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False Flags: Disguised German Raiders of World War II

USD $38.99

False Flags tells the epic untold story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years of World War II. In 1940 the raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin and Kormoran left Germany and waged a ‘pirate war’ in the South Seas — part of Germany’s strategy to attack the British Empire’s maritime trade on a global scale. Their remarkable voyages spanned the globe and are maritime sagas in the finest tradition of seafaring. The four raiders voyaged across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Arctic and Antarctic.

False Flags is also the story of the Allied sailors who encountered these raiders and fought suicidal battles against a superior foe as well as the men, women and children who endured captivity on board the raiders as prisoners of the Third Reich.

SPECIFICATIONS: Hardback | 234 x 151 mm / 9 ¼ x 6 Inches | Approx. 50 Black & White photos and maps | 368 Pages |

SKU: 9781925335156 Categories: , , , , ,

Stephen Robinson studied Asian history and politics at the University of Western Sydney, graduating with First Class Honours. He has worked at the Department of Veterans’ Affairs researching British atomic weapons tests and as a policy officer in the Department of Defence. Stephen Robinson is also an officer in the Australian Army Reserve and has served as an instructor at the Royal Military College. He also graduated from Australian Command and Staff College.

False Flags tells the epic untold story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years of World War II. In 1940 the raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin and Kormoran left Germany and waged a ‘pirate war’ in the South Seas — part of Germany’s strategy to attack the British Empire’s maritime trade on a global scale.

Their remarkable voyages spanned the globe and are maritime sagas in the finest tradition of seafaring. The four raiders voyaged across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Arctic and Antarctic. They sank or captured 62 ships in a forgotten naval war that is now being told in its entirety for the first time. The Orion and Komet terrorised the South Pacific and New Zealand waters before Pearl Harbor when the war was supposed to be far away. The Pinguin sank numerous Allied merchant ships in the Indian Ocean before mining the approaches to Australian ports and capturing the Norwegian whaling fleet in Antarctica. The Kormoran raided the Atlantic but will always be remembered for sinking the Australian cruiser Sydney off Western Australia, killing all 645 sailors on board in devastating circumstances.

False Flags is also the story of the Allied sailors who encountered these raiders and fought suicidal battles against a superior foe as well as the men, women and children who endured captivity on board the raiders as prisoners of the Third Reich.

Military History Now, February 2017
Stephen Robinson’s second article for Military History Now has just been published, this time focusing on Nazi Forces striking fear in the east. Read the article here.


Military History Now, December 2016
False Flags author Stephen Robinson has written a great article for Military History Now covering how the Nazi Forces brought war to the South Pacific. Read the article here. 


New Zealand Memories, September 2016
“A story of the Allied sailors who encountered these raiders and fought suicidal battles, and of the men, women and children who endured captivity …”
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“Stephen Robinson brings alive the stories of the ships, the men and their victims. Drawing on a range of primary and secondary sources, Robinson engagingly tells the most complete story of these ships. False Flags sings with stories of the last age of independent action at sea, and in many cases of chivalry.” – Gavin McLean, Senior Historian, NZ Ministry for Culture and Heritage

“This is a book that works superbly on all levels — giving both the admiralties’ ocean-wide perspectives, as well as insight into the minds of the captains of the ships involved.” – Prof. Peter Stanley, award-winning historian, UNSW Canberra

The White Ensign – The Journal of the Naval Association of Australia.
Deception, violence and waste are the ingredients of war…Stephen Robinson’s handsome, well documented book is full of events that illustrate this… Raiders were fighting ships disguised as merchantmen, crewed by trained naval seaman deeply committed to serving the German war effort. Like Caribbean pirates from the days of sail in some Boy’s Own world, they masked their evil intent by sailing under assumed flags… before hoisting aloft the German Navy flag, like a modern day Skull and Cross Bones, and savaging an unwary prey.” – Outstanding 2 page review Click here to read the review.


Royal United Services Institution Victoria
“Few writers have attempted to present a balanced, strategic overview of (the German raider) operations, but in False Flags, Stephen Robinson has written a thoroughly researched account of the auxiliary cruisers’ war” – Read the review here.


Australian Warship
“False Flags is the epic story of German commerce raiders that sailed into the South Seas during the early years of the Second World War … an excellent addition for all book collectors.”


Australian National Maritime Association Newsletter
“A meticulously researched and fascinating history of a now largely forgotten aspect of World War II.” – Read the review here.


Australian Defence Magazine
“Stephen Robinson undertook extensive research for this book in the German, British, Australian and NZ naval records. He uncovered never-before-accessed eyewitness accounts and declassified intelligence reports. Many of the crews and passengers of the ships targeted by the raiders ended up as prisoners of war, while others were set adrift in life rafts.”


Navy News, February 2017
“anyone with an interest in naval history will find this book well worth a read.”


Australia New Zealand Defender Magazine, December 2016
“an excellent history.”


Have A Go News, October 2016
“extensive archival research of German, British, Australian and New Zealand naval records uncovering never before accessed eyewitness accounts and declassified intelligence reports. Beautifully written”


The Listener, September 2016
“a sound overview of the war from the admiralties’ perspective as well as the experiences of the hunters and the hunted.”  

fflistener1 fflistener2


The Weekly Times
“False Flags does one important thing — it demonstrates just how omnipresent German vessels were in Australian waters” – Click here to read the review.


Military Books Australia, July 2016
“This is a fascinating book. The story is well supported by historic photographs, maps and the use of eyewitness reports.” – Read the full review here

Additional information

Book Type

eBook ePub, eBook Mobi, Hardback + eBook ePub, Hardback

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False Flags (eBook)

USD $19.99

False Flags tells the epic untold story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years of World War II. In 1940 the raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin and Kormoran left Germany and waged a ‘pirate war’ in the South Seas — part of Germany’s strategy to attack the British Empire’s maritime trade on a global scale. Their remarkable voyages spanned the globe and are maritime sagas in the finest tradition of seafaring. The four raiders voyaged across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Arctic and Antarctic.

False Flags is also the story of the Allied sailors who encountered these raiders and fought suicidal battles against a superior foe as well as the men, women and children who endured captivity on board the raiders as prisoners of the Third Reich.

SPECIFICATIONS: eBook | Approx. 50 Black & White photos and maps | 368 Pages |

False Flags (paperback edition)

Disguised German raiders of World War II

Now available in paperback, False Flags tells the epic story of German raider voyages to the South Seas during the early years of World War II. In 1940 the raiders Orion, Komet, Pinguin and Kormoran left Germany and waged a ‘pirate war’ across the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans as well as the Arctic and Antarctic, as part of Germany’s strategy to attack the British Empire’s maritime trade on a global scale. Their extraordinary voyages are maritime sagas in the finest tradition of seafaring.

SPECIFICATIONS: 9781925335804 | Paperback | 234 x 151 mm / 9.21 x 5.94 inches | 320 Pages