...he had long imagined himself as the central character in his own drama. He had played the part of a high-rolling gangster. Now, he recast himself in the glamorous role of spy. There was little thought, if any, given to whether such a course was right or wrong. That would come later. [p. 28]
A non-fiction book from the depths of my 'unread' folder, purchased in 2015 and forgotten until now. Eddie Chapman was a career criminal before World War 2: when the Germans invaded Jersey, Chapman was serving a prison sentence on the island. After his release, he went straight to the Germans' HQ and offered his services as a secret agent. After arduous training and team-bonding with his new, German colleagues, Chapman parachuted into Cambridgeshire one dark night, and promptly contacted the authorities, offering to become a double agent.
From Macintyre's account, Chapman was possessed of considerable charisma. He formed strong attachments to women (at one point he had 'two different women, under the protection of two different secret services, on opposing sides of the war' [p. 255]) and a real friendship with his German handler, Baron Stefan von Gröning -- known to Chapman as 'Doctor Graumann' -- who attended Chapman's daughter's wedding. Chapman, who died in the late 1990s, is the only British citizen to have been awarded the Iron Cross.
Macintyre writes with tremendous zest, and Agent Zigzag, while copiously footnoted with sources and commentary, reads more like a novel than a biography. I'm not sure I'd have liked Chapman, but I admire his courage and his odd loyalties: and I was genuinely touched by his enduring friendship with von Gröning.
Read for the 'Memoir | Biography | Autobiography' prompt of the Annual NonFiction Reading Challenge.
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