CHURCHILL’S MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE
Nonfiction Hard candies, condoms and dirty tricks CHURCHILL’S MINISTRY OF UNGENTLEMANLY WARFARE: The Mavericks Who Plotted Hitler’s Defeat By Giles Milton 356 pp. Picador Reviewed by Marty Carlock A couple of generations ago, British military officers looked upon war as a sporting exercise, in which rules and fair play were expected. One such gentleman opined that the only proper weapon for fighting was the sword, as it gave each man an equal chance. The brutality and efficiency of the Nazi war machine in Europe led England’s more intelligent gentlemen, Prime Minister Winston Churchill included, to a different conclusion. The Nazis’ opponents would only have a chance of surviving if they resorted to ungentlemanly tactics. Thus the formation of a secret branch of the war office designated Section D: for Deception, Destruction and Dirty tricks. Its operatives were told that if caught they would neither be acknowledged nor defended by their government. They were trained in sil...