear missiles on the base. Then ad a KGB agent, a female Danish scientist, a group of people who wants to start a nuclear war who has infiltrated the base and finally 007 himself. The base was active in 1959 to 1967, perfect for a classic Bond adventure!
The portable nuclear reactor:
As some readers may have understood there were some problems with Camp Century. The ice shifts, and a large structure like the camp will move with it. With time the tunnels got crushed, and placing a nuclear reactor inside a landscape that moves is not sustainable. Camp Century was closed in 1967.
A new podcast series has started up called "The rest is classified". The podcast is about espionage, and a British journalists who has covered espionage for years and a former CIA analyst turned novelist are making it. Their first story is about Operation Boot. Back in 1953 a democratically elected prime minister nationalized Iran's oil. MI6 and CIA joined forces to arrange a coup, CIA's first. Anyone who follows the news know it worked out GREAT in the end .... 😉
Thanks. I think this is a very good place to set large parts of a cold war (pun intended) bond story. It could be a bit like "High time to kill" with a frosty location for most of the plot, but some of the story takes place elsewhere. I can Imagine a Camp Century-based Bond novel with some of the story also taking place in Denmark and a third location outside Europe and America. The Danish female scientist could be a glaciologist monitoring the ice and how it moves.
The Thule USAF base is in the same part of Greenland as Camp Century was, and it's the furthest north US military installation. It opened in the early 1950's and in the 1960's the base was used for reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union. As seen in the image bellow the base was also used for signals intelligence gathering. The photo reminds me of Natalya's escape from the Golden base, including the dog sled.
I completely agree that the Camp Century story is fascinating and suitable as a basis for a story. Is it my imagination or are there similarities to Alistair Maclean's Ice Station Zebra? The time frame is pretty close.
Do you remember the bridge where a major action scene involving a train happens in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning? That's Kylling Bridge. I just read a story about something that happened there in 1940 during the German invasion of Norway. The Luftwaffe tried to bomb the bridge, but missed. One of the bombs landed right next to the railway line, but it didn't explode. A group of Norwegian soldiers were ordered to remove the bomb. They tied a long rope around the tail of the bomb and tried to pull it away from the longest distance possible, but the bomb wouldn't move. Then another soldier walked by. It was Sivert Myhre from the nearest town from where I live. He walked right up to the bomb and kicked it into the river. Luckily the bomb didn't explode. Sivert later fled to Britain where he joined the Norwegian Naval Special Unit, or colloquially The Shetland Gang. I have post about this unit in this thread (,https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/51043/real-stories-from-the-world-of-espionage-and-special-operations/p5) In short they ferried agent to and from occupied Norway to Shetland and shipped arms and other equipment via the same route, most of the war on small fishing vessels.
Comments
I find this article from The New Yorker very interesting. In fact at times it reads like a James Bond novel.
Russia’s Espionage War in the Arctic
For years, Russia has been using the Norwegian town of Kirkenes, which borders its nuclear stronghold, as a laboratory, testing intelligence operations there before replicating them across Europe.
Norwegian conscript border rangers watching the Russian activity on the other side of the border.
Groups of four young conscripts watch the border. Unsupervised by officers for weeks and with powers of arrest.
A good video about conditions on the Norwegian side of the border:
Robert Bruce Lockhart was one of the most extraordinary and unconventional agents of the 20th century. A British diplomat, spy, and propagandist, his life was one of scandal and deception - from the jungles of Malaysia to the streets of Moscow, he bore witness to some of history's most pivotal moments. He even took part in a plot to kill Vladimir Lenin and bring down the Communist regime.
Podcast:
It would definitely make a good novel, Bond or not.
"Grand Theft Otto - Skorzeny and the Spider Network". Imagine what Ian Fleming could've done with this story!
I'm a fan of Felton's channel. If I remember correctly Skorzeny and his team rescued Mussolini from the mountain top hotel where he was being held after his arrest.
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
Skorzeny did. He also was the bodyguard for Evita Peron and had an affair with her. Skorzeny was real life Bond villain.
Yes, IMO he's just the sort of character Fleming would have loved to meet then reimagine for one of his books.
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
Actually, looks wise, if we were to imagine Blofeld, Skorzeny would be the perfect template.
He was on the wrong side, but there's no doubting Skorzeny's skill and courage.
Author of 'An Ungentlemanly Act' and 'Execution of Duty'. The WW2 espionage series starring Harry Flynn.
He was a glory hound. Some sources say the Gran Sasso operation wasn't really his, he just swooped in at the last minute and hijacked the mission.
The Glücksburg Heist: SAS Robbed George VI's Royal Relatives? (This event reminds me of the Octopussy short story) The SAS officer in charge of the robbery was one of the about 100 men said to have been the model for James Bond.
Episode 1
Episode 2
This is a bit of a cheat, but I think i can get away with it. The podcast Cold War Conversations is about lots of topics related to the cold war. ranging from people who served in different military, western people who lived behind the iron curtain, growing up in East Germany etc. But there are also many espionage episodes.
The podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/cold-war-conversations/id1363778974
An espionage episode. The most dangerous female spy in US history: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-most-damaging-female-spy-in-us-history-277/id1363778974?i=1000599103165
German 'Guns of Navarone' Raid - Normandy 1944
Videos of German WWII navy special forces:
The Clerk Who Sank A Cruiser - WW2 Human Torpedo Hero?
