In the summer of 1944, the Allies were poised to drive Germany out of Europe. France became their target of choice. However, to land thousands of fresh troops, tanks, jeeps and other equipment on French shores, they needed to cross the English Channel completely unmolested by the German army. In particular, they wanted no part Hitler’s elite Panzer Tank divisions, which would make mincemeat out of allied forces as they were coming ashore. Therefore, Hitler needed to be convinced the allies were planning to land in one location, when in reality they planned to land in the opposite. Allied planners had two options: land at the beaches of the Pas de Calais, or land at the beaches of Normandy.
Deceiving the Germans: Manufacturing an Allied Army Unit out of Thin Air
As explained in a recent documentary Battle Plan: Flank Attack, the shortest route to France from England was the Pas de Calais. Thus Pas de Calais was the logical choice the Germans would expect an Allied assault to materialize. In addition, the Germans currently had their Panzers stationed there waiting for an Allied assault. Therefore, the allies selected the opposite route through Normandy. To encourage German expectations on the Pas de Calais landing and keep those Panzers where they were, Allied planners set up a massive deception campaign, also known as “Operation Fortitude.” A major component of this con job was the First Army Group (FUSAG), which was completely fictitious. Battle Plan makes it clear this force contained some “genuine army units”, but it was mostly “smoke and mirrors.” The units themselves were dummies, made of rubber, interspersed with real ones. It was stationed along the southern shores of England, the logical staging area for a Pas de Calais landing.
General George Patton Leads Phantom Divisions: The Hoax Gets More Elaborate
To remove any shadow of doubt in German minds with regard to the Pas de Calais, the allies went to very extreme lengths to convince Hitler FUSAG was real. An online publication, Fourteenth Army illustrates just how elaborate the FUSAG hoax was: “Ghost Divisions had elaborate stories woven around them in order to make their existence seem more plausible. Units were ‘recruited’ from specific regions within the United States. Division patches were designed and ordered in sufficient numbers (perhaps to deceive Axis spies monitoring patch manufacturing in the United States, a potential source of troop strength information.) Fictitious names of commanding officers were created.” In addition, Battle Plan stresses the importance of Allied commander George S. Patton’s presence in the FUSAG army. By this time, he had solidified his reputation as a bold tactician who the Germans respected, thus he would have been the likely candidate to lead the phantom assault on the Pas de Calais. His movements were also made visible to the Axis, being openly seen directing troops and giving orders in southern England.
Recruiting the Enemy: the Use of Double Agents
Several other ingredients came together to complete the trickery. Fourteenth Army explains the British had uncovered and captured a number of German spies and recruited them as double agents. Their job was to spread phony information to the Germans about the Calais landing. Also, false radio messages were spread in Southern England where the Axis would expect the main thrust to come from. And finally, Allied bombers softened up German targets at the Pas de Calais, which would further convince them it was a precursor to a major attack at that location.
How Successful was Operation Fortitude?
The plan paid off dividends. It was explained in All Experts: Operation Fortitude the allies “maintained the presence of FUSAG and other forces threatening Pas de Calais for some considerable time after D-Day, possibly even as late as September 1944.” In addition, the Germans kept most forces “bottled up waiting for attack on Calais, which never came.” Sometimes the best way to beat your opponent in a war is to manufacture your forces out of thin air.
All Experts: Operation Fortitude: Encyclopedia. http://en.allexperts.com/e/o/op/operation_fortitude.htm
Fourteenth Army. Copyright 2000 – 2009 http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/agency/army/14army.htm Site maintained by John Pike.
The Military Channel: Battle Plan, Flank Attack. Copyright November 6, 2007. BCI, a Navarre Corporation Company.
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