Hello backstory listeners. As you might be able to tell, I'm not a host of backstory,

but I am excited to be doing a podcast swap with them. My name is Giles Milton, and I'm the host

of the Unknown History Podcast. I'm also a bestselling writer, historian and expert on World War 2.

On this season of Unknown History, I'm honouring the 75th anniversary of D-Day,

which just passed on 6th of June. By telling the stories of the people who risked their lives on

land sea and air during the perilous 24 hours of the event. You're about to hear the story of

Commando Unit leader George Lane, whose undercover mission to Nazi occupied France proved the most

extraordinary of them all. For more stories like the one you're about to hear, subscribe to Unknown

History wherever you get your podcasts. But for now, here's a preview.

Who was George Lane, and how did he escape near certain death at the hands of the Gestapo?

Turns out, Gentleman Dichar goes a long way.

Welcome to season 3 of Unknown History D-Day Stories. I'm your host Giles Milton,

and today we're talking about D-Day spies and one in particular, the extraordinary undercover

mission of George Lane. General Eisenhower and the architects of D-Day knew that the allied

landings would only be successful if they had up to the minute information about the German coastal

defenses. They already had French spies working on their behalf, and we'll hear more on this a

little later, but they also needed to smuggle daring agents across to the beaches of Normandy

in order to undertake close inspections of the enemy fortifications. It was not for the faint

hearted. It was highly dangerous with the certainty of death at the hands of the Gestapo if captured.

So who an earth would volunteer for such work?

Step forward, George Lane, whose undercover mission to Nazi occupied France was to prove the most

extraordinary of them all. Lane's addiction to risk had driven him to join the elite British

...