Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy

Agent Zigzag, a Review by the
Cote d'Azur Men's Book Club

When one of the most wanted men in Britain escaped police by jumping through a Jersey hotel window he leaped into a new career, an Englishman whose deeds were to be heard and applauded by both The Fuehrer and Winston Churchill.

Hitler knew him as Little Fritz; the blue-eyed boy of the Abwher, the Nazi secret service and Churchill was impressed by his exploit, for he was spying for Britain, too, under the codename Agent Zigzag. Eddie Arnold Chapman was, a rising star in the Soho world of gangsters, and, in the twilight days of peace in early l939, a dark haired, handsome young man, destined it seemed, to spend many years behind bars.
He was a care rogue, a womaniser, a leading figure in the mob known as "The Jelly Gang" for their habit of using gelignite to blow safes. He could have been a prototype for 007 James Bond. His girlfriend was pregnant and he was with another woman when the police found him in the Channel Islands. He was captured, eventually and jailed, managed to rob the Governor and then the Germans invaded and he found himself in a Nazi prison camp outside Paris. He was already a bit of a linguist, having picked up basic German and French.
The harsh regime did not appeal so Chapman offered his services to the goose steppers; after lengthy Teutonic thought, the SS the Abwher decided he was genuine. They trained him to be one of their spies in England He graduated from a Nazi school for spies, in France with honours and made many friends, especially his boss, a somewhat aristocratic chap who kept him well supplied with cash. Chapman, naturally, quickly found that boss man was taking his cut from the thousands of Reich marks he was handing over. It takes a crook to know a crook.
The Cote d'Azur Men's Book Club thought Agent Zigzag by journalist Ben Macintyre a very entertaining read, a combination of Bond and Biggles. Fritz, parachuting at night and landing in a muddy Cambridgeshire field and naively banging on a farmhouse door and saying he had been in a car accident. MI5who turned him into their man picked him up. Money changed hands.
Fritz blowing up the De Havilland factory where the wonder plane, the Mosquito was made,
the staged attack being arranged by MI5 experts to fool the Germans.
The stubborn Englishness of the Editor of The Times in refusing to print an untruthful report, which would have fooled the enemy into believing Fritz, was doing good work. . Not a problem for the patriotic Daily Express!
Fritz still has that swashbuckling air about him, he returns to his German group leader and friend by sea, and seemingly reverts to the Nazi regime. Back in Germany and many more adventures, he finds love again in Norway with the beautiful Dagmar. Just as he arranged with MI5 to pay a good "pension" to his woman, so now he does the same for his new love, with the Germans!
He parachutes back into Britain with the brief to track down the new anti-U-boat weapon that is causing devastation to the wolf packs. Such a device only exists in the Nazi imagination, of course and the boffins think up a hilarious device that is pure Monty Python or The Goons, just to give the enemy something to think about. The secret weapon was, of course, the Bletchley Park code breaker.
Had the stakes not been so huge, Agent Zigzag would have been a biting satirical piece of work, yet, it is the gripping life story of courageous con man who reverted to type at war's end to thieving and safe breaking and, naturally, womanising. A crook, but our crook. As his MI5 boss said, "One of the bravest men I have ever met."
Oh, yes, and old Adolf probably thought much the same. Eddie Arnold Chapman was awarded the Iron Cross, First Class.
Chapman, born in the North East, was a charismatic crook made good by his courage and apparent indifference to personal suffering. He mixed with the great and the good but he was never a Gentleman, he was a spy who did a great service for his country in her time of need.

All, especially the ladies, loved him. It could have been men like Chapman who inspired a Naval Intelligence officer, one Ian Fleming, to create James Bond. Agent Zigzag did not have a licence to kill, officially, but he dreamed of assassinating Hitler!

The real deal (0/0 people found this helpful)

I recently read Europe at War which points out that quite frankly what won the war was the meat grinder of the Eastern Front. So no amount of cloak and dagger stuff carried out by Britain really made a big difference in the greater scheme of things. While this is true, this cannot hide the fact that Eddie Chapman's story is simply fascinating and one you are guaranteed to get swept up in.

This is the true story of a small time British crook who was recruited by the German war machine to go to Britain and spy. Only for him to become a double agent and in turn spy on the Germans after his return from a "successful mission".

It is written like a comedy thriller and you do have to keep reminding yourself that this all actually happened. It is rip-roaring stuff making you live every moment of fear, tension and laughter too.

This is brilliant non-fiction. Highly readable, educational and should be turned into a great BBC mini-series.

Puts James Bond Shame (0/0 people found this helpful)

All that needs to be said about this book is that if you like a good story, read it. The best bit of it all is it is all true. This amazing story would be dismissed as too far fetched if it were fiction, the truth is stranger than fiction they say and this certainly is.

Gripping story (1/1 people found this helpful)

They say that truth is stranger than fiction. The story of Eddie Chapman, a criminal, turned spy, turned double-agent, is one such example. This is a fascinating read brought brilliantly to life by Ben Macintyre, who has clearly researched his subject thoroughly. I couldn't put this book down. Well worth a read!

Got me back into reading! (0/0 people found this helpful)

I heard about the release of the Agent Zigzag files on Radio 4 last year, which sparked my interest. I'm not a huge reader but got straight into this book from the first paragraph. The true story is brilliantly brought to life by the author who has outdone himself with the intricate, but relevant research. I enjoyed the book on so many levels - the gripping story; the general background regarding the Intelligence Services in the War and then the psychology and relationships between the many complex characters. I would recommend this book to everyone, but think that it would be an especially good as a present for teenage sons or lapsed readers, like myself.

Agent Zigzag: The True Wartime Story of Eddie Chapman: Lover, Traitor, Hero, Spy

Ben Macintyre

Reader Reviews:

Fritz (0/0 people found this helpful)

The real deal (0/0 people found this helpful)

Puts James Bond Shame (0/0 people found this helpful)

Gripping story (1/1 people found this helpful)

Got me back into reading! (0/0 people found this helpful)

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