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Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades

Barmier than Bond: Ian Fleming's extraordinary wartime escapades

Edward Abel Smith explains how Ian Fleming's real-life missions to bamboozle the Nazis inspired the plots of his world-famous spy novels

Spencer Mizen

Published: June 16, 2025 at 8:00 AM

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Bogus sex parties, fake corpses, exploding tin cans and belligerent pigs. If you thought that James Bond's fictional escapades were outrageous, then the real-life experiences of his creator, Ian Fleming, are arguably even more extraordinary. Here, in conversation with Spencer Mizen, Edward Abel Smith reveals how Fleming's work as a wartime intelligence officer inspired the plotlines in his world-famous spy novels.

Authors

Spencer MizenSenior production editor

Spencer is senior production editor of HistoryExtra magazine