Before Bond: Ian Fleming's wartime commando

A Talk by Dave Roberts
In 1942, as Britain faced some of the darkest and most desperate days of the war, a young naval officer named Ian Fleming proposed the formation of an elite commando unit, an Intelligence Assault Unit. It's job, to capture enemy codes, signal equipment, technology, weapons and more.

30 Assualt Unit (AU) would go on to be one of the most successful and prolific elite units of the war, operating in North Africa, Sicily, Italy, Yugoslavia, Northern Europe and the Far East and captured vital information and equipment such as Enigma machines and codes, V-1 and V-2 weapons technology, state-of-the-art submarines and even German Scientists from right under the noses of the Soviet army.

Ian Fleming would become famous for his James Bond novels, but it was his wartime career and men of 30 AU and their exploits which would give him the inspiration for one of the most successful literary and film characters of all time.

Discover more about Fleming, his wartime commandos and their links with the Bond stories with this fascinating and entertaining presentation.