157-472: Moonraker is the third novel by the British author Ian Fleming to feature his fictional British Secret Service agent James Bond . It was published by Jonathan Cape on 5 April 1955 and featured a cover design conceived by Fleming. The plot is derived from a Fleming screenplay that was too short for a full novel, so he added the passage of the bridge game between Bond and the industrialist Hugo Drax . In
314-491: A Soviet -supplied nuclear warhead that has been secretly fitted to the Moonraker. His company is also selling the British pound short in order to make a huge profit from the disaster. Brand and Bond are imprisoned where the blast from the Moonraker's engines will incinerate them, to leave no trace of them once the missile is launched. Before the launch, the couple escape. Brand gives Bond the coordinates he needs to redirect
471-718: A US naval attaché and intelligence agent based in Budapest who took the Orient Express from Budapest to Paris in February 1950, carrying papers about blown US spy networks in the Eastern Bloc . Soviet assassins already on the train drugged the conductor, and Karp's body was found shortly afterwards in a railway tunnel south of Salzburg . Many of the names used in the Bond works came from people Fleming knew: Scaramanga ,
628-412: A basis for Bond's. Fleming used further aspects of his private life, such as his friends, as he had done in his previous novels: Hugo Drax was named after his brother-in-law Hugo Charteris and a navy acquaintance Admiral Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax , while Fleming's friend Duff Sutherland (described as "a scruffy looking chap") was one of the bridge players at Blades. The name of
785-642: A blunt instrument ... when I was casting around for a name for my protagonist I thought by God, [James Bond] is the dullest name I ever heard." Fleming based his creation on individuals he met during his time in the Naval Intelligence Division, and admitted that Bond "was a compound of all the secret agents and commando types I met during the war". Among those types were his brother Peter, whom he worshipped, and who had been involved in behind-the-lines operations in Norway and Greece during
942-543: A broadcast on South African radio in 1956 starring Bob Holness and a 1958 Daily Express comic strip. The novel's name was used in 1979 for the eleventh official film in the Eon Productions Bond series and the fourth to star Roger Moore as Bond; the plot was significantly changed from the novel to include excursions into space. The British Secret Service agent James Bond is asked by his superior, M , to join him at M's club, Blades . A club member,
1099-425: A casino are nauseating at three in the morning. Then the soul erosion produced by high gambling—a compost of greed and fear and nervous tension—becomes unbearable and the senses awake and revolt from it. Opening lines of Casino Royale Fleming had first mentioned to friends during the war that he wanted to write a spy novel, an ambition he achieved within two months with Casino Royale . He started writing
1256-470: A collection of short stories derived from outlines written for a television series that did not come to fruition. Lycett noted that, as Fleming was writing the television scripts and the short stories, "Ian's mood of weariness and self-doubt was beginning to affect his writing", which can be seen in Bond's thoughts. In 1960 Fleming was commissioned by the Kuwait Oil Company to write a book on
1413-644: A commission, after contracting gonorrhea . In 1927, to prepare Fleming for possible entry into the Foreign Office , his mother sent him to the Tennerhof in Kitzbühel , Austria, a small private school run by the Adlerian disciple and former British spy Ernan Forbes Dennis and his novelist wife, Phyllis Bottome . After improving his language skills there, he studied briefly at Munich University and
1570-569: A connection to Old English : gerēfa ' reeve ', in which the ge- is a prefix, and which the Grimms derive from Proto-Germanic *rōva 'number'. The comital title of Graf is common to various European territories where German was or is the official or vernacular tongue, including Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Alsace, the Baltic states and other former Habsburg crown lands . In Germany, all legal privileges of
1727-467: A copy to the publishing house Jonathan Cape . At first, they were unenthusiastic about the novel, but Fleming's brother Peter, whose books they managed, persuaded the company to publish it. On 13 April 1953 Casino Royale was released in the UK in hardcover, priced at 10s 6d , with a cover designed by Fleming. It was a success and three print runs were needed to cope with the demand. The novel centres on
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#17327902460131884-702: A count of the Holy Roman Empire. Since the feudal era, any count whose territory lay within the Empire and was under the immediate jurisdiction of the Emperor with a shared vote in the Reichstag came to be considered a member of the "upper nobility" ( Hochadel ) in Germany, along with princes ( Fürsten ), dukes ( Herzöge ), electors ( Kurfürsten ), and the emperor himself. A count who
2041-472: A day." By 24 February he had written over 30,000 words, although he wrote to a friend that he felt like he was already parodying the two earlier Bond novels. Fleming's own copy bears the following inscription, "This was written in January and February 1954 and published a year later. It is based on a film script I have had in my mind for many years." He later said that the idea for the film had been too short for
2198-428: A full novel, and that he "had to more or less graft the first half of the book onto my film idea in order to bring it up to the necessary length". Fleming considered several titles for the story; his first choice had been The Moonraker , until Noël Coward reminded him of a novel of the same name by F. Tennyson Jesse . Fleming then considered The Moonraker Secret , The Moonraker Plot , The Inhuman Element , Wide of
2355-489: A keen birdwatcher , had a copy of Bond's guide, and later told the ornithologist's wife, "that this brief, unromantic, Anglo-Saxon and yet very masculine name was just what I needed, and so a second James Bond was born". In a 1962 interview in The New Yorker , he further explained: "When I wrote the first one in 1953, I wanted Bond to be an extremely dull, uninteresting man to whom things happened; I wanted him to be
2512-593: A keen card player, was fascinated by the background to the 1890 royal baccarat scandal , and when in 1953 he met a woman who had been present at the game, he questioned her so intently that she burst into tears. In January 1954 Fleming and his wife, Ann , travelled to their Goldeneye estate in Jamaica for their annual two-month holiday. He had already written two Bond novels, Casino Royale , which had been published in April 1953, and Live and Let Die , whose publication
2669-434: A landgrave was a Landgräfin or landgravine. Examples: Landgrave of Thuringia , Landgrave of Hesse , Landgrave of Leuchtenberg , Landgrave of Fürstenberg-Weitra . The title is now borne by the hereditary heirs to the deposed monarchs of Hesse ( Donatus, Landgrave of Hesse and Wilhelm, Landgrave of Hesse-Philippsthal-Barchfeld), who lost their throne in 1918. A gefürsteter Graf (English: princely count )
2826-860: A liaison with other sections of the government's wartime administration, such as the Secret Intelligence Service , the Political Warfare Executive , the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the Joint Intelligence Committee and the Prime Minister 's staff. On 29 September 1939, soon after the start of the war, Godfrey circulated a memorandum that, "bore all the hallmarks of ... Lieutenant Commander Ian Fleming", according to historian Ben Macintyre . It
2983-437: A long-term relationship with her. After her death during a World War II bombing raid in 1944, Fleming was overcome with guilt and remorse, and it is generally thought that she provided the inspiration for the women he was to create for his future novels. Early in 1939 Fleming began an affair with Ann O'Neill, née Charteris, who was married to the 3rd Baron O'Neill ; she was also having an affair with Esmond Harmsworth ,
3140-700: A parachute that has failed. I understand there is no difficulty in obtaining corpses at the Naval Hospital, but, of course, it would have to be a fresh one." In 1940 Fleming and Godfrey contacted Kenneth Mason , Professor of Geography at Oxford University , about the preparation of reports on the geography of countries involved in military operations. These reports were the precursors of the Naval Intelligence Division Geographical Handbook Series produced between 1941 and 1946. Operation Ruthless ,
