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The Illusionist

The True Story of the Man Who Fooled Hitler

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The Illusionist

By: Robert Hutton
Narrated by: Al Murray
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About this listen

 Cairo, 1942: If you had asked a British officer who Colonel Clarke was, they would have been able to point him out: always ready with a drink and a story, he was a well-known figure in the local bars. If you then asked what he did, you would have less success. Those who knew didn't tell, and almost no one really knew at all.

Clarke thought of himself as developing a new kind of weapon. Its components? Rumour, stagecraft, a sense of fun. Its target? The mind of Erwin Rommel, Hitler's greatest general. Throughout history, military commanders have sought to mislead their opponents. Dudley Clarke set out to do it on a scale no one had imagined before. Even afterwards, almost no one understood the magnitude of his achievement.

Drawing on recently released documents and hugely expanding on the louche portrait of Clarke as seen in SAS: Rogue Heroes, journalist and historian Robert Hutton reveals the amazing story of Clarke's A Force, the invention of the SAS and the Commandos, and the masterful hoodwinking of the Desert Fox at the battle of El Alamein. The Illusionist tells for the first time the dazzling tale of how, at a pivotal moment in the war, British eccentricity and imagination combined to thwart the Nazis and save innumerable lives - on both sides.©2024 Robert Hutton (P)2024 Orion Publishing Group Limited Europe Freedom & Security Great Britain Military Military & War Politics & Government World War II War Espionage Imperialism

Critic reviews

A cracking tale. With admiration and pacy prose, Robert Hutton tracks one of the great British characters of WW2. Expect ingenuity and eccentricity by the barrow-load (Sonia Purnell)
Hutton has revealed the brilliance of the 'master of deception', Dudley Clarke. It took a true creative eccentric like Clarke to become the brains behind the success of the SAS and commandos in North Africa. Meticulously researched, The Illusionist is simply superb (Helen Fry)
All stars
Most relevant
This audiobook would be better with brief chapter summary indicators as in other books. There is a wealth of historical detail and for ths reason even chapter titles would be welcome.

better with brief chapter summary

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We tend to think of "influencing" as a modern phenomenon, which of course, it's not. This splendid tale outlines it's historic application for good.
However, I couldn't help wondering about the extent to which the darker application of these arts underpinned the catastrophe of the Brexit vote or the extent to which many Scots believe they're "too wee, too poor or too stupid" to take their independent place in the world.

A fantastic and fascinating story, narrated as usual with panache and enthusiasm by Al Murray.

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brilliant portrayal of deception during World War 2. very easy to listen to. very enjoyable book.

very informative and interesting

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Great account and thrillingly read by Mr Murray. I couldn’t stop listening to this great account of deception during the war. Lots of great insights and clever linking to magic tricks to illustrate points. Al Murray adds to the whole production with his enthusiasm and character to make it unmissable. Give it a read/listen you won’t regret it!🏆👍😃🫡

Riveting!

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An interesting book, well researched and narrated. It gives not only an insight into the minds of the intelligence staff but just how tolerant they were towards others if they did their job well (something we don't think of from 80 years ago.) It also put right a myth that others have taken as true when it comes to "hiding" the Suez Canal. Not so much smoke and mirrors as telling a story that the Germans wanted to hear.

Interesting and well narrated.

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