The Mare's Nest

The Mare's Nest: The German Secret Weapons Campaign and British Intelligence

By David Irving | First published 1964 | Hardcover edition

Historical Significance

First published in 1964, this study documents the British intelligence effort to understand and counter Germany's V-weapons programme. Irving gained access to classified British intelligence files and conducted interviews with the scientists and intelligence officers who assessed the threat.

Scope and Content

The work examines how British intelligence detected the Peenemünde research establishment, assessed the V-1 flying bomb and V-2 rocket programmes, and organised countermeasures including the bombing raids that attempted to disrupt German development. The study documents intelligence successes and failures with equal detail.

Archives and sources

Research conducted in British intelligence archives with access to wartime assessment documents. Interviews with R.V. Jones and other scientific intelligence officers provide first-hand accounts of the analytical process.

Readers and uses

Of particular interest to intelligence historians, V-weapons researchers, and scholars studying wartime scientific assessment. A primary reference for understanding the intelligence dimension of the secret weapons campaign.

Edition Details

Hardcover binding. Photographic plates and technical diagrams. Built for specialist library and private collection use.

About This Edition

Published by Focal Point Publications. Irving's first major work, returned to print in complete form.