Hey guys I'm reading where Eagles Landed by Jack Higgins right now and I was just wondering how much of that book is really fact and how much is fiction? It would help to know, thanks.
I read the book and thought it was great. In the addition that I read it told in the back. There was an extra chapter that told about how much was true and how much was false. If I can remember correctly Jack Higgins found the grave stone of the German paras and that is what led to the book.
Aye this old chestnut...I've started threads for this in both the 3rd reich forums and Feldgrau. Firstly...Please do not mix "Where eagles dare" with "the Eagle has landed"...it is the Latter of the two you are referring to...no? Higgens has never 'fessed up to whether he has proof or not of the validity of the story, but has said that while 50% of his story is based on fact, he won't tell you which 50%. Check these links, they already ask all the questions you could possibly want to ask on Higgen's great book. http://www.thirdreichforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=31801&highlight= http://www.thirdreichforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=14381&highlight= http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=6994&highlight=eagle+landed http://www.feldgrau.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=3379&highlight=eagle+landed
My apoligies. I did not remember that he said only 50% was based on fact. Thanks for clarifing that for me.
Hi, As I remember, The Eagle has Landed was based on an old wartime British propaganda movie called Went the Day Well. This concerned a party of Germans disguised as Royal Engineers arriving in a south coast village in order to set up a radio station to guide the invasion. Needless to say, they were discovered (Thora Hird played the Postmistress!)and killed to a man by British troops. An actual British Battalion (Warwicks. I think) took part in the film. I can't remember if the film started or ended with the scene, but the narrator tells the story after a scene of him standing by the headstone of the mass grave all the Germans were buried in. Regards, Gordon
'Wnte The Day Well' was a remarkable film for it's time - certainly an unusual piece of wartime propaganda. For more information, see : - http://www.britmovie.co.uk/studios/ealing/filmography/29.html
Martin, Cheers for the URL. Had the film on video for years, along with a few other classics. Regards, gordon
The only thing I'm looking for I should have mentioned is did the Germans really actually try to get Churchill out of England. Just the thought is insane and amazing that people could think of such things. Just wondering
OTF, Not as far as I know mate. Considering no Abwehr spies successfully operated in Britain during the war, the chances of a snatch squad getting anywhere near Winnie were infinitesimal! Regards, Gordon