3297-654: A plan aimed at obtaining details of the Enigma codes used by the German Navy , was instigated by a memo written by Fleming to Godfrey on 12 September 1940. The idea was to "obtain" a Nazi bomber, man it with a German-speaking crew dressed in Luftwaffe uniforms, and crash it into the English Channel. The crew would then attack their German rescuers and bring their boat and Enigma machine back to England. Much to
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#17327902460133454-575: A plot of land in Saint Mary Parish where, in 1945, Fleming had a house built, which he named Goldeneye . (His main residence remained in London, in Victoria ). The name of the house and estate where he wrote his novels has many possible sources. Fleming himself mentioned both his wartime Operation Goldeneye and Carson McCullers ' 1941 novel Reflections in a Golden Eye , which described
3611-509: A recommendation from him and Bryce that McClory act as producer. He additionally told McClory that if MCA rejected the film because of McClory's involvement, then McClory should either sell himself to MCA, back out of the deal, or file a suit in court. Working at Goldeneye between January and March 1960, Fleming wrote the novel Thunderball , based on the screenplay written by himself, Whittingham and McClory. In March 1961 McClory read an advance copy, and he and Whittingham immediately petitioned
3768-517: A school magazine, The Wyvern . His lifestyle at Eton brought him into conflict with his housemaster, E. V. Slater, who disapproved of Fleming's attitude, his hair oil, his ownership of a car and his relations with women. Slater persuaded Fleming's mother to remove him from Eton a term early for a crammer course to gain entry to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst . He spent less than a year there, leaving in 1927 without gaining
3925-526: A screenplay. Anderson and Tony Barwick prepared a 70-page treatment that was never filmed, but some elements were similar to the final screenplay of The Spy Who Loved Me . The first adaptation of Moonraker was for South African radio in 1956, with Bob Holness providing the voice of Bond. According to The Independent , "listeners across the Union thrilled to Bob's cultured tones as he defeated evil master criminals in search of world domination". The novel
4082-514: A six-month option on the film rights to his published and future James Bond novels and short stories to Harry Saltzman . Saltzman formed the production vehicle Eon Productions along with Albert R. "Cubby" Broccoli , and after an extensive search, they hired Sean Connery on a six-film deal, later reduced to five beginning with Dr. No (1962). Connery's depiction of Bond affected the literary character; in You Only Live Twice ,
4239-525: A social phenomenon of some importance", but this was seen as a negative element, as the phenomenon concerned "three basic ingredients in Dr No , all unhealthy, all thoroughly English: the sadism of a schoolboy bully, the mechanical, two-dimensional sex-longings of a frustrated adolescent, and the crude, snob-cravings of a suburban adult." Johnson saw no positives in Dr. No , and said, "Mr Fleming has no literary skill,
4396-461: A stylised flame motif; the first impression was of 9,900 copies. The US publication was by Macmillan on 20 September that year. In October 1956 Pan Books published a paperback version of the novel in the UK, which sold 43,000 copies before the end of the year. In December that year the US paperback was published under the title Too Hot to Handle by Permabooks . This edition was rewritten to Americanise
4553-420: A vodka martini, a carafe of vodka shared with M, two bottles of champagne and a brandy; he also mixes a quantity of Benzedrine , an amphetamine , into a glass of the champagne. According to The Times journalist and historian Ben Macintyre , to Fleming the alcohol consumption "meant relaxation, ritual and reliability". Benzedrine was regularly taken by troops during the war to remain awake and alert, and Fleming
4710-718: Is a Reichsgraf who was recognised by the Holy Roman Emperor as bearing the higher rank or exercising the more extensive authority of an Imperial prince ( Reichsfürst ). While nominally retaining only a comital title, he was accorded princely rank and, usually, arms by the emperor. An example of this would be the Princely County of Habsburg , the namesake of the Habsburg Dynasty , which at various points in time controlled vast amounts of lands throughout Europe. A Burggraf , or Burgrave ,
4867-405: Is able to use these powerful fuels, expanding its range across Europe. After a Ministry of Supply security officer working at the project is shot dead, M assigns Bond to replace him and also to investigate what has been going on at the missile-building base, located between Dover and Deal on the south coast of England. All the rocket scientists working on the project are German. At his post on
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5024-399: Is engaged to a fellow Special Branch officer. In early 1953 the film producer Alexander Korda read a proof copy of Live and Let Die , and informed its author, Ian Fleming , that he was excited by the book, but that it would not make a good basis for a film. Fleming told the producer that his next book was to be an expansion of an idea for a screenplay, set in London and Kent, adding that
5181-529: Is in turn thought to come from the Byzantine title grapheus , which ultimately derives from the Greek verb γρᾰ́φειν ( graphein ) 'to write'. Other explanations have been put forward, however; Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm , while still noting the potential of a Greek derivation, suggested a connection to Gothic : gagrêfts , meaning 'decision, decree'. However, the Grimms preferred a solution that allows
5338-633: Is linked to a specific countship, whose unique title emerged during the course of its history. These unusually named countships were equivalent in rank to other Counts of the Empire who were of Hochadel status, being entitled to a shared seat and vote in the Imperial Diet and possessing Imperial immediacy , most of which would be mediatised upon dissolution of the Empire in 1806. The corresponding titles in Scandinavia are greve (m.) and grevinna (f.) and would commonly be used in
5495-453: Is physically abnormal, as are many of Bond's later adversaries. He has very broad shoulders, a large head and protruding teeth with diastema; his face is badly scarred from a wartime explosion. According to the writers Kingsley Amis and Benson—both of whom subsequently wrote Bond novels—Drax is the most successful villain in the Bond canon. Amis considers this to be "because the most imagination and energy has gone into his portrayal. He lives in
5652-465: Is shown outside a work setting at the Blades club. It is never explained how he received or could afford his membership of the club, which had a restricted membership of only 200 gentlemen, all of whom had to show £100,000 in cash or gilt-edged securities . Amis, in his study The James Bond Dossier , considers that on M's salary his membership of the club would have been puzzling; Amis points out that in
5809-456: Is that each one of the books seems to have been a favourite with one or other section of the public and none has yet been completely damned." In April 1961, shortly before the second court case on Thunderball , Fleming had a heart attack during a regular weekly meeting at The Sunday Times . While he was convalescing, one of his friends, Duff Dunbar, gave him a copy of Beatrix Potter 's The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin and suggested that he take
5966-559: Is the product of a mysterious background, purportedly unknown even to himself. Presumed to have been a British Army soldier during the Second World War, he was badly injured and stricken with amnesia in the explosion of a bomb planted by a German saboteur at a British field headquarters. After extensive rehabilitation in an army hospital, he returned home to become a wealthy industrialist. After building his fortune and establishing himself in business and society, Drax started building
6123-658: Is usually translated simply as count and is combined with a territorial suffix (e.g., Count of Holland , Count Reuss ) or a surname ( Count Fugger , Count von Browne ). Even after the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806, the Reichsgrafen retained precedence above other counts in Germany. Those who had been quasi-sovereign until German mediatisation retained, until 1918, status and privileges pertaining to members of reigning dynasties . Notable Reichsgrafen have included: A complete list of Reichsgrafen with immediate territories as of 1792 can be found in
6280-467: The Graf , or Gräfin , and the nobiliary particle if any. Today, having lost their legal status, these terms are often not translated, unlike before 1919. The titles do, however, retain prestige in some circles of society. The suffix -graf occurs in various office titles which did not attain nobiliary status but were either held as a sinecure by nobleman or courtiers, or functional officials such as
