21. The Criminality of Agent Zigzag
Agent Zigzag, real name Eddie Chapman (1914 – 1997), was a safebreaker, thief, crook, and all-around career criminal, who became the only Englishman ever awarded a German Iron Cross. It was ironic on many levels, because he was also one of history’s most colorful double-crossers, who fed the Germans false information that derailed the effectiveness of their “Vengeance Weapons”, and likely saved the lives of thousands of Londoners.
Chapman was raised in a dysfunctional family and became a delinquent at a young age. He enlisted in the British Army when he was seventeen, but within a few months, he grew bored and deserted. When the military authorities caught up with him, he was sentenced to a prison stint and a dishonorable discharge. After his release, Chapman turned to fraud and crime to support a gambling habit and a taste for fine drinks.
