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Airborne Espionage: International Special Duty Operations in the Second World War
Airborne Espionage International Special Duty Operations in the Second World War Author:David Oliver At the outbreak of the World War I in 1914, the transport of spies across enemy lines by aircraft was not regarded as a priority. In fact, there was no formal organization for these flights and no communications network between the air forces and their agents. The situation had not improved to any great extent by the outbreak of the World War II... more » in 1939. Although dedicated air units had been established to fly the spies — or "agents" as they were then known — their aircraft were hand-me-downs and their aircrews considered the Special Duties (SD) role as a poor third to the more glamorous worlds of fighter and bomber operations. However, the tasks undertaken by these men and their aircraft were often more hazardous and demanding than any other type of wartime flying.« less