"Spies, special missions, and codes and ciphers Stories of ingenuity and intrigue from World War II." Enjoy spellbinding World War II stories about people who demonstrated great resourcefulness under pressure and came up with amazing solutions to seemingly impossible problems. For example, a British unit specializing in creating illusions fooled German reconnaissance pilots into thinking bombers had blown up a major British munitions factory. How? By painting a gigantic canvas the size of the factory roof to look as if the roof had gaping holes in it with massive destruction inside Military messages must be disguised by codes and ciphers. One of the most successful and enduring codes of all time was based on a rare language spoken only by the Navajo. This code was instrumental in the American defeat of the Japanese at several key battles. In fact, the code was so difficult to break that the U.S. military kept it top secret until it was replaced by computer codes in 1968. Key Features Presents 19 fascinating stories from World War II in an engaging, accessible format Introduction and sidebars provide lively background information about World War II Includes over 80 color maps and illustrations, and archival photographs