Our guest on this episode is Dr Helen Fry, the author of more than 25 books on the social history of WW2, not least British intelligence activities, spies and the like. 



She is a leading authority on many related topics, including on the ‘secret listeners’ who eavesdropped on what enemy Prisoners of War were discussing. This was in order to gain insights into what was going on in the foe’s war effort and also the mindset of the German opposition. 



In the discussion with podcast host Iain Ballantyne, Dr Fry touches on various naval angles not least the eavesdropping that was used across various sites where German U-boat crews were held.



This includes the use of deliberately casual interrogations to lull the PoWs into a false sense of security for when they discussed things later with their comrades in captivity (not knowing they were being listened to). We also learn how one U-boat sailor in 1940 gave away Enigma machine secrets in a most extraordinary fashion.



The unsung, backroom work of women and others in British naval intelligence, including for the D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944, is included in the fascinating chat.  



Also discussed is the use of female interrogators, and also how German and Austrian refugees from Nazi oppression (due to their Jewish faith) became players in the British intelligence-gathering system and even commandos.