10 Mind-Blowing Facts You Never Knew About World War II

6. Roald Dahl And Her Majesty's Irregular Spies

By 1940, Germany had all but won the war. The smaller military forces of Britain and France, in many cases using equipment leftover from the World War I, were outnumbered and outgunned. At Dunkirk, their backs to the sea, it would all have ended except Germany halted their advance. In one of the most insane blunders of military history Hitler listened to the advice of Herman Goring to allow the Luftwaffe (air force) to finish the job. Thousands of "little ships" began crossing the English Channel, civilians of the Empire risking their lives to save the trapped armies. Thanks to their bravery, the Allied cause survived the day. Yet it was not enough. Churchill desperately needed America to join the fight. The problem was not the American government, who knew they could not stay neutral in the conflict forever, but the public's general opinion to let Europe fix her own problems. To help promote the cause of the war Churchill ordered MI6 to set up shop in New York. Working under the cover as the British Passport Control Office, the men and women stationed there created pro-war/pro-British propaganda for the American people while spying on the movements of anti-war parties. Into their clandestine ranks the BSC (British Security Coordination) recruited such suave, amiable characters like Roald Dahl and Ian Fleming. These spies were called "The Irregulars" because they were ordered to report the actions of their own allies. Already an ace fighter pilot Dahl spent the rest of his war days in New York as a spy for MI6. In 1946, he was released from the RAF for injuries occuring when he crashed his fighter plane. As for Ian Fleming, well, we all know what became of him.