Where the Eagle Landed: The Mystery of the German Invasion of Britain, 1940

by Peter Haining

In the summer of 1941, when the likelihood of an invasion was a daily threat to the people of England, one of the most intriguing and persistent legends of the World War II was that German troops did land on the coast of East Anglia in a prelude to the invasion that was then only weeks, perhaps even days, away. It is a legend that has inspired writers such as Graham Greene ( The Lieutenant Died Last ), the filmmaker Alberto Cavalcanti ( Went the Day Well?), and of course, Jack Higgins, whose 1975 novel The Eagle Had Landed was an international bestseller and became a hugely popular film. But all of these stories are fiction. Using recently declassified documents, eyewitness accounts, contemporary reports, and newspaper and magazine features, Peter Haining investigates the story and ultimately provides the solution to an enduring mystery, while at the same time illuminating a particularly fraught period of Britain's wartime history.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Peter Alexander Haining was an English journalist, author and anthologist who lived and worked in Suffolk. Born in Enfield, Middlesex, he began his career as a reporter in Essex and then moved to London where he worked on a trade magazine before joining the publishing house of New English Library.

Haining achieved the position of Editorial Director before becoming a full time writer in the early Seventies. He edited a large number of anthologies, predominantly of horror and fantasy short stories, wrote non-fiction books on a variety of topics from the Channel Tunnel to Sweeney Todd and also used the pen names "Ric Alexander" and "Richard Peyton" on a number of crime story anthologies. In the Seventies he wrote three novels, including The Hero (1973), which was optioned for filming.

In two controversial books, Haining argued that Sweeney Todd was a real historical figure who committed his crimes around 1800, was tried in December 1801, and was hanged in January 1802. However, other researchers who have tried to verify his citations find nothing in these sources to back Haining's claims. A check of the website Old Bailey at for "Associated Records 1674-1834" for an alleged trial in December 1801 and hanging of Sweeney Todd for January 1802 show no reference; in fact the only murder trial for this period is that of a Governor/Lt Col. Joseph Wall who was hanged 28 January 1802 for killing a Benjamin Armstrong 10 July 1782 in "Goree" Africa and the discharge of a Humphrey White in January 1802. Strong reservations have also been expressed regarding the reliability of another of Haining's influential non-fiction works, The Legend and Bizarre Crimes of Spring Heeled Jack.
He wrote several reference books on Doctor Who, including the 20th anniversary special Doctor Who: A Celebration Two Decades Through Time and Space (1983), and also wrote the definitive study of Sherlock Holmes on the screen, The Television Sherlock Holmes (1991) and several other television tie-ins featuring famous literary characters, including Maigret, Poirot and James Bond. Peter Haining's most recent project was a series of World War Two stories based on extensive research and personal interviews: The Jail That Went To Sea (2003), The Mystery of Rommel's Gold (2004), Where The Eagle Landed (2004), The Chianti Raiders (2005) and The Banzai Hunters (2007).

He won the British Fantasy Awards Karl Edward Wagner Award in 2001.

Reviews

[Debs Carey · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this to get the historical background to Jack Higgins' "The Eagle has Landed".

I found it hard to get into because the book provides a very complete history of the potential for invasion on Britain's East Anglian coast. I felt somewhat frustrated and wanted it to get on with the situation in WWII, as I felt there must've been a wealth of stories, rumours and what not.

And I was right, when it did start on the (more) modern history, I found it to be quite a page turner. I was *almost* disappointed to find Jack Higgins had spun a good yarn, and there wasn't some secret hidden bit of history. But relieved in the main.

A good, well-researched and well-presented read.