Whitney Bendeck signs her newest book, “‘A’ Force: the Origins of British Deception During the Second World War.” Contributing a new perspective to the study of the deception that took place during WWII, Bendeck reveals to her readers how the British became so good at deception during the war. Courtesy of Public Information 

Whitney Bendeck unmasks the roles of double agents, deception and their influences on World War II in her newest book, “‘A’ Force: the Origins of British Deception During the Second World War.”

Bendeck graduated at Southeastern as an undergraduate majoring in history. She went on to Florida State University, where she pursued her master’s and doctoral degrees in history. She is currently a faculty member of the international affairs program and director of undergraduate studies at FSU.

“I always had a great interest in history and especially WWII, but studying abroad in London and visiting Normandy as part of that program reinforced my love of history,” said Bendeck. “It helped me see that it was my true passion. I could clearly see myself pursuing a career in history, so I changed my major. I have two main areas of specialty. Twentieth century Europe with a concentration on WWII is my primary specialty. My secondary specialty is modern China. My passion for both areas of study developed while I was at Southeastern.”

The book focuses on the origins of British deception in WWII. According to Bendeck, most deception histories tend to either look at D-Day or the role of double agents, but this book combines the two topics. Bendeck goes on to explain how the British did not inherently know how to deceive. Bendeck delves into how the British learned to deceive, which proved to be an essential tool in pulling off the masterful deception that took place on D-Day, known as the Operation Bodyguard. 

Operation Bodyguard was one of the keys to the success of D-Day; it was a plan designed to misinform the Germans about where and when Operation Overlord would take place. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the name was inspired by a statement made by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who said, “In wartime, truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies.”

“I hope that they will find [the book] both interesting and informative,” said Bendeck. “For those who enjoy military history, this book adds a new layer to our knowledge of World War II. It is also unique in that it synthesizes the military and deception histories into one story. They are typically separate histories altogether.”

In the book, Bendeck followed the birth and development of the organization known as “A” Force, Britain’s first deception organization, which operated in the deserts of Africa during the desert campaign (1940-1943). As a result, the work of the mastermind Colonel Dudley Clarke was also touched upon in Bendeck’s writings, regarding him as the brilliant creator of it all. Even in death, he was still throwing historians for a loop due to his clever ways of deception. 

“One thing I found amusing was when I discovered that I had been deceived myself,” said Bendeck. “After reading countless pages of documents about a deception known as Sentinel, I began writing. Later, I came across another document that revealed that at least one of the documents I had used was in fact a fake, devised specifically to trick the Germans. I had to delete a couple of pages of material and rewrite it entirely. I have to admit I was rather amused that nearly 70 years later Dudley Clarke was still deceiving.” 

Bendeck is working on her second book now and recently traveled to London to conduct the preliminary research for it. In addition to working on her book, she hopes to continue to help the international affairs program and the undergraduate program to expand and strengthen.