(Impressive bravery can sometimes be shown for despicable regimes)
Today we're going further than ever back in time. This video is about military intelligence in ancient Rome, especially reconnaissance troops and spies.
Espionage is known from early history. Moses sent spies into Canaan to gather intelligence, a group known as The 12 Spies. Ten of the spies brought back reports that said the inhabitants of Canaan were to strong to conquer, even claiming there were giants there. Two spies, Joshua and Caleb, reported that the Promised Land was not to well defended for the Hebrews. They recommended an invasion, but Moses trusted the majority. As punishment God had the Hebrews wander the desert for 40 years until everyone but Joshua and Caleb of those who didn't invade were dead.
I think I can guarantee I won’t go this far back in history again. I think the furthest I've gone back in history in this thread before today was the US civil war, so this was a big jump back in time.
ian Fleming's "Red Indians"
30th Assault Unit
Camp Century - the city under the ice
Earlier this year NASA scientist found using radar something large and man made under the Greenland ice.
Here's the location on the map:
It was the remains of a cold war US Army base called Camps Century. Camp Century was built in 1959 as a demonstration for affordable ice-cap military outposts and a base for scientific research. At least officially. In reality it was a part of Operation Iceworm and the goal of the operation was to build a network of install a vast network of nuclear missile launch sites that could survive a nuclear first strike from the Soviet Union. Camp Century had 21 tunnels burried in the ice, 200 personel and a nuclear reactor (!).
Here's a documentary of the building of the camp:
I think any James Bond continuation novel authors should take note. Change history a little bit and place nuclear missiles on the base. Then ad a KGB agent, a female Danish scientist, a group of people who wants to start a nuclear war who has infiltrated the base and finally 007 himself. The base was active in 1959 to 1967, perfect for a classic Bond adventure!
The portable nuclear reactor:
As some readers may have understood there were some problems with Camp Century. The ice shifts, and a large structure like the camp will move with it. With time the tunnels got crushed, and placing a nuclear reactor inside a landscape that moves is not sustainable. Camp Century was closed in 1967.
If the author wants another element, why not use the elite Sirius sled patrol from the Danish Navy?
Video from 1969 (English subtitles)
A new podcast series has started up called "The rest is classified". The podcast is about espionage, and a British journalists who has covered espionage for years and a former CIA analyst turned novelist are making it. Their first story is about Operation Boot. Back in 1953 a democratically elected prime minister nationalized Iran's oil. MI6 and CIA joined forces to arrange a coup, CIA's first. Anyone who follows the news know it worked out GREAT in the end .... 😉
For years I've wondered what secrets from WWII is still classified. Russia must have tons of it. Probably Japan too. But what about the US and the UK?
State Secrets - Still Classified WWII Subjects
That Camp Century post was fascinating @Number24 Thanks for that. And I agree an excellent idea for a 1960s continuation novel.
Thanks. I think this is a very good place to set large parts of a cold war (pun intended) bond story. It could be a bit like "High time to kill" with a frosty location for most of the plot, but some of the story takes place elsewhere. I can Imagine a Camp Century-based Bond novel with some of the story also taking place in Denmark and a third location outside Europe and America. The Danish female scientist could be a glaciologist monitoring the ice and how it moves.
The Thule USAF base is in the same part of Greenland as Camp Century was, and it's the furthest north US military installation. It opened in the early 1950's and in the 1960's the base was used for reconnaissance flights over the Soviet Union. As seen in the image bellow the base was also used for signals intelligence gathering. The photo reminds me of Natalya's escape from the Golden base, including the dog sled.
Spy planes from the era:
I completely agree that the Camp Century story is fascinating and suitable as a basis for a story. Is it my imagination or are there similarities to Alistair Maclean's Ice Station Zebra? The time frame is pretty close.
Ice Station Zebra starts with the Arctic base burning down, so the similarities shouldn't be a problem.
Mission Impossible:
Do you remember the bridge where a major action scene involving a train happens in Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning? That's Kylling Bridge. I just read a story about something that happened there in 1940 during the German invasion of Norway. The Luftwaffe tried to bomb the bridge, but missed. One of the bombs landed right next to the railway line, but it didn't explode. A group of Norwegian soldiers were ordered to remove the bomb. They tied a long rope around the tail of the bomb and tried to pull it away from the longest distance possible, but the bomb wouldn't move. Then another soldier walked by. It was Sivert Myhre from the nearest town from where I live. He walked right up to the bomb and kicked it into the river. Luckily the bomb didn't explode. Sivert later fled to Britain where he joined the Norwegian Naval Special Unit, or colloquially The Shetland Gang. I have post about this unit in this thread (,https://www.ajb007.co.uk/discussion/51043/real-stories-from-the-world-of-espionage-and-special-operations/p5) In short they ferried agent to and from occupied Norway to Shetland and shipped arms and other equipment via the same route, most of the war on small fishing vessels.
Interesting read in the Watches of Espionage.
https://www.watchesofespionage.com/blogs/woe-dispatch/a-mystery-death-in-oslo-an-intelligence-op-gone-wrong
-Mr Arlington Beech
A podcast episode about Mansfield Cummings, the creator of MI6 and the first C (or M as we would say)
WWII MI6 agents relax in England between missions.
The story of an American nazi spy.