John Ainsworth-Davis
 John Ainsworth-Davis  (author) | |
|---|---|
| Interest of | Laurence de Mello |
Author of a first person account of an alternative history in which Martin Bormann was rescued a secret operation of British Naval Intelligence. | |
John Ainsworth-Davis
Contents
Background
John Ainsworth-Davis was the son of Welsh Athlete John Creyghton Ainsworth-Davis, who is mentioned in Wikipedia as a gold medal winner in the men's 4x400m relay in the 1920 Olympics.[1] He notes that his father was congratulated in person by Sub-Lieutenant Lord Louis Mountbatten, the Duke of York (later King George VI) and his younger brother Prince Henry (later Duke of Gloucester).
Career
According to Op JB, John Ainsworth-Davis' career in the M-Section of naval intelligence began in March 1940, aged 15½, when he was recruited by Desmond Morton.
Writing
Under the pen name 'Christopher Creighton', in 1996 Ainsworth-Davis published Op JB[2].
Op JB
Op JB recounts his experience leading Operation James Bond, ordered by Desmond Morton, to recover the huge nazi fortune which had been salted away by Martin Bormann, Hitler's private secretary. Ainsworth-Davis recounts that the operation was personally approved by UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill, King George VI and US President Franklin Roosevelt, and was led by Ian Fleming and himself.
Veracity
The publishers preface states that "in the end, readers will have to make their own judgements about what they believe. What is not in doubt is that this book is a thrilling story from a remarkable man". Ainsworth-Davis' account, alleges that Martin Bormann was successfully rescued from Berlin, taken back to UK and died in Paraguay in 1959. Published 50 years after the fact, his account is detailed and compelling but lacks supporting references. It include copies of two single page, typewritten letters:
- A poorly photocopied 1954 letter from Winston Churchill instructing him to say nothing about the operation until Churchill is dead.
- A 1963 letter by Ian Fleming confirming the basic account.
The Independent wrote in 1996 "A rattling good yarn? Certainly. Believable? Hardly. The author has done his best to match his story with what has been published, but not enough. The recent row over the Anglo-Swiss negotiations on German funds in Swiss banks, provoked by American declassification, came too late for him. He is unaware too of the remarkable detective work by the American writer, Lynn H. Nicholas, on the fate of the Nazi war loot."[3]
The Final Mountbatten Report
From 1976 to 2006 Ainsworth-Davis wrote The Final Mountbatten Report which describes the run up to Op JB. The lengthy writing time is explained by "the theft and sabotage of reference material amounting to tampered evidence, by what is today our Counter-Intelligence".[4]
Event Witnessed
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| WW2/Dieppe Raid | A WW2 raid on Dieppe which thousands of men were killed or captured. |
