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The Enemy Within - Hucksters, Racketeers, Deserters, and Civilians During the Second World War (Hardcover) Loot Price: R1,531
Discovery Miles 15 310
The Enemy Within - Hucksters, Racketeers, Deserters, and Civilians During the Second World War (Hardcover): Donald Thomas

The Enemy Within - Hucksters, Racketeers, Deserters, and Civilians During the Second World War (Hardcover)

Donald Thomas

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Loot Price R1,531 Discovery Miles 15 310 | Repayment Terms: R143 pm x 12*

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View the Table of Contents. Read the Preface.

"This fascinating account, told in relentless detail, deserves a wide readership."--"Choice"

International Acclaim: "Thomas has written a quite enchanting book, magnificently researched, and cleverly and wittily presented. . . . I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Quite outstanding."
--"The Irish Times"

"[This] book is mesmerizing and is an unputdownable and brilliantly researched page-turner. An important and riveting study in social history."
--"The Sunday Times"

"Donald Thomas has chronicled one of the last untold stories of the war, and he does so with scholarship as well as humor."
--"The Spectator"

"Beautifully written, utterly compelling: almost without fault in every respect."
--"The Literary Review"

While the Second World War produced numerous acts of self-sacrifice, it also made many people rich. The criminal activities of the British underworld that extended from the civilian population right through to the armed forces constitute one of the great untold stories of the war. The Blitz of 1940 may have made a nation of heroes, but in the shadows the shelter gangs and looters prowled.

Acclaimed author Donald Thomas draws on extensive archival material for these tales of profiteering. He retells how between 1940 and 1941 a Liverpool ship repairer cheated the government of the modern equivalent of $30 million, while $120 million a month was looted from relief supplies at the port of Trieste. Professional gangs raided British government offices for ration books, and underground presses counterfeited gasoline and clothing coupons by the tens of thousands. Illegal food supplies threatened the nation'shealth--a consignment of black market sausages in Hackney contained tuberculous meat, while the industrial alcohol, or "hooch," served to pilots in London's West End clubs could produce blindness and brain damage.

The Enemy Within also recounts colossal theft within the army. Vehicles would arrive at front line railheads stripped of tools, spare parts, and removable components, and whole consignments of cigarettes and razor blades disappeared.

In addition to these stories, The Enemy Within includes revealing photos of known law-breakers, victims, and illegal transactions. The facts Thomas uncovers are often so preposterous that in a novel they would seem unbelievable. These are the extraordinary and often absurd stories of less-than-heroic Britons.

General

Imprint: New York University Press
Country of origin: United States
Release date: May 2004
First published: May 2004
Authors: Donald Thomas
Dimensions: 229 x 152 x 38mm (L x W x T)
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 429
ISBN-13: 978-0-8147-8286-6
Categories: Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > General
Books > Humanities > History > American history > General
Books > Humanities > History > History of specific subjects > Military history
Books > Social sciences > Warfare & defence > War & defence operations > Battles & campaigns
Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War
Books > History > American history > General
Books > History > History of specific subjects > Military history
Books > History > World history > From 1900 > Second World War
LSN: 0-8147-8286-8
Barcode: 9780814782866

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