HISTORY This Week Operation Mincemeat
Jul 6, 2020
In this engaging discussion, historian Nicholas Reed, author of *Spy Runner*, delves into Operation Mincemeat, a clever WWII ruse that misled Nazi Germany about Allied invasion plans. Discover how a corpse, a false identity, and a secret eyelash played pivotal roles in this daring deception. Reed shares insights on the meticulous planning, from selecting a convincing body to crafting a believable backstory for Captain William Martin. The operation not only saved lives but also changed the course of the war, illuminating the power of deception in military strategy.
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Sicily Was The First Gateway Into Europe
- The Allied invasion of Sicily in July 1943 was the first assault into Nazi-controlled Europe and relied on surprise to succeed.
- A storm and reduced German presence let 150,000 Allied troops secure the island with far fewer casualties than expected.
The Trout Memo Sparked A Bizarre Plan
- British officers Charles Cholmondeley and Ewen Montagu adapted Ian Fleming's Trout Memo idea to plant a corpse with fake dispatches.
- They developed a plan to make the Germans believe the invasion target was Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily.
A Homeless Man Became 'Captain Martin'
- The team sourced the unclaimed body of Glyndwr Michael and relied on a pathologist's assessment that his death could be plausibly presented as drowning.
- That grim choice allowed them to avoid autopsy findings that would expose the deception.