6437-561: The gräfliche title, often relating to a specific domain or jurisdiction of responsibility, e.g. Landgraf , Markgraf , Pfalzgraf ( Count Palatine ), Burggraf , Wildgraf , Waldgraf , Altgraf , Raugraf , etc. Although as a title Graf ranked, officially, below those of Herzog (duke) and Fürst (prince), the Holy Roman Emperor could and did recognise unique concessions of authority or rank to some of these nobles, raising them to
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6594-633: The British Interplanetary Society . Fleming also visited the Wimpole Street psychiatrist Eric Strauss to discuss the traits of megalomaniacs ; Strauss lent him the book Men of Genius , which provided the link between megalomania and childhood thumb-sucking. Fleming used this information to give Drax diastema , a common result of thumb-sucking. According to his biographer Andrew Lycett , Fleming "wanted to make Moonraker his most ambitious and personal novel yet." Fleming,
6751-682: The German mediatisation process of 1815, preserving their precedence, allocating familial representation in local legislatures, some jurisdictional immunities and the prestigious privilege of Ebenbürtigkeit . In regions of Europe where nobles did not actually exercise Landeshoheit over the populace, the Graf long retained specific feudal privileges over the land and in the villages in his county, such as rights to peasant service, to periodic fees for use of common infrastructure such as timber, mills, wells and pastures. These rights gradually eroded and were largely eliminated before or during
6908-596: The Grenadier Guards during the Second World War, was later commissioned under Colin Gubbins to help establish the Auxiliary Units , and became involved in behind-the-lines operations in Norway and Greece during the war. Fleming had two younger brothers, Richard and Michael, who also served in the Second World War. Richard served with Scottish regiments ( Lovat Scouts and Seaforth Highlanders ) and
7065-782: The High Court in London for an injunction to stop publication. After two court actions , the second in November 1961, Fleming offered McClory a deal, settling out of court. McClory gained the literary and film rights for the screenplay, while Fleming was given the rights to the novel, provided it was acknowledged as "based on a screen treatment by Kevin McClory, Jack Whittingham and the Author". Fleming's books had always sold well, but in 1961 sales increased dramatically. On 17 March 1961, four years after its publication and three years after
7222-583: The Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition . Fleming had a long-term affair in Jamaica with one of his neighbours, Blanche Blackwell , the mother of Chris Blackwell of Island Records . Fleming was also friends with British Prime Minister Anthony Eden whom he allowed to stay at Goldeneye in late November 1953 due to Eden's deteriorating health. The scent and smoke and sweat of
7379-468: The List of Reichstag participants (1792) . A Markgraf or Margrave was originally a military governor of a Carolingian "mark" ( march ), a border province. In medieval times the borders of the Holy Roman Empire were especially vulnerable to foreign attack, so the hereditary count of these "marches" of the realm was sometimes granted greater authority than other vassals to ensure security. They bore
7536-697: The University of Geneva . While in Geneva, Fleming began a romance with Monique Panchaud de Bottens and the couple became engaged just before he returned to London in September 1931 to take the Foreign Office exam. He scored an adequate pass standard, but failed to get a job offer. His mother intervened in his affairs, lobbying Sir Roderick Jones , head of Reuters News Agency , and in October 1931 he
7693-469: The V-2 rocket , Messerschmitt Me 163 fighters and high-speed U-boats. Fleming later used elements of the activities of T-Force in his writing, particularly in his 1955 Bond novel Moonraker . In 1942 Fleming attended an Anglo-American intelligence summit in Jamaica and, despite the constant heavy rain during his visit, he decided to live on the island once the war was over. His friend Ivar Bryce helped find
7850-414: The legal surname (with the former title thus now following the given name, e.g. Otto Graf Lambsdorff ). As dependent parts of the surnames ( nichtselbständige Namensbestandteile ), they are ignored in alphabetical sorting of names, as is any nobiliary particle , such as von or zu , and might or might not be used by those bearing them. The distinguishing main surname is the name following
8007-522: The novel series as a whole. John Griswold and Henry Chancellor —both of whom have written books on behalf of Ian Fleming Publications —put the events of Moonraker in 1953; Griswold is more precise, and considers the story to have taken place in May of that year. The locations draw from Fleming's personal experiences. Moonraker is the only Bond novel that takes place solely in Britain, which gave Fleming
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#17327902460138164-409: The "Moonraker", Britain's first nuclear missile project, intended to defend Britain against its Cold War enemies. The Moonraker rocket is an upgraded V-2 rocket using liquid hydrogen and fluorine as propellants ; to withstand the ultra-high combustion temperatures of its engine, it uses columbite , in which Drax had a monopoly. Because the rocket's engine can withstand high heat, the Moonraker
8321-626: The 1930s, Patrick Dalzel-Job , who served with distinction in 30AU during the war, and Bill "Biffy" Dunderdale , station head of MI6 in Paris, who wore cufflinks and handmade suits and was chauffeured around Paris in a Rolls-Royce . Sir Fitzroy Maclean was another possible model for Bond, based on his wartime work behind enemy lines in the Balkans , as was the MI6 double agent Duško Popov . Fleming also endowed Bond with many of his own traits, including
8478-474: The 1943 plan to conceal the intended invasion of Italy from North Africa, which was developed by Charles Cholmondoley in October 1942. The recommendation in the Trout Memo was titled: "A Suggestion (not a very nice one)", and continued: "The following suggestion is used in a book by Basil Thomson : a corpse dressed as an airman, with despatches in his pockets, could be dropped on the coast, supposedly from
8635-543: The 1950s of rocket attacks from overseas, fears grounded in the use of the V-2 rocket by the Nazis during the Second World War. The story takes the threat one stage further, with a rocket based on English soil, aimed at London and "the end of British invulnerability". Moonraker was published in the UK by Jonathan Cape in hardback format on 5 April 1955 with a cover designed by Kenneth Lewis, following Fleming's suggestions of using
8792-513: The 1950s. Germans, in the wake of the Second World War, made another easy and obvious target for bad press." Moonraker uses two of the foes feared by Fleming, the Nazis and the Soviets, with Drax being German and working for the Soviets; in Moonraker the Soviets were hostile and provided not just the atomic bomb, but support and logistics to Drax. Moonraker played on fears of the audiences of
8949-475: The 1963 book On Her Majesty's Secret Service it is revealed that M's pay as head of the Secret Service is £6,500 a year. Benson analysed Fleming's writing style and identified what he described as the "Fleming Sweep": a stylistic technique that sweeps the reader from one chapter to another using 'hooks' at the end of each chapter to heighten tension and pull the reader into the next: Benson feels that
9106-511: The 19th century, leaving the Graf with few legal privileges beyond land ownership, although comital estates in German-speaking lands were often substantial. Nonetheless, various rulers in German-speaking lands granted the hereditary title of Graf to their subjects, particularly after the abolition of the Holy Roman Empire in 1806. Although lacking the prestige and powers of the former Imperial counts, they remained legal members of
9263-452: The Bond canon, Drax was German, reminding readers of a familiar threat in 1950s Britain. Because Drax is without a girlfriend or wife he is, according to the norms of Fleming and his works, abnormal in Bond's world. Benson considers Brand to be one of the weakest female roles in the Bond canon and "a throwback to the rather stiff characterization of Vesper Lynd " from Casino Royale . Brand's lack of interest in Bond removes sexual tension from
9420-592: The Bond stories. Parker describes the novel as "a hymn to England", and highlights Fleming's description of the white cliffs of Dover and the heart of London as evidence. Even the German Krebs is moved by the sight of the Kent countryside in a country he hates. The novel places England—and particularly London and Kent—in the front line of the cold war, and the threat to the location further emphasises its importance. Bennett and Woollacott consider that Moonraker defines
