Operation Fortitude

During the Second world war, the operation Fortitude ( Courage ) was collective code name for operations of diversions by the allies for hiding with the eyes of the German army the real place of the unloading of Normandy.

This one is subdivided in two major parts: the Operation Skye (British) and the Operation Quicksilver (American).

Objectives

The operation started before the battles of Normandy and was prolonged afterwards. It fell under the total plan of diversion: the Operation Bodyguard.

Fortitude is divided into two objectives:

In north: to cause at Adolf Hitler and its generals the idea of an amphibious unloading in Norway.
In the south: to deceive the German high command while making accept an unloading on Calais and not on the beaches of Normandy.

False unloading of Calais

The stratagems used were varied and clever, in particular in the south-east of England:

False buildings of airfield.
Planes out of paste board.
False radio messages making accept the operations of an army.
complete Destruction of the village Portel in order to make accept the preparation of an unloading (600 killed civilians).

Double agents

Misleading messages also were broadcast by secret agents German captured and effectively turned over against their camp, thus taking part in the system of double agents of the secret services of Its Majesty.
The Germans had approximately about fifty secret agents in the United Kingdom, which all were captured or turned over thanks to the Cryptanalyse d' Enigma.

Some of these prisoners became double agents. The British if were worried to maintain the cover of the German double agents which poisoned the enemy who they went as far as bombarding of the empty buildings to show their “activities”.

Distort army

In the Opération Quicksilver the allies entirely created a phantom army ordered by the general George Patton who was to unload on the beaches of the Pas-de-Calais.

Decisive advantage

The allies could easily judge the effectiveness of these stratagems. As Ultra had revealed the coding of the machine Enigma rather early, the allies could decipher the answers of the German high command to their actions. They suggested the imminence of an unloading in the Pas-de-Calais for one considerable length of time after the unloading of Normandy, probably until September 1944. It was decisive for the success of the allied plan because that forced the Germans to keep the majority of the troops concentrated in the Pas-de-Calais in reserve, to await an improbable attack, thus making it possible the allies to maintain and consolidate on their positions in Normandy.

See too

Liste of the operations at the time of the Second world war
Fortitude is a novel of Larry Collins published in 1985 and concerning this episode of the Second world war.
Fortitude is a film of 1994 reporting this episode of the second world war and the role of Resistance with James Fox, Tara Fitzgerald, Richard Anconina. 96 minutes.
the Weapon with the eye is a spy novel of Ken Follett published in 1980, concerning this episode of the Second world war. Of this novel a film in 1981 was drawn from the same name (original title: Eye off the Needle ) realized by Richard Marquand. With the actors: Donald Sutherland, Stephen MacKenna, Philip Martin Brown, Kate Nelligan, Christopher Cazenove, George Belbin, Faith Brook, Barbara Graley, George Lee. 120 minutes.

External bonds

Normandy Mémoire Spaces Historical: ''' The operation " Fortitude" '''
DDay-Overlord.com - History of the Operation Fortitude
destruction of [[Portel|Portel]], September 8th and 9th 1943.

Random links:

Vulaines | Michel Klein | Doctor Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (film, 1931) | Chionoecetes opilio | Charles II of Mecklembourg-Schwerin