No country in history has been more deeply penetrated by spies than divided Germany after the Second World War. Fighting for the eastern corner were the 'first class comrades' of the Stasi – the East German Ministry for State Security. Rising from the ruins of a defeated country, and guided by its KGB masters, the early Cold War saw the Stasi establish itself as one of the world's most notorious spy and secret police agencies.

These were years of fierce ideological battles, overshadowed by Joseph Stalin and his East German acolytes. At home the Stasi crushed dissent, using brutal – and increasingly crafty – methods to prop up a government that had no mandate to govern. The Berlin Wall was built and the borders sealed. At the same time, dramatic and fascinating spy warfare broke out. The Stasi learned to infiltrate foreign countries – including in the developing world – and to combat vigorous attempts by the west to spy on, and subvert, the German Democratic Republic.

Gripping, intelligent and packed with information, First Class Comrades shines a light on this lesser-known period of Stasi history, and why its stories and lessons still matter today.