9577-549: The British idioms used, and Fleming provided explanatory footnotes such as the value of English currency against the dollar. Since its initial publication the book has been issued in numerous hardback and paperback editions, translated into several languages and has never been out of print. Fleming's friend—and neighbour in Jamaica—Noël Coward considered Moonraker to be the best thing Fleming had written to that point: "although as usual too far-fetched, not quite so much so as
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#17327902460139734-445: The British title of " earl " (whose female version is "countess"). The German nobility was gradually divided into high and low nobility. The high nobility included those counts who ruled immediate imperial territories of " princely size and importance" for which they had a seat and vote in the Imperial Diet . The word Graf derives from Middle High German : grave , which is usually derived from Latin : graphio . Graphio
9891-454: The Dover cliffs. Drax takes Brand to London, where she discovers the truth about the Moonraker by comparing her own launch trajectory figures with those in a notebook picked from Drax's pocket. She is captured by Krebs, and finds herself captive in a secret radio homing station—intended to serve as a beacon for the missile's guidance system—in the heart of London. While Brand is being taken back to
10048-846: The German naval archives from 1870. In December 1944 Fleming was posted on an intelligence fact-finding trip to the Far East on behalf of the Director of Naval Intelligence. Much of the trip was spent identifying opportunities for 30AU in the Pacific; the unit saw little action because of the Japanese surrender . The success of 30AU led to the August 1944 decision to establish a "Target Force", which became known as T-Force . The official memorandum, held at The National Archives in London, describes
10205-428: The Holy Roman Empire was required. Subsequently, the latter ceased to be obligatory. Some are approximately of comital rank, some higher, some lower. The more important ones are treated in separate articles (follow the links); a few minor, rarer ones only in sections below. A Reichsgraf was a nobleman whose title of count was conferred or confirmed by the Holy Roman Emperor , and meant "Imperial Count", i.e.,
10362-485: The Mark , The Infernal Machine , Mondays are Hell and Out of the Clear Sky . George Wren Howard of Jonathan Cape suggested Bond & the Moonraker , The Moonraker Scare and The Moonraker Plan , while his friend, the writer William Plomer , suggested Hell is Here ; the final choice of Moonraker was a suggestion by Wren Howard. Although Fleming provided no dates within his novels, two writers have identified different timelines based on events and situations within
10519-421: The Moonraker facility by Drax, Bond gives chase, but is also captured by Drax and Krebs. Drax tells Bond that he was never a British soldier and has never suffered from amnesia: his real name is Graf Hugo von der Drache, the German commander of a Werwolf commando unit. Disguised in an Allied uniform, he was the saboteur whose team placed the car bomb at the army field headquarters, only to be injured himself in
10676-415: The Scotland Yard superintendent, Ronnie Vallance, was made up from those of Ronald Howe , the actual assistant commissioner at the Yard, and of Vallance Lodge & Co., Fleming's accountants. Other elements of the plot came from Fleming's knowledge of wartime operations carried out by T-Force , a secret British Army unit formed to continue the work of the Fleming-established 30 Assault Unit . According to
10833-450: The Second World War, Fleming was involved in planning Operation Goldeneye and in the planning and oversight of two intelligence units: 30 Assault Unit and T-Force . He drew from his wartime service and his career as a journalist for much of the background, detail, and depth of his James Bond novels . Fleming wrote his first Bond novel, Casino Royale , in 1952, at age 44. It was a success, and three print runs were commissioned to meet
10990-407: The United States, where he assisted in writing a blueprint for the Office of the Coordinator of Information , the department that turned into the Office of Strategic Services and eventually became the CIA . Admiral Godfrey put Fleming in charge of Operation Goldeneye between 1941 and 1942; Goldeneye was a plan to maintain an intelligence framework in Spain in the event of a German takeover of
11147-482: The addict may challenge: Mr Fleming can knock him sideways." John Metcalf for The Spectator thought the book "utterly disgraceful—and highly enjoyable ... without [ Moonraker ] no forthcoming railway journey should be undertaken", although he also considered that it was "not one of Mr. Fleming's best". Anthony Boucher , writing in The New York Times , was equivocal, saying "I don't know anyone who writes about gambling more vividly than Fleming and I only wish
11304-430: The age of 56. Two of his James Bond books were published posthumously; other writers have since produced Bond novels. Fleming's creation has appeared in film twenty-seven times, portrayed by six actors in the official film series. Ian Lancaster Fleming was born on 28 May 1908, at 27 Green Street in the wealthy London district of Mayfair . His mother was Evelyn "Eve" Fleming , née Rose, and his father
11461-592: The annoyance of Alan Turing and Peter Twinn at Bletchley Park , the mission was never carried out. According to Fleming's niece, Lucy , an official of the Royal Air Force pointed out that if they were to drop a downed Heinkel bomber in the English Channel, it would probably sink rather quickly. Fleming also worked with Colonel "Wild Bill" Donovan , President Franklin D. Roosevelt 's special representative on intelligence co-operation between London and Washington. In May 1941 Fleming accompanied Godfrey to
11618-482: The author Raymond Benson , Moonraker is a deeper and more introspective book than Fleming's previous work, which allows the author to develop the characters further. As such, Bond "becomes something more than ... [the] cardboard figure" that he had been in the previous two novels. The start of the book concentrates on Bond at home and his daily routines, which Fleming describes as "Elastic office hours from around ten until six, ... evenings spent playing cards in
11775-565: The background of the Blades scenes. As a clubman, he enjoyed membership of Boodle's , White's and the Portland Club , and a combination of Boodles and the Portland Club is thought to be the model for Blades; the author Michael Dibdin found the scene in the club to be "surely one of the finest things that Ian Fleming ever did". The early chapters of the novel centre on Bond's private life, with Fleming using his own lifestyle as
11932-592: The background to the stories came from Fleming's previous work in the Naval Intelligence Division or from events he knew of from the Cold War . The plot of From Russia, with Love uses a fictional Soviet Spektor decoding machine as a lure to trap Bond; the Spektor had its roots in the wartime German Enigma machine. The novel's plot device of spies on the Orient Express was based on the story of Eugene Karp,
12089-455: The book at Goldeneye on 15 January 1952, and was finished writing no later than 16 February 1952, averaging more than 2,000 words per day. He claimed afterwards that he wrote the novel to distract himself from his forthcoming wedding to the pregnant Charteris, and called the work his "dreadful oafish opus". His manuscript was typed in London by Joan Howe (mother of travel writer Rory MacLean ), Fleming's red-haired secretary at The Times on whom
12246-605: The chance to write about the England he cherished, such as the Kent countryside, including the White Cliffs of Dover , and London clubland. Fleming owned a cottage in St Margaret's at Cliffe , near Dover, and he went to great lengths to get the details of the area right, including lending his car to his stepson to time the journey from London to Deal for the car chase passage. Fleming used his experiences of London clubs for
12403-427: The character Miss Moneypenny was partially based. Clare Blanchard, a former girlfriend, advised him not to publish the book, or at least to do so under a pseudonym. During Casino Royale's final draft stages, Fleming allowed his friend William Plomer to see a copy, and remarked "so far as I can see the element of suspense is completely absent". Despite this, Plomer thought the book had sufficient promise and sent
