Stratagem (2 photos)

Rat poison - not the most pleasant way of life care. But it was with the help of suicide winter of 1943 unemployed and homeless Glindauer named Michael.

His body was found a cold January night in the London warehouse. Death certificate states that the reason for withdrawal from life was "poisoning by phosphorus. Took rat poison, tried to commit suicide during the insanity of reason ».

The body was not buried - in the capital, nor in his native town in southern Wales. Instead, the coroner suggested "take him out of England." And then Glindauer Michael died a second time. And that his death helped to change the course of World War II.

Three months the body lay in the ice in one of London's morgues, and then he was transferred to the shores of southern Spain.

British intelligence officers and Kolmondeli Charles Ewen Montagu, putting a lot of effort, given the corpse of the deceased officer's view - invented by Captain William Martin. For him, they are for a few months composing legend to which it would be impossible to find fault.

Stuffed in the pockets of his identity card, punch cards and letters from the bride and the briefcase chained to his wrist, inside of which was a note marked "Personally, and Top Secret." It said that the allied forces are going to invade Greece.

In fact, the anti-Hitler coalition was listed plans is not Greece, and Sicily.





When the corpse caught - not far from the port of Huelva - it took for the British military courier who was killed in a plane crash. The Spanish authorities have agreed to bury him without delay - because of the heat quickly decomposed body - and his belongings were placed under lock and key.

Thus homeless Welsh alcoholic was buried with military honors on the sun-drenched Spanish cemetery under the slab with the writing: William Martin, RM (Royal Marines, ie Royal Marines).

The best way to forge a document - to make it a real general wrote

Michael (aka Martin) was based on Ian Fleming invented the operation "Minced meat" and realized Kolmodeli and Montague, worked in a military office of Winston Churchill. Coroner in advance given the task to find a suitable corpse and fake documents - so that it looked as if they all agreed. In this case, however, such a reference was not necessary: ​​parents Michael was no longer in the world.

And - in full accordance with the intrigue woven writer - a true story invented officer was then implemented in Hollywood. In 1953, Montagu wrote about this book, and in 1956 filmed the movie "The Man Who Was not There."

But why Spain? Formally, the country maintained neutrality, but in reality was overrun by Nazi spies. The corpse was to be the bait for a meticulous and has a connection at the top, but it does not have much imagination German agent to act in this area. His name was Adolf Claus.

Montague been looking for a suitable body

The British hoped that the false documents that were with fake officer, will be compelling enough to Klaus gave misinformation chain up - up to Hitler himself.

At this time the outcome of the war was not yet clearly resolved in Germany kept the vast expanses of the Soviet Union and in Europe.

"It was a time when spies were working very actively, bluffing, and hand kontrblefovali - says Godfrey Amias from a military research institute RUSI (Royal United Services Institute). - Use other tricks - such as an illusionist, which was sent to North Africa to create a mirror of inflatable tanks and feeling huge army ».

"But the operation" Minced meat "was outstanding: she let rip maximum jackpot - the expert continues. - It was a very unusual operation, undertaken in a very unusual time. Her motto is possible to consider the phrase to be done once, but - for good ».

And the British came to play the ace, which they hid in the sleeve. So says Ben Macintyre, author of the book "Operation" Minced meat "that BBC BBC has just turned into a documentary.

"We are due to cryptanalysts of Bletchley Park, actually read the German correspondence, - says McIntyre, referring to the British division, which has managed to decode the message" Enigma ", as the Germans had no idea. - We learned that Hitler thinks, real-time & quot ;.

The Germans had no idea that their coded messages read British

Interceptions, which exercised Bletchley Park, allowed the British command to read a top secret correspondence of the German General Staff with troops. As a result, Montague and his people knew the most intimate of the key figures of the Reich, which allowed them to successfully develop such a plan.

"I doubt that this would be realistic today, even in wartime, - says McIntyre. - Imagine the scandal would be if it became known that British agents deliberately stole the corpse of a man. One of the reasons why it worked so well, was that the organizers were given the opportunity to do whatever they want done with little or no supervision from above ».

However, the Kolmondli and Montague already had experience of such cases.

Even before the "ground meat" they wove a network of imaginary double agents, through which were fed misinformation to the Nazis. These spies invented - just like Michael / Martin - had a job, family, lovers, hobbies and even bank managers.

The Germans believed that they have in the United Kingdom operates an excellent network of agents. In fact they were not.

After a busy week or two - the Germans are not the first attempt failed to reach the content suitcase - photos of fake documents laid down in the end, to Hitler on the table. He believed - and threw in Greece a whole tank division.

One of the variants (rejected) was to use the corpse "the captain of the submarine»

Montague and his team sent a telegram Chechrillyu, the meaning of which was the fact that the stuffing is swallowed.

In early July, the Allies attacked Sicily. The island fell. At the same time, the British lost much less personnel and ships than might be supposed.

"Mussolini was simply knocked out - says McIntyre. - Faced with this invasion of the south, Hitler was forced to cancel a major offensive, which was preparing against the Soviet Union. The Germans were now on the defensive side. And the Red Army did not stop until it reached Berlin ».

Course of the war changed - thanks in part to the corpse drifter who sailed across the Atlantic.

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