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Popov. Dušan Popov
Johan Oomen on Flickr licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0), altered by the author
Dušan Popov was Britain’s most successful spy ever. Fun fact: He was a double agent who worked both for the British MI6 and the German Abwehr. Because he stopped a few Nazi divisions during the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, he received the title OBE (the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) from the British King.
Popov was most likely the inspiration for Ian Fleming’s 007. He gambled, drove fancy cars, and spent large sums on ladies. Also, he spoke five languages and knew much about world history, wine, and whiskey.
To tell you the story of this intriguing man, we have to go some 110 years back into the past.
A Rich Boy
Dušan Popov (nicknamed Duško) is born on 10 July 1912, in Titel (a Serbian town then belonging to the Austro-Hungarian Empire).
His family is rich, dealing with banking, industry, and real estate, so Duško and his two brothers chill in a fancy Croatian resort Dubrovnik (where Beyonce will chill some 80 years later). In the land of farmers and poor industrial workers, the three young men sail, ride horses, and play water polo and tennis, as rich boys usually do.
