Winterbotham, Frederick W. The Nazi Connection

The Personal Story of a Top-level British Agent in Hitler’s Pre-war Germany

The book describes Frederick William Winterbotham's work as head of air intelligence in the British Secret Service before the Second World War. Tasked with gathering information about the military aviation capabilities of potential adversaries, Winterbotham focused on Germany and visited the country several times as a civilian official of the Air Ministry. His apparent sympathy for Nazi ideology enabled him to gather important information about Germany's rearmament plans while establishing relationships with high-ranking Nazis. Winterbotham was received by senior Nazi officials, including Alfred Rosenberg, and even met Hitler, Hess and Göring. During his visits, Winterbotham learned of Hitler's plans to invade the Soviet Union and gained insight into Germany's military preparations, including the emerging concept of blitzkrieg. Despite this important information, it proved difficult to convince British leaders to take these warnings seriously. Winterbotham's predictions were ignored until Germany's military aggression became undeniable. The Nazi Connection examines the complex web of espionage and deception that surrounded Winterbotham's mission. It raises the question of how differently the course of history might have unfolded if Britain had responded to Winterbotham's information about Germany's intentions. This story of missed opportunities and highly explosive intelligence offers a fascinating insight into the prehistory of the Second World War.