12560-470: The children's story Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang and two works of non-fiction. In 2008, The Times ranked Fleming 14th on its list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945". Fleming was married to Anne Charteris . She had divorced her husband, the 2nd Viscount Rothermere , because of her affair with the author. Fleming and Charteris had a son, Caspar. Fleming was a heavy smoker and drinker for most of his life and succumbed to heart disease in 1964 at
12717-613: The company of a few close friends, ... or making love, with rather cold passion, to one of three similarly disposed married women." This lifestyle was largely modelled on Fleming's own, which the journalist and writer Matthew Parker sees as showing "a sourness" in the author's character. According to Chancellor, two of Bond's other vices were also displayed in the book: his fondness for gambling—illegal except in private members clubs in 1955—and excessive drink and drug taking, neither of which were frowned upon in post-war upper class circles. In preparation for beating Drax at cards, Bond consumes
12874-454: The complex, Bond meets Gala Brand, a beautiful police Special Branch officer working undercover as Drax's personal assistant. Bond also uncovers clues concerning his predecessor's death, concluding that the man may have been killed for witnessing a submarine off the coast. Bond catches Drax's henchman Krebs snooping through his room. Later, an attempted assassination by triggering a landslide nearly kills Bond and Brand, as they sunbathe beneath
13031-407: The construction of the book is chaotic, and entire incidents and situations are inserted, and then forgotten, in a haphazard manner." Lycett notes that Fleming "went into a personal and creative decline" after marital problems and the attacks on his work. Goldfinger had been written before the publication of Dr. No ; the next book Fleming produced after the criticism was For Your Eyes Only ,
13188-400: The count's strongholds or fiefs, as the burgrave dwelt usually in a castle or fortified town. Some became hereditary and by the modern era obtained rank just below a count, though above a Freiherr ' (baron) who might hold a fief as vassal of the original count. Unlike the other comital titles, Rhinegrave, Wildgrave ( Waldgrave ), Raugrave , and Altgrave are not generic titles. Rather, each
13345-499: The country and its oil industry. The Kuwaiti government disapproved of the typescript, State of Excitement: Impressions of Kuwait , and it was never published. According to Fleming: "The Oil Company expressed approval of the book but felt it their duty to submit the typescript to members of the Kuwait Government for their approval. The Sheikhs concerned found unpalatable certain mild comments and criticisms and particularly
13502-612: The death of Valentine. In 1914 Fleming attended Durnford School , a preparatory school on the Isle of Purbeck in Dorset . He did not enjoy his time at Durnford; he suffered unpalatable food, physical hardship and bullying. In 1921 Fleming enrolled at Eton College . Not a high achiever academically, he excelled at athletics and held the title of Victor Ludorum ("Winner of the Games") for two years between 1925 and 1927. He also edited
13659-637: The demand. Eleven Bond novels and two collections of short stories followed between 1953 and 1966. The novels centre around James Bond , an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6 . Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was a commander in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve . The Bond stories rank among the best-selling series of fictional books of all time, having sold over 100 million copies worldwide. Fleming also wrote
13816-442: The detonation. The amnesia story was simply a cover he used while recovering in hospital to avoid recognition, although it would lead to a whole new British identity. Drax remains a dedicated Nazi, bent on revenge against England for the wartime defeat of his Fatherland and his prior history of social slights suffered as a youth growing up in an English boarding school before the war. He explains that he now means to destroy London, with
13973-474: The engagement to Monique after his mother threatened to cut off his trust fund allowance. Fleming bowed to family pressure again in October 1933, and went into banking with a position at the financiers Cull & Co. In 1935 he moved to Rowe and Pitman on Bishopsgate as a stockbroker. Fleming was unsuccessful in both roles. The same year, Fleming met Muriel Wright whilst skiing in Kitzbühel, and began
14130-596: The exploits of James Bond , an officer in the Secret Intelligence Service, commonly known as MI6 . Bond is also known by his code number, 007, and was a commander in the Royal Naval Reserve . Fleming took the name for his character from that of the American ornithologist James Bond , an expert on Caribbean birds and author of the definitive field guide Birds of the West Indies . Fleming, himself
14287-507: The field with the unit, but selected targets and directed operations from the rear. On its formation the unit was 30 strong, but it grew to five times that size. The unit was filled with men from other commando units, and trained in unarmed combat, safe-cracking and lock-picking at the SOE facilities. In late 1942 Captain (later Rear-Admiral ) Edmund Rushbrooke replaced Godfrey as head of the Naval Intelligence Division, and Fleming's influence in
14444-478: The film's writer, Christopher Wood , to produce his second novelization based on a film; this was entitled James Bond and Moonraker . Elements of Moonraker were also used in the 2002 film Die Another Day , with a scene set in the Blades club. The actress Rosamund Pike , who plays Miranda Frost in the film, later said that her character was originally to have been named Gala Brand. Ian Fleming Ian Lancaster Fleming (28 May 1908 – 12 August 1964)
14601-461: The first book written after Dr. No was released, Fleming gave Bond a sense of humour that was not present in the previous stories. Graf Graf (feminine: Gräfin ) is a historical title of the German nobility and later also of the Russian nobility , usually translated as " count ". Considered to be intermediate among noble ranks , the title is often treated as equivalent to
14758-515: The form of the thriller, has taken charge in the second half of this story." Maurice Richardson , in his review for The Observer , was more welcoming: "Do not miss this", he urged, saying that "Mr. Fleming continues to be irresistibly readable, however incredible". Hilary Corke, writing in The Listener , thought that "Fleming is one of the most accomplished of thriller-writers", and considered that Moonraker "is as mercilessly readable as all
14915-409: The gyros and send the Moonraker into the sea. Having been in collaboration with Soviet Intelligence all along, Drax and his henchmen escape by Soviet submarine—only to be killed as the vessel makes its escape through the waters onto which the Moonraker has been re-targeted. After their debriefing at headquarters, Bond meets up with Brand, expecting her company—but they part ways after she reveals that she
15072-538: The heavy criticism of Dr. No , an article in Life listed From Russia, with Love as one of US President John F. Kennedy 's 10 favourite books. Kennedy and Fleming had previously met in Washington. This accolade and the associated publicity led to a surge in sales that made Fleming the biggest-selling crime writer in the US. Fleming considered From Russia, with Love to be his best novel; he said "the great thing
15229-710: The heir to Lord Rothermere, owner of the Daily Mail . In May 1939 Fleming was recruited by Rear Admiral John Godfrey , Director of Naval Intelligence of the Royal Navy , to become his personal assistant . He joined the organisation full-time in August 1939, with the codename "17F", and worked out of Room 39 at the Admiralty , now known as the Ripley Building. Fleming's biographer, Andrew Lycett , notes that Fleming had "no obvious qualifications" for
15386-436: The journal Twentieth Century , attacked Fleming's work as containing "a strongly marked streak of voyeurism and sado-masochism" and wrote that the books showed "the total lack of any ethical frame of reference". The article compared Fleming unfavourably with John Buchan and Raymond Chandler on both moral and literary criteria. A month later, Dr. No was published, and Fleming received harsh criticism from reviewers who, in
15543-522: The lack of exotic locations. Moonraker , like Fleming's previous novels, was well received by critics. It plays on several 1950s fears, including attack by rockets (following the V-2 strikes of the Second World War), nuclear annihilation, Soviet communism , the re-emergence of Nazism and the "threat from within" posed by both ideologies. Fleming examines Englishness, and the novel shows the virtues and strength of England. Adaptations include
