During World War II, a Spanish fisherman named Jose Antonio found a dead body floating off the coast of Spain. The body was dressed in a British military uniform and had a briefcase attached to its wrist with classified documents. The documents suggested that the Allies were planning to invade Greece, not Sicily, as the Nazis had suspected. However, this was a clever ruse orchestrated by British Intelligence Officers Ewan Montague and Charles Chumley as part of Operation Mincemeat.
The dead body was actually that of a 34-year-old homeless man from London named Glyndwr Michael, who had died from eating rat poison. Montague and Chumley had used Michael's body to create a fake identity, complete with a backstory and fake documents, to deceive the Nazis.
The plan worked, and Hitler was convinced that the Allies were planning to invade Greece. He moved troops from Sicily to Greece, leaving Sicily poorly defended. The Allies took advantage of this and launched a successful invasion of Sicily, which ultimately contributed to the defeat of the Nazis.
Operation Mincemeat was a massive success, and Montague and Chumley were promoted and became famous for their plot. Glyndwr Michael's body was buried in Spain, and a marker on his grave denotes him as an official British military officer.
Here are the key facts from the text:
1. On April 30, 1943, a fisherman named Jose Antonio Ray Maria found a dead body floating in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Spain.
2. The body was dressed in a British military uniform and had a life jacket with a yellow color.
3. Jose pulled the body aboard and found a briefcase chained to the body with a code lock.
4. The body was identified as Major William Martin, a British Royal Marine.
5. The briefcase contained letters from British military leaders that suggested a planned invasion of Greece.
6. The letters were fake, created by British Intelligence Officers Ewan Montague and Charles Chumley as part of Operation Mincemeat.
7. The goal of the operation was to deceive the Germans into thinking the Allies were planning to invade Greece, rather than Sicily.
8. The body was actually that of a 34-year-old homeless man from London named Glyndwr Michael, who had died from eating rat poison.
9. Michael's body was unclaimed and stored in a morgue for months before being used for Operation Mincemeat.
10. The operation was successful, and Hitler was deceived into thinking the Allies were planning to invade Greece.
11. As a result, the Nazis moved troops from Sicily to Greece, leaving Sicily vulnerable to an Allied invasion.
12. The Allies invaded Sicily on July 9, 1943, and quickly took control of the island.
13. Operation Mincemeat is considered one of the most successful deceptions in military history.
14. Glyndwr Michael is buried in Spain, and his grave is marked as that of an official British military officer.
15. Ewan Montague and Charles Chumley were promoted and became famous for their role in Operation Mincemeat.