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Britain's Plot to Kill Hitler:
The True Story of Operation Foxley and SOE

by Eric Lee
Introduction by Ian Kershaw
Published by Greenhill Books

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News

17 January 2023: Jake Corfield interviews author Eric Lee for the podcast 'A few minutes of history' - listen here

20 October 2022: Greenhill books releases a video interview with author Eric Lee.

22 August 2022: A long interview with the author and article about the book appeared this week in the Times of Israel.

11 August 2022: "A copiously-researched and masterfully-written account"- another five star review from M. Miller.

10 August 2022: "An excellent book for history buffs interested in the late war" - another five star review from Evan Tick.

9 August 2022: "A riveting read" - a five star review from Lee Johnson.

22 June 2022: “Carefully researched, well-written and utterly fascinating” - a five star review of Britain’s Plot to Kill Hitler from Roger Darlington.

20 June 2022: Eric Lee is interviewed by Angus Wallace for the WW2 podcast - listen here.

1 May 2022: Wow! Kindle edition price drop to £1.99

30 April 2022: Book launch in London.

30 April 2022: Publication day. You can pre-order the book here - 20% off the cover price!

24 April 2022: Online talk at Combined Military Services Museum . Watch the recording of this talk here.

21 April 2022: Eric Lee's article "Down the rabbit hole – to kill Hitler" appeared in Historia, the online publication fo the Historical Writers' Association.

20 April 2022: Eric Lee's article "Operation Foxley – Inside the Abortive Allied Plot to Assassinate the Führer" appeared in Military History Now

19 April 2022: Eric Lee was interviewed last night on WW2TV - watch the full video here.

About the book

Operation Foxley was the name of the secret plan supported by Winston Churchill to assassinate Hitler in 1944-45. More than 75 years after its conception, the assassination plan remains shrouded in mystery. Eric Lee’s new book is the product of painstaking research and sheds more light on this plan. Lee also asks what would have happened if Foxley had been executed successfully.

Concocted in 1944 by the British Special Operations Executive (SOE), Foxley’s objective was to kill Hitler and any high-ranking Nazis or members of the Fuhrer’s entourage who might have been present at the time.

Different methods of assassination had been considered by the SOE, but were ultimately deemed too complicated. These methods included derailment and destruction of the Hitler’s personal train, the Fuhrerzug, by explosives, and also clandestine means such as slipping a tasteless poison into Hitler’s drinking and cooking water. Some of the ideas were considered quite bizarre, including one scheme to hypnotise Rudolf Hess and return him to Germany to kill Nazi leaders. The Americans and Soviets had their own plans to kill Hitler too, with some equally strange ideas (including injecting female hormones into the Fuhrer's vegetables).

Eventually, after intel gathered revealed that Hitler took a routine, solitary walk every morning to the Teehaus on the Mooslahnerkopf Hill from the Berghof residence, a plan was created to assassinate Hitler using a sniper rifle fitted with a silencer.

A perfect investigation for readers who enjoy reading about modern history, and the Second World War in particular. It is also tailored to those with an interest in the “secret war”, covering topics like the SOE, and military intelligence.

Reviews

"The prose is gripping with straight-to-the-point chapters presented with an almost forensic edge and even though I already knew how it ended I found I simply couldn't put it down once I started to read." - Amazon reviewer
"Fascinating account" - latest Amazon review of the book.
Carefully researched, well-written and utterly fascinating. A five star review from Roger Darlington.
It's a forensically detailed account that reads like an airport thriller. The best book on Operation Foxley and the plan to kill Hitler. - Edward Williams, review on Amazon.co.uk
The most detailed account of Operation Foxley, with good introductory material from Ian Kershaw. It includes a complete reprint of the Foxley document, and is brilliant in setting down the 'what might have happened' scenarios. Recommended. - Mike K Hallam, review on Amazon.co.uk
An excellent book for history buffs interested in the late war. - Evan Tick, review on Amazon.com
A page turner. Lee writes history as a storyteller, not a drab historian. This story of the absolute absurdities of the planning and the cliff hangers of its execution makes for a riveting read. - Lee Johnson, review on Amazon.co.uk
A copiously-researched and masterfully-written account - M. Miller, on Amazon.com.

Other books by Eric Lee

Night of the Bayonets: The Texel Uprising and Hitler's Revenge - April-May 1945 Greenhill Books, 2020

The Experiment: Georgia's Forgotten Revolution, 1918-1921 Zed Books, 2018

Operation Basalt: The British Raid on Sark and Hitler's Commando Order The History Press, 2016

Britain's Plot to Kill Hitler:The True Story of Operation Foxley and SOE

by Eric LeeIntroduction by Ian KershawPublished by Greenhill Books