15700-525: The last two ... His observation is extraordinary and his talent for description vivid." Fleming received numerous letters from readers complaining about the lack of exotic locations; one of which protested "We want taking out of ourselves, not sitting on the beach in Dover." Julian Symons , writing in The Times Literary Supplement , found Moonraker "a disappointment", and considered that "Fleming's tendency ... to parody
15857-437: The latter half of the novel, Bond is seconded to Drax's staff as the businessman builds the Moonraker, a prototype missile designed to defend England. Unknown to Bond, Drax is German, an ex-Nazi now working for the Soviets; his plan is to build the rocket, arm it with a nuclear warhead, and fire it at London. Uniquely for a Bond novel, Moonraker is set entirely in Britain, which raised comments from some readers, complaining about
16014-481: The local nobility, entitled to whatever minor privileges were recognised at the ruler's court. The title, translated as "count", was generally accepted and used in other countries by custom. Many Continental counts in Germany and Austria were titled Graf without any additional qualification. Except in the Kingdom of Prussia from the 19th century, the title of Graf was not restricted by primogeniture : it
16171-577: The location would allow "for some wonderful film settings". Fleming undertook a significant amount of background research in preparation for writing Moonraker ; he asked his fellow correspondent on The Sunday Times , Anthony Terry , for information on the Second World War German resistance force—the Werewolves —and German V-2 rockets. The latter was a subject on which he wrote to the science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke and
16328-419: The main characters—the card game—that leads to the uncovering of a greater incident—the main plot involving the rocket. Dibdin sees gambling as the common link, thus the card game acts as an "introduction to the ensuing encounter ... for even higher stakes". Savoye sees this concept of competition between Bond and villain as a "notion of game and the eternal fight between Order and Disorder", common throughout
16485-761: The material had appeared in The Sunday Times and was based on Fleming's interviews with John Collard, a member of the International Diamond Security Organisation who had previously worked in MI5 . The book received mixed reviews in the UK and US. For the first five books ( Casino Royale , Live and Let Die , Moonraker , Diamonds Are Forever and From Russia, with Love ) Fleming received broadly positive reviews. That began to change in March 1958 when Bernard Bergonzi , in
16642-423: The month". The actor John Payne attempted to take up the option on the film rights to the book in 1955, but nothing came of the attempt. The Rank Organisation also came to an agreement to make a film, but this likewise fell through. The novel was not one of Fleming's stories acquired by Eon Productions in 1961; in 1969 the company acquired the rights and commissioned Gerry Anderson to produce and co-write
16799-426: The multi-millionaire businessman Sir Hugo Drax , is winning considerable money playing bridge , seemingly against the odds. M suspects Drax is cheating, and while claiming indifference, is concerned as to why a multi-millionaire and national hero would cheat. Bond confirms Drax's deception and manages to turn the tables—aided by a stacked deck of cards—and wins £15,000 (about seven times his own annual salary). Drax
16956-412: The nobility have been officially abolished since August 1919, and Graf , like any other hereditary title, is treated as part of the legal surname. In Austria, its use is banned by law, as with all hereditary titles and nobiliary particles . In Switzerland , the title is not acknowledged in law. In the monarchies of Belgium, Liechtenstein and Luxembourg, where German is one of the official languages ,
17113-401: The novel; she is unique in the canon for being the one woman that Bond does not seduce. The cultural historians Janet Woollacott and Tony Bennett write that the perceived reserve shown by Brand to Bond was not due to frigidity, but to her engagement to a fellow police officer. M is another character who is more fully realised than in the previous novels, and for the first time in the series he
17270-621: The occupation of Denmark. He ended his service on 16 August 1952, when he was removed from the active list of the RNVR with the rank of lieutenant-commander. Upon Fleming's demobilisation in May 1945, he became the foreign manager in the Kemsley newspaper group , which at the time owned The Sunday Times . In this role he oversaw the paper's worldwide network of correspondents. His contract allowed him to take three months' holiday every winter, which he took in Jamaica. Fleming worked full-time for
17427-549: The organisation declined, although he retained control over 30AU. Fleming was unpopular with the unit's members, who disliked his referring to them as his "Red Indians". Before the 1944 Normandy landings , most of 30AU's operations were in the Mediterranean, although it is possible that it secretly participated in the Dieppe Raid in a failed pinch raid for an Enigma machine and related materials. Fleming observed
17584-479: The other parts of his books lived up to their gambling sequences". Richard Lister in the New Statesman thought that "Mr. Fleming is splendid; he stops at nothing." Writing for The Washington Post , Al Manola believed that the "British tradition of rich mystery writing, copious description and sturdy heroism all blend nicely" in Moonraker , providing what he considered was "probably the best action novel of
17741-467: The paper until December 1959, but continued to write articles and attend the Tuesday weekly meetings until at least 1961. After Anne Charteris's first husband died in the war, she expected to marry Fleming, but he decided to remain a bachelor. On 28 June 1945, she married the second Viscount Rothermere . Nevertheless, Charteris continued her affair with Fleming, travelling to Jamaica to see him under
17898-440: The passages referring to the adventurous past of the country which now wishes to be 'civilised' in every respect and forget its romantic origins." Fleming followed the disappointment of For Your Eyes Only with Thunderball , the novelisation of a film script on which he had worked with others. The work had started in 1958 when Fleming's friend Ivar Bryce introduced him to a young Irish writer and director, Kevin McClory , and
18055-410: The pretext of visiting his friend and neighbour Noël Coward . In 1948 she gave birth to Fleming's daughter, Mary, who was stillborn . Rothermere divorced Charteris in 1951 because of her relationship with Fleming, and the couple married on 24 March 1952 in Jamaica, a few months before their son Caspar was born in August. Both Fleming and Ann had affairs during their marriage, she with Hugh Gaitskell ,
18212-542: The principal villain in The Man with the Golden Gun , was named after a fellow Eton schoolboy with whom Fleming fought; Goldfinger , from the eponymous novel, was named after British architect Ernő Goldfinger , whose work Fleming abhorred; Sir Hugo Drax , the antagonist of Moonraker , was named after Fleming's acquaintance Admiral Sir Reginald Aylmer Ranfurly Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax ; Drax's assistant, Krebs, bears
18369-527: The raid from HMS Fernie , 700 yards offshore. Because of its successes in Sicily and Italy, 30AU became greatly trusted by naval intelligence. In March 1944 Fleming oversaw the distribution of intelligence to Royal Navy units in preparation for Operation Overlord . He was replaced as head of 30AU on 6 June 1944, but maintained some involvement. He visited 30AU in the field during and after Overlord, especially following an attack on Cherbourg for which he
18526-591: The rank of major . He was killed by German shelling on the Western Front on 20 May 1917. Winston Churchill wrote an obituary for him that appeared in The Times . Because Valentine had owned an estate at Arnisdale , his death was commemorated on the Glenelg War Memorial. Fleming's elder brother Peter became a travel writer and married actress Celia Johnson . Peter served with
18683-417: The real world ... [and] his physical presence fills Moonraker . The view is shared by Chancellor, who considers Drax "perhaps the most believable" of all Fleming's villains. The cultural historian Jeremy Black writes that as with Le Chiffre and Mr Big—the villains of the first two Bond novels—Drax's origins and war history are vital to an understanding of the character. Like several other antagonists in
18840-470: The rest". Corke warned Fleming away from being over-dramatic, declaring that "Mr Fleming is evidently far too accomplished to need to lean upon these blood-and-thunder devices: he could keep our hair on end for three hundred pages without spilling more blood than was allowed to Shylock ." The reviewer in The Scotsman considered that Fleming "administers stimuli with no mean hand ... 'Astonish me!'
