UKTV - Secret War (2011) Part 3 The Mafia Connection

“The secret agents who set Europe ablaze”

Just when you thought you knew everything about WWII, Secret War uncovers more incredible stories that exist under the radar. As bombs were dropped from planes, missiles were launched and tanks were deployed all over the world, another kind of war was being waged by the Allies a secret war – a war of espionage. This secret war involved countless acts of espionage, courage, ruthlessness, double dealing and betrayal. It featured secret agents risking everything, working undercover on the continent to turn the tide against the Nazis, never knowing who, at any time, they could trust. Some became double agents playing both sides for the thrill of the danger, others did it just to stay alive. Always these extraordinary characters lived their lives on the edge. Secret War tells their amazing stories. Less than a year after World War II began, Hitler’s armies occupied much of mainland Europe—and the island nation of Great Britain stood alone. Rather than wait for the expected German invasion, Prime Minister Winston Churchill decided to hit back at the Nazis any way he could. In the summer of 1940, he set up a secret new organization called the Special Operations Executive, or SOE, and gave it a simple mission “set Europe ablaze.” SECRET WAR goes inside Churchill's secret army, to a dangerous world of agents, double agents, and even triple agents. In 13 episodes, it tells the story of SOE agents and other clandestine warriors who went behind enemy lines to conduct intelligence-gathering, sabotage, and assassination. Sometimes the operations were spectacularly successful, at other times inexplicably inept. But together, the efforts of these intrepid men and women helped save thousands of lives, liberate Europe, and turn the tide of World War II.

Part 3 The Mafia Connection

A rare glimpse into the perilous world of wartime espionage. The Americans struck a deal with the Mafia to glean data from the Germans on the Atlantic coast. As Britain held out against the Nazis in Europe, the United States was desperate to keep supply lines open to its ally across the Atlantic. To do so, it needed help from the man who knew more about the operation of the New York City docks than anyone else mobster Charles Luciano. Charles “Lucky” Luciano was the father of modern organised crime – a pimp, racketeer and murderer. In 1936 he was sentenced to serve 50 years in jail. That was where he was meant to die. But instead he spent just 10 years there and died a free man in Italy. Behind this remarkable reversal of fortune is one of the most unlikely collaborations of the Second World War. This film reveals the startling new evidence that proves beyond any doubt that US government and Mafia worked together to help win the war.

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