Secret Weapons of World War II

January 3, 2000
Once again scouring his seemingly inexhaustible personal archives, as well as public sources, popular historian Breuer has produced yet another collection of rip-roaring tales. With more than 20 books to his credit, Breuer (Unexplained Mysteries of World War II, etc.) employs a formulaic presentation of enticingly named stories--"Supersecret Station X," "A Plan to Poison the German Food Supply," among them--in short, punchy chapters grouped by theme. Written out of passion for its subject, this book reads like good pulp. "Bright Ideas for Winning the War" discloses some of the ludicrous battle tactics proposed by well-meaning armchair generals. "History's First Nuclear Spy," Walther Koehler, turns out to be not a double agent, but a triple. "Treachery at Los Alamos" shows how a box of Jell-O played a role in helping a network of spies steal nuclear secrets from the United States on behalf of the Soviet Union. A few of the stories hang unfinished; "Hitler Orders Lethal Gas Assault," but we never find out where the gas ends up after the attack is aborted. Still, this is a delightful addition to the niche that Breuer has so successfully carved out. Photos.