Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory (66 page)

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Authors: Ben Macintyre

Tags: #General, #Psychology, #Europe, #History, #Great Britain, #20th Century, #Political Freedom & Security, #Intelligence, #Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence, #Political Science, #Espionage, #Modern, #World War, #1939-1945, #Military, #Italy, #Naval, #World War II, #Secret service, #Sicily (Italy), #Deception, #Military - World War II, #War, #History - Military, #Military - Naval, #Military - 20th century, #World War; 1939-1945, #Deception - Spain - Atlantic Coast - History - 20th century, #Naval History - World War II, #Ewen, #Military - Intelligence, #World War; 1939-1945 - Secret service - Great Britain, #Sicily (Italy) - History; Military - 20th century, #1939-1945 - Secret service - Great Britain, #Atlantic Coast (Spain), #1939-1945 - Spain - Atlantic Coast, #1939-1945 - Campaigns - Italy - Sicily, #Intelligence Operations, #Deception - Great Britain - History - 20th century, #Atlantic Coast (Spain) - History, #Montagu, #Atlantic Coast (Spain) - History; Military - 20th century, #Sicily (Italy) - History, #World War; 1939-1945 - Campaigns - Italy - Sicily, #Operation Mincemeat, #Montagu; Ewen, #World War; 1939-1945 - Spain - Atlantic Coast

32
“especially as he wanted”: Ibid.

33
“Christian, couldn’t this be a corpse”: David Irving,
Hitler’s War
(London, 1977), p. 586.

34
“It is to be expected that”: Deakin,
Brutal Friendship
, p. 377.

35
“the original German appreciation”: TNA, ADM 223/794, p. 457.

36
“all German commands”: Deakin,
Brutal Friendship
, p. 377.

37
“Where do we go from Sicily?”: Rick Atkinson,
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy 1943–1945
(London, 2007), p. 14.

38
“The main task which lies before us”: Ibid., p. 15.

39
“War is full of mysteries and surprises”: Ibid., p. 22.

40
“What you think is going”: Ibid., p. 25.

41
“Appetite unbridled”: Ibid.

42
“to a document that had been”: TNA, ADM 223/794, p. 457.

43
“security flap”: Ibid.

44
“Arrangements could then be made”: Ibid.

45
“We earnestly debated”: Ralph Bennett,
Ultra and Mediterranean Strategy 1941–1945
(London, 1989), p. 227.

46
“The evaluation office attach special”: TNA, CAB 154/67.

47
“The latter immediately despatched”: Most Secret Source report, May 13, 1943, 1837, Berlin to Madrid Telegram No. 117 for “Samoza,” headed: “Ref your Most secret of 9/5/43,” CAB 154/67.

48
“Oberst Lt. Pardo on the 10th May”: ABW 2282/43, TNA, CAB 154/101.

49
“The result of his investigations”: Ibid.

50
“In contrast to the first statement”: Ibid.

51
“He (the Minister for Marine)”: Ibid.

52
“A search for the remains”: Ibid.

53
“The fishermen state”: Ibid.

54
“A medical examination”: Ibid.

55
“Bag not yet arrived”: Ewen Montagu to Alan Hilgarth, Telegram 877, May 18, 1943, TNA, CAB 154/67.

56
“a small, sealed bag”: Ibid.

57
“Evidence that operation successful”: Ibid.

58
“reported that there was great excitement”: Alan Hillgarth Memo, undated, IWM 97/45/1, folder #2.

59
“I naturally asked him to find out”: Ibid.

60
“said that immediately he heard”: Alan Hillgarth to DNI, Telegram 171914, part I, TNA, CAB 154/67.

61
“Why did you go to so much trouble?”: Ibid.

62
“I was anxious no one should have”: Ibid.

63
“He obviously did not know”: Alan Hillgarth to DNI, Telegram 171914, part I, TNA, CAB 154/67.

64
“It can be taken as a certainty”: Ibid.

65
“He told me that all his information”: Deakin,
Brutal Friendship
, pp. 377–78.

66
“The operation has given conclusive”: Ewen Montagu, report, May 29, 1943, IWM, 97/45/1, folder #2.

67
“The seals were photographed”: Report of Special Examiners, May 21, 1943, IWM, 97/45/1, folder #5.

68
“Although we can say that there”: Ibid.

69
“sharper than one made in it when”: Ibid.

70
“once symmetrically and secondly”: Ibid.

71
“it was not done on exactly”: Ewen Montagu to producer of
The Secret War
, IWM 97/45/1, folder #5.

72
“as the letter began to dry”: Report of Special Examiners, May 21, 1943, IWM 97/45/1, folder #5.

73
“when the letter is folded up”: Ibid.

