Operation Heartbreak

By Duff Cooper and Michael Hofmann

A perfectly told tale of defeat and glory—and a paean to gallantry in the face of the absurd—inspired by a real-life secret mission during World War II.

Orphaned in the first months of World War One, when his father is killed in action, Willie Maryington dreams only of joining the same cavalry regiment and going to the front. The Armistice dashes seventeen-year-old Willie’s plans, but not his dreams of glory, and he makes the regiment the center of his adult existence. Yet, as the years go by, Willie falls increasingly out of step, not only with civilian life, but with the modern military, where horse charges are a thing of the past, and where a gulf yawns between those who saw action and those who did not. When hostilities break out again between Germany and England, Willie has become a relic. No one could guess that he will be chosen for a mission whose outcome might well decide the course of the Second World War.

Inspired by a real-life triumph of British counterintelligence (codenamed “Operation Mincemeat”), and based on classified sources, Operation Heartbreak was suppressed by the British government until 1950. A work of “jewel-like brevity and intensity” (New York Herald Tribune), it is a study in nostalgia and bewildered idealism to place beside the novels of Joseph Roth and Ford Madox Ford.

• Language: English
• Publisher: McNally Editions
• Release date: Feb 13, 2024
• ISBN: 9781961341036

Duff Cooper

Alfred Duff Cooper (1890–1954) was a statesman, diplomat, and historian. He was a decorated officer during the First World War and entered Parliament in 1923. He remained a politician until 1938, when he resigned in protest at Britain's appeasement policy toward Nazi Germany. Called back to office by Winston Churchill in 1940, his wartime career culminated in his appointment as Ambassador to France. Shortly before his death he was made 1st Viscount Norwich. He was married to Lady Diana Cooper, the famed society debutant, actress, and writer. Operation Heartbreak is his only novel.

Reviews for Operation Heartbreak

[starbox_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Pretty compelling quick read.Orphan Willie Maryngton grows up with one aim in life- to join the Army and go to War. He misses WW! by a whisker and can hardly contain his disappointment. The years roll on- Willie serves out in India, has an unsuccessful romance, starts to feel too old for the increasingly mechanized army...then WW2! Another chance! Yet he finds himself sidelined into non-combative roles.And meanwhile the children of the family where he grew up ARE finding meaningful activities- even the actor, ebven the kid sister (ftor whom Willie's attatchment is growing.)It has a sudden and unexpected denouement; Willie DOES perform a vital role in the War...Well written, even if I failed to grasp the mindset of anyone whon WANTS to fight..

[libbromus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

"It seemed to be his fate, he sometimes thought, to be a soldier who never went to war, and a lover who never lay with his mistress."What is interesting to me is how compelling an average and unremarkable life can be. This story is simply written, no grand philosophies here, yet I could greatly empathize with Willie. He lived a life constantly thwarted by time and circumstance; his greatest glory came after death. This is based on a true story, which you find out in the end. It is an interesting peak at a little-known wartime tactic that had a relatively large impact on the tide of war. If you're into English life between the wars or WWII fiction you'll probably like this little book.

[liz1564 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Operation Heartbreak is the story of Wilie Marygton, a career soldier who was too young for WWl and too old for WWll. Born into a military family Willie's one goal in life is to take part in a battle and when he receives his commission, he is scheduled to leave for the Western Front on November 9, 1918. News of the Armistice changes his orders and he spends the next 20 years in various posts in India and Africa where his main occupation seems to be big game hunting and polo. With the rise of fascism, he is ready to resign his commission to fight in Spain and he is not particular about what side, as long as he finally sees action. Dissuaded by cooler heads from throwing away his career, he spends WWII training recruits and lamenting his military status. Finally, in an ironic twist, he does play an important part in the war effort.I admit that I am the wrong audience for this book. I had little patience with Willie who I found to be totally uninteresting. I could not relate to his desire to fight in a battle, any battle. His flirtation with the idea of fighting on either side in the Spanish Civil War just proved that he was not the brightest officer in British army. Even his romance was a pitiful thing. I know Duff Cooper deliberately made Willie a sad human being to show the irony of his final service to his country, but the ending didn't move me in any way. I just couldn't care about a man who wanted to kill other men for his country and if he couldn't do that, was happy to kill large mammals and small birds.Duff Cooper claimed that the plot of Operation Heartbreak (published in 1950) was totally a product of his imagination. Since it bears too close a resemblance to the secret Operation Mincemeat concerning the invasion of Sicily, he really must have been "psychic."

[lukehoney · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A minor classic.

[ben_a_11 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

A sad, queer little book. I liked it more than it merits, perhaps. For afficianados of Operation Overlord only, I suspect.