Radio War

The Secret Espionage War of the Radio Security Service 1938-1946

By David Abrutat

**** SPECIAL RSGB MEMBERS ONLY PRICING - 24% OFF USUAL RETAIL PRICE ****

If you have every wondered what Radio Amateurs did during WW2, then this new hardback book will be a revelation. Many books have described the work of Bletchley Park and even the work of GCHQ and SIGNIT but Radio War extends this into the work carried out by that voluntary interceptors (VI) many of whom were radio amateurs and RSGB members. It does not stop there either as it describes the secret operations, the stations used and so much more.

During the Second World War German intelligence had deployed wireless teams throughout occupied Europe. Agents had even been deployed to mainland Britain to spy on British military activity. Monitoring and reporting of their wireless transmissions fell to a small, secretive and largely unknown unit manned almost exclusively by volunteers. The VIs would spend hours every day at home monitoring the short wavelengths for often faint and difficult to copy signals transmitted by these German secret intelligence services. This unit was to become known as the Radio Security Service (RSS) and was at the core of the signals intelligence production effort at Bletchley and the insights into German military tactical and strategic planning.

Without interceptors like the RSS, Bletchley would not have existed. Their story has never truly been written before but Radio War focuses on their secret world of wireless espionage. There is included an honour roll of RSS operatives which details their area of operation, callsigns, locations. Not surprising this list is packed with well-known radio amateurs of the day including at least one RSGB president. Patrick Reilly, the Assistant to Head of MI6 Stewart Menzies, was to say of the RSS `a team of brilliance unparalleled anywhere in the intelligence machine.'

This book is a truly exceptional insight into the activity of the RSS, radio amateurs in WW2 and much more. It is thoroughly recommended reading

Size: 168x236mm, 224 pages. Hardback
ISBN: 9781 7815 5759 4