74
“Inform Minister of Marine as soon”: Department of Naval Intelligence to Naval Attaché Madrid, undated notes, TNA, CAB 154/67 (possibly not sent).

75
“letters [were] in fact opened”: TNA, CAB 154/67.

76
“likely to pass it on”: Ibid

77
“Important there should be no”: Ibid.

Chapter Nineteen: Hitler Loses Sleep

1
“consisted of comments”: TNA, ADM 223/794, p. 459

2
“No further doubts remain”: Telegram SSDMBBZ 725, TNA, CAB 154/101.

3
“whether the enemy”: Ibid.

4
“urgent”: Ibid.

5
“reply immediately ‘since we’”: Ibid.

6
“It is the opinion”: Ibid.

7
“since only in this case”: Ibid.

8
“absurd”: Ibid.

9
“This shows how wrong a staff”: TNA, ADM 223/794, p. 459.

10
“comprise the whole of”: Ibid.

11
“be continued after the”: Ibid.

12
“It must be especially”: Ibid.

13
“personal squiggle”: Ewen Montagu,
The Man Who Never Was
(Oxford, 1996), p. 184.

14
“The Führer does not agree”: F. W. Deakin,
The Brutal Friendship: Mussolini, Hitler and the Fall of Italian Fascism
(London, 1962), p. 379.

15
“It is also clear from documents”: Ibid., p. 383.

16
“Within the next few days”: Ibid. p. 383.

17
“It is very unusual and very difficult”: Michael I. Handel,
War Strategy and Intelligence
(London, 1989), p. 436.

18
“targets of enemy operation”: Deakin,
Brutal Friendship
, p. 378.

19
“the Allies wanted to advance”: Ibid., p. 379.

20
“You can forget Sicily”: Ralph Bennett,
Ultra and Mediterranean Strategy 1941–1945
(London, 1989), p. 227.

21
“that the Allied attack”: TNA, CAB 154/67, p. 64.

22
“Allied submarines had received”: Ibid.

23
“forwarded it to Belgrade and Sofia”: Ibid.

24
“The reports coming from”: Ibid., p. 64.

25
“congenital obsession about the Balkans”: Michael Howard,
Grand Strategy
(London, 1972), p. 92.

26
“In the last few days”: Deakin,
Brutal Friendship
, p. 379.

27
“the danger is that they will establish”: Ibid., p. 380.

28
“as a precaution to take a further”: Ibid.

29
“natural”: Ibid., p. 381.

30
“If a landing takes place”: Ibid.

31
“I have therefore decided”: Ibid.

32
“Sardinia is particularly threatened”: Ibid.

33
“In the event of the loss”: Ibid.

34
“He foresaw that from Sardinia”: Ibid., p. 375.

35
“through the Spaniards and not directly”: IWM 97/45/1, folder #2.

36
“The Italian High Command”: IWM, 97/45/1, folder #2.

37
“information from an absolutely”: Deakin,
Brutal Friendship
, p. 386.

38
“There would be troop and transport”: Ewen Montagu to J. H. Bevan, et al., June 8, 1943, TNA, CAB 154/67, p. 64.

39
“German circles here have a story”: NA to Department of Naval Intelligence, June 1, 1943, TNA, CAB 154/67.

40
“The degree of Spanish complicity”: Ewen Montagu, undated draft letter, IWM 97/45/1, folder #2.

41
“adding to our knowledge of German”: Ewen Montagu to “C,” June 21, 1943, IWM 97/45/1, folder #2.

42
“simultaneous landings in Sardinia”: Crichton to J. H. Bevan, August 4, 1943, TNA, CAB 154/67.

43
“our refrigerated friend”: Ibid.

44
“had come round to the same view”: Thaddeus Holt,
The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War
(London, 2004), p. 378.

45
“camouflage”: Joseph Goebbels,
The Goebbels Diaries
(London, 1948), June 25, 1943.

46
“The truth is whatever helps bring victory”: David Irving,
Goebbels
, p. 437.

47
“Despite all the assertions”: Ibid., p. 433.

48
“resounding”: TNA, CAB 154/101, p. 200.

49
“The Times has once again sunk”: David Irving,
Goebbels
, p. 421.

50
“velvety-arsed and Rolls Royce”: Rick Atkinson,
The Day of Battle: The War in Sicily and Italy 1943–1945
(London, 2007), p. 52.

51
“I had a long discussion with”:
The Goebbels Diaries
, May 25, 1943.

52
“The general outline of English plans”: Ibid.

53
“Try to find out if Greek troops”: Most Secret Source report, received June 7, 1943, TNA, CAB 154/67.

54
“to investigate the presence”: Tomas Harris,
Garbo: The Spy Who Saved D-Day
(London, 2004), p. 135.

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