18997-457: The role of Saint George in the conflict. As with Casino Royale and Live and Let Die , Moonraker involves the idea of the "traitor within". Drax, real name Graf Hugo von der Drache, is a "megalomaniac German Nazi who masquerades as an English gentleman", while Krebs bears the same name as Hitler's last Chief of Staff . Black sees that, in using a German as the novel's main enemy, "Fleming ... exploits another British cultural antipathy of
19154-472: The role. As part of his appointment, Fleming was commissioned into the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve in July 1939, initially as lieutenant , but was promoted to lieutenant commander a few months later. Fleming proved invaluable as Godfrey's personal assistant and excelled in administration. Godfrey was known as an abrasive character who made enemies within government circles. He frequently used Fleming as
19311-513: The same family. Examples: Burgrave of Nuremberg , Burgrave of ( Burggraf zu ) Dohna-Schlobitten Initially burgrave suggested a similar function and history as other titles rendered in German by Vizegraf , in Dutch as Burggraaf or in English as Viscount ( Latin : Vicecomes ); the deputy of a count charged with exercising the count's prerogatives in overseeing one or more of
19468-450: The same golf handicap, his taste for scrambled eggs, his love of gambling, and use of the same brand of toiletries. After the publication of Casino Royale , Fleming used his annual holiday at his house in Jamaica to write another Bond story. Twelve Bond novels and two short-story collections were published between 1953 and 1966, the last two ( The Man with the Golden Gun and Octopussy and The Living Daylights ) posthumously. Much of
19625-461: The same name as Hitler's last Chief of Staff ; and one of the homosexual villains from Diamonds Are Forever , "Boofy" Kidd, was named after one of Fleming's close friends—and a relative of his wife— Arthur Gore, 8th Earl of Arran , known as Boofy to his friends. Fleming's first work of non-fiction, The Diamond Smugglers , was published in 1957 and was partly based on background research for his fourth Bond novel, Diamonds Are Forever . Much of
19782-514: The status of gefürsteter Graf or "princely count". But a grafliche title with such a prefix did not always signify a higher than comital rank or membership in the Hochadel . Only the more important of these titles, historically associated with degrees of sovereignty, remained in use by the 19th century, specifically Markgraf and Landgraf . In Russia, the title of Graf ( Russian : Граф ; feminine: Графиня, romanized Grafinya )
19939-403: The story, and leaving Drax's unveiling of his plan until the later chapters. Black sees that the pace of the novel is set by the launch of the rocket (there are four days between Bond's briefing by M and the launch) while Amis considers that the story to have a "rather hurried" ending. Moonraker uses a literary device Fleming employs elsewhere, that of having a seemingly trivial incident between
20096-399: The strengths and virtues of England and Englishness as being the "quiet and orderly background of English institutions", which are threatened by the disturbance Drax brings. The literary critic Meir Sternberg considers the theme of English identity can be seen in the confrontation between Drax and Bond. Drax—whose real name Drache is German for dragon—is in opposition to Bond, who takes
20253-535: The sweep in Moonraker was not as pronounced as Fleming's previous works, largely due to the lack of action sequences in the novel. According to the literary analyst LeRoy L. Panek, in his examination of 20th-century British spy novels, in Moonraker Fleming uses a technique closer to the detective story than to the thriller genre. This manifests itself in Fleming placing clues to the plot line throughout
20410-482: The territory. Fleming's plan involved maintaining communication with Gibraltar and launching sabotage operations against the Nazis. In 1941 he liaised with Donovan over American involvement in a measure intended to ensure the Germans did not dominate the seaways. In 1942 Fleming formed a unit of commandos , known as No. 30 Commando or 30 Assault Unit (30AU), composed of specialist intelligence troops. 30AU's job
20567-600: The third-person in direct address as a mark of courtesy, as in grevinnan . German nobility , although not abolished (unlike the Austrian nobility by the new First Austrian Republic in 1919), lost recognition as a legal class in Germany under the Weimar Republic in 1919 under the Weimar Constitution , article 109. Former hereditary noble titles legally simply transformed into dependent parts of
20724-413: The three, together with Fleming and Bryce's friend Ernest Cuneo , worked on a script. In October McClory introduced experienced screenwriter Jack Whittingham to the newly formed team, and by December 1959 McClory and Whittingham sent Fleming a script. Fleming had been having second thoughts on McClory's involvement and, in January 1960, explained his intention of delivering the screenplay to MCA , with
20881-468: The time to write up the bedtime story that Fleming used to tell to his son Caspar each evening. Fleming attacked the project with gusto and wrote to his publisher, Michael Howard of Jonathan Cape, joking that "There is not a moment, even on the edge of the tomb, when I am not slaving for you"; the result was Fleming's only children's novel, Chitty-Chitty-Bang-Bang , which was published in October 1964, two months after his death. In June 1961 Fleming sold
21038-544: The title "margrave" until the few who survived as sovereigns assumed higher titles when the Empire was abolished in 1806. Examples: Margrave of Baden , Margrave of Brandenburg-Bayreuth . Since the abolition of the German Empire at the end of World War I, the heirs of some of its former monarchies have resumed use of margrave as a title of pretence , e.g. Maria Emanuel , Margrave of Meissen and Maximilian, Margrave of Baden . A Landgraf or Landgrave
21195-621: The title continues to be recognised, used and, occasionally, granted by the national fons honorum , the reigning monarch. From the Middle Ages , a Graf usually ruled a territory known as a Grafschaft ('county'). In the Holy Roman Empire , many Imperial counts ( Reichsgrafen ) retained near-sovereign authority in their lands until the Congress of Vienna subordinated them to larger, neighboring monarchs through
21352-451: The title for the eleventh James Bond film , produced by Eon Productions and released in 1979. Directed by Lewis Gilbert and produced by Albert R. Broccoli , the film features Roger Moore in his fourth appearance as Bond. The Nazi-inspired element of Drax's motivation in the novel was indirectly preserved with the "master race" theme of the film's plot. Since the screenplay was original, Eon Productions and Glidrose Publications authorised
21509-464: The unit's primary role: "T-Force = Target Force, to guard and secure documents, persons, equipment, with combat and Intelligence personnel, after capture of large towns, ports etc. in liberated and enemy territory." Fleming sat on the committee that selected the targets for the T-Force unit, and listed them in the "Black Books" that were issued to the unit's officers. The infantry component of T-Force
21666-527: The use of British naval bases in the Caribbean by the American navy. Fleming was demobilised in May 1945, but remained in the RNVR for several years, receiving a promotion to substantive lieutenant-commander (Special Branch) on 26 July 1947. In October 1947, he was awarded the King Christian X's Liberty Medal for his contribution in assisting Danish officers escaping from Denmark to Britain during
21823-443: The war. Fleming envisaged that Bond would resemble the composer, singer and actor Hoagy Carmichael ; others, such as author and historian Ben Macintyre , identify aspects of Fleming's own looks in his description of Bond. General references in the novels describe Bond as having "dark, rather cruel good looks". Fleming also modelled aspects of Bond on Conrad O'Brien-ffrench , a spy whom Fleming had met while skiing in Kitzbühel in
