Library:Operation Mincemeat
| Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story That Changed the Course of World War II | |
|---|---|
| Author | Ben Macintyre |
| First published | 2010 |
| ISBN | — |
| Role | Analysis |
| Domains | War, Conflict & Geopolitics History |
| Tactics | Fabrication Imposture |
Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story That Changed the Course of World War II is a 2010 book by Ben Macintyre.
Summary
Historian Ben Macintyre tells the story of a British deception operation in 1943. Intelligence officers dressed the body of a dead Welshman, Glyndwr Michael, as a Royal Marines officer, "Major William Martin," and let it wash ashore in Spain carrying fake letters suggesting the Allies would invade Greece and Sardinia instead of Sicily.
The book was adapted into a 2021 film.
Key points
- Building a fake person. The team created a life for Martin, including love letters, theater tickets and bills.
- It worked. German intelligence accepted the documents, and Germany reinforced Greece and Sardinia.
- Deception as strategy. Macintyre shows how deception was used systematically in the war.
Relevance to Bullshitopedia
Operation Mincemeat is a classic case of fabricated evidence designed to be found and believed by an adversary.