Operation Mincemeat: The Deception Plan that Fooled the Nazis with a Fake Corpse

Accident – Death – Obituary News : The Deception That Led to Victory: Operation Mincemeat

In the midst of World War II, the Allied forces were planning a crucial invasion of North Africa, known as Operation Torch. However, their plans were jeopardized when an RAF Catalina carrying a courier with details of the operation crashed into the sea off the Spanish port of Cadiz on 25 September 1942. The bodies of everyone on board were recovered by Spanish authorities and returned to the British, raising concerns about the security of the upcoming invasion.

It was unknown whether the Spanish had discovered the letters carried by the courier and passed them on to the German military-intelligence service, the Abwehr. To assume the worst, it had to be believed that news of the landings had been compromised. Despite this setback, Operation Torch went ahead and proved to be a resounding success. American and British troops advanced through North Africa towards Tunisia, and the Eighth Army achieved a significant victory at El Alamein. However, it would take several more months before Axis forces were expelled from North Africa, with final victory not coming until May 1943.

At the Casablanca Conference in January 1943, Allied leaders decided that after victory in North Africa, the next step would be to invade Sicily. To deceive the enemy, it was essential to create a scheme that would mislead them into believing that either Sardinia or Greece would be the next target. This is where Operation Barclay, later known as Operation Mincemeat, came into play.

Flight-Lieutenant Charles Cholmondeley, a young RAF officer known for his vivid imagination, proposed a plan to drop a corpse carrying false information near an enemy coastline. Inspired by a pre-war novel and the ideas of Ian Fleming, Cholmondeley suggested that the body would contain details of planned assaults on Sardinia and Greece, while the attack on Sicily would be portrayed as a ruse. The idea was approved by the XX Committee, a top-secret group responsible for deception operations, and Cholmondeley was introduced to Lieutenant Commander Ewen Montagu from Naval Intelligence to further develop the plan.

Operation Mincemeat involved dropping the body of an army officer off the Spanish coast. The body would be equipped with detailed plans for an invasion of the Balearics or southern France, diverting attention from the real target in Sicily. The body had to be dropped within 24 hours of being removed from cold storage to maintain its appearance. The plan was approved by the XX Committee, and Air Ministry and Admiralty representatives were brought in to advise. Additionally, John Bevan, another key deceiver, was tasked with creating a false identity for the body.

Finding a suitable corpse proved to be the first challenge. Coroner W Bentley Purchase introduced Montagu to a homeless man named Glyndwr Michael, who had committed suicide by taking rat poison. The body was kept in refrigeration, and it was estimated that it would remain intact for approximately three months.

To give the fictional Major Martin a convincing identity, various items were placed on his body. These included stubs of theater tickets, a letter from his bank manager warning of an imminent overdraft, and a receipt from a prestigious club for five nights’ accommodation. The Deceivers also decided that Major Martin had recently become engaged to his girlfriend, Pam, and included a photo of her in his pocket. In reality, the photo was of Jean Leslie, an MI5 clerk. Love letters from Pam, filled with heartfelt emotions, were written by Hester Leggatt, another MI5 member.

The Navy suggested that the body should be launched at sea from a submarine, ensuring that the currents would wash it ashore. The chosen location was off the Spanish Andalusian coast at Huelva, where there was an active German Abwehr agent close to the Spanish authorities. Making the body that of Royal Marines Major William Martin further added credibility to the deception.

With Operation Mincemeat in place, the Allied forces successfully misled the Germans. The invasion of Sicily, carried out on 10 July 1943, caught the Axis forces off guard. Several German units on the island had been misdirected elsewhere, thanks to the deception. The operation marked a significant turning point in the war, paving the way for subsequent Allied victories in Italy and ultimately leading to the defeat of the Axis powers.

Operation Mincemeat stands as one of the most successful and imaginative deceptions of World War II. It demonstrated the power of strategic deception and the immense creativity of those involved in shaping the course of the war. The story of Major Martin, the fictitious army officer, and the success of Operation Mincemeat will forever be remembered as a testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of the Allied forces..