Did Espionage Win the Second World War? (Guest Curator’s Festival Pick)

Leading historians examine whether spies, secret missions and intelligence operations genuinely changed the course of the Second World War.

About the event

Espionage has become one of the most enduring and romanticised elements of the Second World War. Stories of spies, resistance networks, codebreakers and daring secret missions continue to dominate books, films and popular memory. 

But how effective were these operations? Did intelligence gathering and covert action decisively influence the course of the conflict, or has their importance sometimes been exaggerated? 

Historians Dr Daniel Cowling, Dr Helen Fry, Tim Willasey-Wilsey and Dr Roderick Bailey examine the realities behind some of the war’s most remarkable intelligence stories. Together, they will explore the work of specialist units, professional agents and civilians, asking how far espionage shaped military decisions and the eventual outcome of the war. 

Additional information

This event is eligible for our 20% ticket bundle discount.

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About the speakers

Dr Daniel Cowling is a Historian at the National Army Museum who specialises in modern British and European history. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he wrote a thesis on the British occupation of Germany. His first book, ‘Don’t Let’s Be Beastly to the Germans’, was published by Head of Zeus in 2023.

Helen Fry is a historian, biographer and author. She has written over 20 books on intelligence, prisoners of war and the social history of the Second World War. Helen regularly appears in media interviews and on podcasts, and has contributed to numerous documentaries.

Dr Roderick Bailey is a historian at Oxford University and a specialist in the history of SOE. His books include Target: Italy (the official history of SOE’s war on Mussolini’s Fascist Italy), The Wildest Province (an acclaimed account of SOE operations in the Balkans) and Forgotten Voices of the Secret War (based on interviews with SOE veterans). His recent research includes in-depth studies of medical aspects of SOE’s work, from the psychological pressures to the use of plastic surgery for disguise.

Tim Willasey-Wilsey is an author, historian, academic and former diplomat. In addition to his role at RUSI, he is a Visiting Professor of War Studies at King’s College London. His first book, The Spy and the Devil, explores the life of Baron Wilhelm de Ropp.

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