21980-459: The words of Ben Macintyre, "rounded on Fleming, almost as a pack". The most strongly worded of the critiques came from Paul Johnson of the New Statesman , who, in his review "Sex, Snobbery and Sadism", called the novel "without doubt, the nastiest book I have ever read". Johnson went on to say that "by the time I was a third of the way through, I had to suppress a strong impulse to throw the thing away". Johnson recognised that in Bond there "was
22137-808: Was Valentine Fleming , the Member of Parliament for Henley from 1910 to 1917. As an infant he briefly lived with his family at Braziers Park in Oxfordshire. Fleming was a grandson of the Scottish financier Robert Fleming , who co-founded the Scottish American Investment Company and the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co. In 1914, with the start of the First World War, Valentine Fleming joined "C" Squadron of Queen's Own Oxfordshire Hussars , and rose to
22294-403: Was a 12th- and 13th-century military and civil judicial governor of a castle (compare castellan , custos , keeper ) of the town it dominated and of its immediate surrounding countryside. His jurisdiction was a Burggrafschaft , burgraviate. Over time the office and domain to which it was attached tended to become hereditary by Imperial grant or retention over generations by members of
22451-413: Was a nobleman of comital rank in feudal Germany whose jurisdiction stretched over a territory larger than usually held by a count within the Holy Roman Empire . The status of a landgrave was elevated, usually being associated with suzerains who were subject to the Holy Roman Emperor but exercised sovereign authority within their lands and independence greater than the prerogatives to which a simple Graf
22608-523: Was adapted as a comic strip that was published in the Daily Express newspaper and syndicated worldwide. The adaptation was written by Henry Gammidge and illustrated by John McLusky , and ran daily from 30 March to 8 August 1959. Titan Books reprinted the strip in 2005 along with Casino Royale and Live and Let Die as a part of the Casino Royale anthology. "Moonraker" was used as
22765-523: Was an English writer, best known for his postwar James Bond series of spy novels . Fleming came from a wealthy family connected to the merchant bank Robert Fleming & Co. , and his father was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Henley from 1910 until his death on the Western Front in 1917. Educated at Eton , Sandhurst , and, briefly, the universities of Munich and Geneva , Fleming moved through several jobs before he started writing. While working for Britain's Naval Intelligence Division during
22922-459: Was an occasional consumer. Fleming did not use class enemies for his villains, instead relying on physical distortion or ethnic identity ... Furthermore, in Britain foreign villains used foreign servants and employees ... This racism reflected not only a pronounced theme of interwar adventure writing, such as the novels of [John] Buchan , but also widespread literary culture. Jeremy Black , The Politics of James Bond Drax
23079-513: Was called the Trout Memo and compared the deception of an enemy in wartime to fly fishing . The memo contained several schemes to be considered for use against the Axis powers to lure U-boats and German surface ships towards minefields. Number 28 on the list was an idea to plant misleading papers on a corpse that would be found by the enemy; the suggestion is similar to Operation Mincemeat ,
23236-505: Was concerned that the unit had been incorrectly used as a regular commando force rather than an intelligence-gathering unit. This wasted the men's specialist skills, risked their safety on operations that did not justify the use of such skilled operatives, and threatened the vital gathering of intelligence. Afterwards, the management of these units was revised. He also followed the unit into Germany after it located, in Tambach Castle,
23393-577: Was entitled, but the title itself implied no specific, legal privileges. Landgraf occasionally continued in use as the subsidiary title of such minor royalty as the Elector of Hesse or the Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar , who functioned as the Landgrave of Thuringia in the first decade of the 20th century. The jurisdiction of a landgrave was a Landgrafschaft or landgraviate, and the wife of
23550-545: Was given a position as a sub-editor and journalist for the company. In April 1933 Fleming spent time in Moscow , where he covered the Stalinist show trial of six engineers from the British company Metropolitan-Vickers . While there he applied for an interview with Soviet premier Joseph Stalin , and was amazed to receive a personally signed note apologising for not being able to attend. Upon returning from Moscow he ended
23707-438: Was imminent. He began writing Moonraker on his arrival in the Caribbean. He later wrote an article for Books and Bookmen magazine describing his approach to writing, in which he said: "I write for about three hours in the morning ... and I do another hour's work between six and seven in the evening. I never correct anything and I never go back to see what I have written ... By following my formula, you write 2,000 words
23864-462: Was in part made up of the 5th Battalion , King's Regiment , which supported the Second Army . It was responsible for securing targets of interest for the British military, including nuclear laboratories, gas research centres and individual rocket scientists. The unit's most notable discoveries came during the advance on the German port of Kiel , in the research centre for German engines used in
24021-404: Was inherited by all legitimate descendants in the male line of the original titleholder, the males also inheriting an approximately equal share of the family's wealth and estates. Usually a hyphenated suffix indicated which of the familial lands a particular line of counts held, e.g. Castell-Rudenhausen . In the medieval Holy Roman Empire, some counts took or were granted unique variations of
24178-646: Was introduced by Peter the Great . The first Russian graf (or count) was Boris Petrovich Sheremetev , elevated to this dignity in 1706 for the pacification of the Astrakhan uprising (1705–1706) . Then Peter granted six more graf dignities. Initially, when someone was elevated to the graf's dignity of the Russian Empire , the elevated person recognition by the German Emperor in the same dignity of
24335-538: Was not a Reichsgraf was likely to possess only a mesne fief ( Afterlehen ) — he was subject to an immediate prince of the empire, such as a duke or prince elector . However, the Holy Roman Emperors also occasionally granted the title of Reichsgraf to subjects and foreigners who did not possess and were not granted immediate territories — or, sometimes, any territory at all. Such titles were purely honorific . In English, Reichsgraf
24492-527: Was the father of author, James Fleming . Michael died of wounds in October 1940 after being captured at Normandy while serving with the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry . Fleming also had a younger maternal half-sister born out of wedlock, the cellist Amaryllis Fleming (1925–1999), whose father was the artist Augustus John . Amaryllis was conceived during a long-term affair between John and Evelyn which had started in 1923, six years after
24649-465: Was to be near the front line of an advance—sometimes in front of it—to seize enemy documents from previously targeted headquarters. The unit was based on a German group headed by Otto Skorzeny , who had undertaken similar activities in the Battle of Crete in May 1941. The German unit was thought by Fleming to be "one of the most outstanding innovations in German intelligence". Fleming did not fight in
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