Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory (68 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

5
“breakers and boiling surf”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.

6
“lay in their hammocks, green and groaning”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 65.

7
“We are now getting Cadbury’s filled blocks”: Derrick Leverton, letter to mother and father, November 29, 1943, courtesy of Andrew Leverton.

8
“It was a most excellent cruise”: Ibid.

9
“He was excellent”: Ibid.

10
“I went up on deck”: Ibid.

11
“The sea had been wickedly rough”: Ibid.

12
“Day Trips to the Continent”: Ibid.

13
“See Naples and Die”: Ibid.

14
“I was standing up on deck”: Ibid.

15
“rather a nice small slam”: Ibid.

16
“There could be no more diving”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 127.

17
“three times as difficult as should have been”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.

18
“Unseen planes, hundreds of them”: Ibid.

19
“The invasion of Sicily would be”: Ibid., p. 109.

20
“Many of the men on this ship”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 36.

21
“great fires springing up in every direction”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.

22
“the faint throb of approaching engines”: Ibid.

23
“Their blindingly brilliant beams”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 128.

24
“a nerve-tightening, shell-packed eternity”: Ibid.

25
“as much to avoid the cascading water”: Ibid.

26
“throbbing beat”: Ibid., p. 129.

27
“a flicker of light from”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 113.

28
“dark shapes emerged slowly”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.

29
“The English language needs a new descriptive”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 114.

30
“like footlights on a stage”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.

31
“Shells whistled high overhead”: Ibid., p. 128.

32
“with different coloured tracer”: Ibid.

33
“With flares, searchlights and blazing fires”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 114.

34
“cheering the stubborn little submarine”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.

35
“Ahoy Seraph”: Ibid.

36
“a slightly astonished salute”: Ibid.

37
“You know those boys”: Ibid.

38
“slide warily back into the protective darkness”: Ibid.

39
“tiny, darting flashes marked the progress”: Ibid.

40
“hoped the friendly, ever-joking colonel”: Ibid.

41
“Darby is really a great soldier”: Carlo D’Este,
Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily 1943
(London 1988), p. 275.

42
“wished my chaps good luck”: Derrick Leverton, letter to parents, November 29, 1943, courtesy of Andrew Leverton.

43
“As there was still a bit of time in hand”: Ibid.

44
“quite a bit of banging about”: Ibid

45
“It was getting close to dawn”: Ibid.

46
“slightly premature landings”: Ibid

47
“The first thing I was conscious”: Ibid.

48
“Occasional mines went off”: Ibid.

49
“tea-sugar-and-milk powder”: Ibid.

50
“Most nourishing, appetising and intelligent”: Ibid.

51
“added zest to the party”: Ibid.

52
“As the bombs came down”: Ibid.

53
“Another bomb fell in the sea”: Ibid.

54
“little graves about three feet deep”: Ibid.

55
“I had rather an awful sort of dream”: Ibid.

56
“the concussion in my grave”: Ibid.

57
“plus quite a lot of ‘possibles’”: Ibid.

58
“I didn’t feel I was suitably dressed”: Ibid.

59
“I therefore designed myself”: Ibid.

60
“Throw them back into the sea”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 85.

61
“I’m convinced our men will resist”: Ibid., p. 84.

62
“We must be confident”: Ibid.

63
“I could see his heart beating”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 36.

64
“Stop, you bastards”: Ibid., p. 40.

65
“Most important. Have learned”: Thaddeus Holt,
The Deceivers
(London, 2004), p. 381.

66
“complete failure of coastal defence”: Intercepted Message 2124 Rome to Berlin, July 11, 1943, ADM 223/147.

67
“on enemy penetration many”: Ibid.

68
“half-clothed Italian soldiers”: Ralph Bennett,
Ultra and Mediterranean Strategy 1941–1945
(London, 1989), p. 225.

69
“At once and with all forces attack”: TNA, ADM 223/147.

70
“The counterattack against hostile”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 103.

71
“the shortest Blitzkrieg”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 310.

72
“The German in Sicily”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 123.

Chapter Twenty-one: A Nice Cup of Tea

1
“We are about to embark”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 69.

2
“all the winds of heaven”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 67.

3
“The die was cast”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 69.

4
“It doesn’t look too good”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 67.

5
“breakers and boiling surf”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.

6
“lay in their hammocks, green and groaning”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 65.

7
“We are now getting Cadbury’s filled blocks”: Derrick Leverton, letter to mother and father, November 29, 1943, courtesy of Andrew Leverton.

8
“It was a most excellent cruise”: Ibid.

9
“He was excellent”: Ibid.

10
“I went up on deck”: Ibid.

11
“The sea had been wickedly rough”: Ibid.

12
“Day Trips to the Continent”: Ibid.

13
“See Naples and Die”: Ibid.

14
“I was standing up on deck”: Ibid.

15
“rather a nice small slam”: Ibid.

16
“There could be no more diving”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 127.

17
“three times as difficult as should have been”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.

18
“Unseen planes, hundreds of them”: Ibid.

19
“The invasion of Sicily would be”: Ibid., p. 109.

20
“Many of the men on this ship”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 36.

21
“great fires springing up in every direction”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.

22
“the faint throb of approaching engines”: Ibid.

23
“Their blindingly brilliant beams”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 128.

24
“a nerve-tightening, shell-packed eternity”: Ibid.

25
“as much to avoid the cascading water”: Ibid.

26
“throbbing beat”: Ibid., p. 129.

27
“a flicker of light from”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 113.

28
“dark shapes emerged slowly”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.

29
“The English language needs a new descriptive”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 114.

30
“like footlights on a stage”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.

31
“Shells whistled high overhead”: Ibid., p. 128.

32
“with different coloured tracer”: Ibid.

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