Myths and Legends of the Second World War

James Hayward examines the stories, rumours and deliberate falsehoods that shaped popular understanding of the Second World War. The book considers the supposed Manston Mutiny during the Battle of Britain, legends surrounding the sinking of HMS Royal Oak, and claims that German spies operated beyond Britain’s double-cross system.

Further chapters look at the Dunkirk narrative, Rudolf Hess, resistance movements, Hitler’s alleged interest in astrology and the Holy Grail, and the story of ‘the man who never was’. Hayward also ranges across land, sea and air warfare, discussing the alleged betrayal at Dieppe and claims about Nazi U-boat bases in Ireland. Contemporary documentary sources are used to distinguish wartime report, propaganda, rumour and later invention.