False Flags - by Stephen Robinson (Hardcover)

About the Book

The epic untold story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years of World War II.

Book Synopsis

False Flags tells the epic
untold story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years
of World War II. In 1940 the raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin
and Kormoran left Germany and waged a & pirate war' in the South Seas - part
of Germany's strategy to attack the British Empire's maritime trade on a global
scale. Their extraordinary voyages spanned the globe and are maritime sagas in
the finest tradition of seafaring. The four raiders voyaged across the
Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Arctic and Antarctic. They
sank or captured 62 ships in a forgotten naval war that is now being told in
its entirety for the first time. The Orion and Komet terrorised
the South Pacific and New Zealand waters before Pearl Harbor when the war was
supposed to be far away. The Pinguin sank numerous Allied merchant ships
in the Indian Ocean before mining the approaches to Australian ports and
capturing the Norwegian whaling fleet in Antarctica. The Kormoran raided
the Atlantic but will always be remembered for sinking the Australian cruiser Sydney
off Western Australia, killing all 645 sailors on board in tragic
circumstances. False Flags is also
the story of the Allied sailors who encountered these raiders and fought
suicidal battles against a superior foe as well as the men, women and children
who endured captivity on board the raiders as prisoners of the Third Reich.

Review Quotes

"anyone with an interest in naval history will find this book well worth a read."
- Navy New

"A meticulously researched and fascinating history of a now largely forgotten aspect of World War II."
- Australian National Maritime Associantion Newsletter

"Deception, violence and waste are the ingredients of war...Stephen Robinson's handsome, well documented book is full of events that illustrate this... Raiders were fighting ships disguised as merchantmen, crewed by trained naval seaman deeply committed to serving the German war effort. Like Caribbean pirates from the days of sail in some Boy's Own world, they masked their evil intent by sailing under assumed flags... before hoisting aloft the German Navy flag, like a modern day Skull and Cross Bones, and savaging an unwary prey." - Outstanding 2 page review Click here to read the review.

- The White Ensign - The Journal of the Naval Association of Australia.

"Stephen Robinson undertook extensive research for this book in the German, British, Australian and NZ naval records. He uncovered never-before-accessed eyewitness accounts and declassified intelligence reports. Many of the crews and passengers of the ships targeted by the raiders ended up as prisoners of war, while others were set adrift in life rafts."
- Australian Defence Magazine

"This is a fascinating book. The story is well supported by historic photographs, maps and the use of eyewitness reports."
-Military Books Australia

About the Author

Stephen Robinson studied Asian history and politics at the University of Western Sydney, graduating with First Class Honours. He has worked at the Department of Veterans' Affairs researching British atomic weapons tests and as a policy officer in the Department of Defence. Stephen Robinson is also an officer in the Australian Army Reserve and has served as an instructor at the Royal Military College. He also graduated from Australian Command and Staff College.