The art of espionage is as old as war itself, so it’s no surprise that popular books and films have long included stories of spycraft and undercover derring-do. Spies must possess qualities we generally admire—courage, intelligence, adaptability, endurance—as well as specialized skill sets that give them an added advantage in their fight against the enemy. They are fascinating because we wonder what it would be like to be in their shoes, what decisions we would make when faced with the same choices.
The elements of danger, ingenuity, of deadly expertise and secret-keeping, all lend a certain allure to the bloody business of war. WWII seems an especially fertile ground for spy stories. The wide amount of occupied territory the Allies needed to infiltrate, along with advances in technology, and an especially ruthless enemy combine for a setting rife with espionage possibilities. With that in mind, here are a few WWII spy films and the books on which they’re based.
They Met in the Dark (1943)
In this spy-mystery filmed in the middle of WWII, James Mason stars as a naval officer who, with the help of a young woman named Miss Verity, must stop a German spy ring even as they attempt to solve a murder with a missing victim. The film is loosely based on the Golden Age mystery novel The Vanishing Corpse by Anthony Gilbert about a body that is discovered then disappears before the police arrive. Fans of lighter espionage stories with some humor, romance, and a classic-mystery-feel may appreciate this story.
The Guns of Navarone (1961)
Alastair MacLean knew how to write a mean espionage/action tale, and The Guns of Navarone, published in 1957, is perhaps his most popular. It was made into a film in 1961 starring David Niven, Gregory Peck, and Anthony Quinn with an excellent supporting cast (including James Darren, who manages to get a song in!) A group of battle-hardened saboteurs with diverse skills is sent to destroy the eponymous guns on the island of Navarone so that troops can be rescued from a nearby island. A story of deadly risks, sacrifice, and beating the odds, it’s a daring, thrilling adventure from beginning to end.
Where Eagles Dare (1968)
Another Alastair MacLean classic, this espionage thriller focuses on a highly-specialized team of Allied commandos sent on a rescue mission. Their task: to parachute into Germany, infiltrate a castle fortress in the Bavarian Alps by dressing in Nazi uniforms, and rescue a captured American general. This general, who knows the D-Day plans, cannot be left in the hands of the Gestapo and thus is worth this high-risk mission. The group is led by a British Major and an American Army Rangers lieutenant, played by Richard Burton and Clint Eastwood. The two make for a stoic and enigmatic pair if ever there was one, sharing about three grim facial expressions between them for the duration of the film. They are believable as competent officers tasked with a critical mission, and there’s a lot of excitement to be had as they go about accomplishing it. The story provides plenty of action, twists, danger, and excitement for readers and viewers who like a daring mission behind enemy lines.
Man Hunt (1941)/Rogue Male (1976)
Both these films are based on the 1939 novel Rogue Male by Geoffrey Household. The book revolves around an Englishman who is caught aiming a gun at a European dictator. (Though unnamed in the novel, he is fairly easily interpreted by readers as Hitler and is presented as him in the film adaptations.) The Englishman is subsequently tortured and thrown off a cliff so the Germans can claim his death was a hunting accident. When he does not die as intended, he escapes back to England with German agents hot on his trail. Man Hunt starred Walter Pidgeon as the Englishman; it was adapted again in 1976 as Rogue Male starring Peter O’Toole. The story of a man on the run and the ingenious ways he outwits his pursuers makes for gripping reading or viewing.
Eye of the Needle (1981)
Looking at espionage from the wrong side of the war, Eye of the Needle is the story of a German spy named Faber who has infiltrated British society in order to send intelligence back to Germany. Cunning, brutal, and efficient, Faber is nicknamed “the Needle” for the way in which he eliminates his victims–with a sharp stiletto. When Faber uncovers some important information, he leaves a trail of death behind him as he rushes toward his rendezvous point with a U-Boat. He eventually reaches the presciently-named Storm Island, where he encounters a married couple and becomes entangled in a battle of wits that will culminate in a deadly fight for survival. Based on the 1978 novel by Ken Follett (originally titled Storm Island), the film stars Donald Sutherland as Faber.
Charlotte Gray (2001)
Charlotte Gray is about a young Englishwoman who, after falling in love with a British pilot who is later downed in France, decides to join up with the SOE, Britain’s secret organization for conducting espionage and sabotage missions in occupied Europe. Eventually sent to France, she works with the French Resistance while also searching for information about her missing lover. A romantic tale tinged with danger, deception, and betrayal, the film is based on the 1999 book of the same name by Sebastian Faulks. The story portrays the hazards of Vichy France, and the delicate, high stakes game those living and fighting in occupied Europe had to play.
Operation Mincemeat (2021)
Operation Mincemeat has the distinction of being one of the wildest stories on this list; it is also the only one that happens to be based on a completely true story. Ben McIntyre’s riveting 2010 book tells the story of an outlandish British intelligence plan to take an unclaimed body from the morgue; furnish it with a uniform, personal effects, and a believable backstory; and, most importantly, plant on it a set of false documents they hope the Germans will manage to get their hands on when the British drop the body into the waters of the coast of neutral Spain. The ever-delightful Colin Firth takes the lead in the film version, and readers and viewers will be forced to acknowledge that, even in espionage stories, the truth is, indeed, sometimes much stranger than fiction.
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