Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory (68 page)
Authors: Ben Macintyre
Tags: #General, #Psychology, #Europe, #History, #Great Britain, #20th Century, #Political Freedom & Security, #Intelligence, #Political Freedom & Security - Intelligence, #Political Science, #Espionage, #Modern, #World War, #1939-1945, #Military, #Italy, #Naval, #World War II, #Secret service, #Sicily (Italy), #Deception, #Military - World War II, #War, #History - Military, #Military - Naval, #Military - 20th century, #World War; 1939-1945, #Deception - Spain - Atlantic Coast - History - 20th century, #Naval History - World War II, #Ewen, #Military - Intelligence, #World War; 1939-1945 - Secret service - Great Britain, #Sicily (Italy) - History; Military - 20th century, #1939-1945 - Secret service - Great Britain, #Atlantic Coast (Spain), #1939-1945 - Spain - Atlantic Coast, #1939-1945 - Campaigns - Italy - Sicily, #Intelligence Operations, #Deception - Great Britain - History - 20th century, #Atlantic Coast (Spain) - History, #Montagu, #Atlantic Coast (Spain) - History; Military - 20th century, #Sicily (Italy) - History, #World War; 1939-1945 - Campaigns - Italy - Sicily, #Operation Mincemeat, #Montagu; Ewen, #World War; 1939-1945 - Spain - Atlantic Coast
5
“breakers and boiling surf”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.
6
“lay in their hammocks, green and groaning”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 65.
7
“We are now getting Cadbury’s filled blocks”: Derrick Leverton, letter to mother and father, November 29, 1943, courtesy of Andrew Leverton.
8
“It was a most excellent cruise”: Ibid.
9
“He was excellent”: Ibid.
10
“I went up on deck”: Ibid.
11
“The sea had been wickedly rough”: Ibid.
12
“Day Trips to the Continent”: Ibid.
13
“See Naples and Die”: Ibid.
14
“I was standing up on deck”: Ibid.
15
“rather a nice small slam”: Ibid.
16
“There could be no more diving”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 127.
17
“three times as difficult as should have been”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.
18
“Unseen planes, hundreds of them”: Ibid.
19
“The invasion of Sicily would be”: Ibid., p. 109.
20
“Many of the men on this ship”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 36.
21
“great fires springing up in every direction”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.
22
“the faint throb of approaching engines”: Ibid.
23
“Their blindingly brilliant beams”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 128.
24
“a nerve-tightening, shell-packed eternity”: Ibid.
25
“as much to avoid the cascading water”: Ibid.
26
“throbbing beat”: Ibid., p. 129.
27
“a flicker of light from”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 113.
28
“dark shapes emerged slowly”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.
29
“The English language needs a new descriptive”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 114.
30
“like footlights on a stage”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.
31
“Shells whistled high overhead”: Ibid., p. 128.
32
“with different coloured tracer”: Ibid.
33
“With flares, searchlights and blazing fires”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 114.
34
“cheering the stubborn little submarine”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.
35
“Ahoy Seraph”: Ibid.
36
“a slightly astonished salute”: Ibid.
37
“You know those boys”: Ibid.
38
“slide warily back into the protective darkness”: Ibid.
39
“tiny, darting flashes marked the progress”: Ibid.
40
“hoped the friendly, ever-joking colonel”: Ibid.
41
“Darby is really a great soldier”: Carlo D’Este,
Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily 1943
(London 1988), p. 275.
42
“wished my chaps good luck”: Derrick Leverton, letter to parents, November 29, 1943, courtesy of Andrew Leverton.
43
“As there was still a bit of time in hand”: Ibid.
44
“quite a bit of banging about”: Ibid
45
“It was getting close to dawn”: Ibid.
46
“slightly premature landings”: Ibid
47
“The first thing I was conscious”: Ibid.
48
“Occasional mines went off”: Ibid.
49
“tea-sugar-and-milk powder”: Ibid.
50
“Most nourishing, appetising and intelligent”: Ibid.
51
“added zest to the party”: Ibid.
52
“As the bombs came down”: Ibid.
53
“Another bomb fell in the sea”: Ibid.
54
“little graves about three feet deep”: Ibid.
55
“I had rather an awful sort of dream”: Ibid.
56
“the concussion in my grave”: Ibid.
57
“plus quite a lot of ‘possibles’”: Ibid.
58
“I didn’t feel I was suitably dressed”: Ibid.
59
“I therefore designed myself”: Ibid.
60
“Throw them back into the sea”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 85.
61
“I’m convinced our men will resist”: Ibid., p. 84.
62
“We must be confident”: Ibid.
63
“I could see his heart beating”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 36.
64
“Stop, you bastards”: Ibid., p. 40.
65
“Most important. Have learned”: Thaddeus Holt,
The Deceivers
(London, 2004), p. 381.
66
“complete failure of coastal defence”: Intercepted Message 2124 Rome to Berlin, July 11, 1943, ADM 223/147.
67
“on enemy penetration many”: Ibid.
68
“half-clothed Italian soldiers”: Ralph Bennett,
Ultra and Mediterranean Strategy 1941–1945
(London, 1989), p. 225.
69
“At once and with all forces attack”: TNA, ADM 223/147.
70
“The counterattack against hostile”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 103.
71
“the shortest Blitzkrieg”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 310.
72
“The German in Sicily”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 123.
Chapter Twenty-one: A Nice Cup of Tea
1
“We are about to embark”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 69.
2
“all the winds of heaven”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 67.
3
“The die was cast”: Follain,
Mussolini’s Island
, p. 69.
4
“It doesn’t look too good”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 67.
5
“breakers and boiling surf”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.
6
“lay in their hammocks, green and groaning”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 65.
7
“We are now getting Cadbury’s filled blocks”: Derrick Leverton, letter to mother and father, November 29, 1943, courtesy of Andrew Leverton.
8
“It was a most excellent cruise”: Ibid.
9
“He was excellent”: Ibid.
10
“I went up on deck”: Ibid.
11
“The sea had been wickedly rough”: Ibid.
12
“Day Trips to the Continent”: Ibid.
13
“See Naples and Die”: Ibid.
14
“I was standing up on deck”: Ibid.
15
“rather a nice small slam”: Ibid.
16
“There could be no more diving”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 127.
17
“three times as difficult as should have been”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.
18
“Unseen planes, hundreds of them”: Ibid.
19
“The invasion of Sicily would be”: Ibid., p. 109.
20
“Many of the men on this ship”: Atkinson,
Day of Battle
, p. 36.
21
“great fires springing up in every direction”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 112.
22
“the faint throb of approaching engines”: Ibid.
23
“Their blindingly brilliant beams”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 128.
24
“a nerve-tightening, shell-packed eternity”: Ibid.
25
“as much to avoid the cascading water”: Ibid.
26
“throbbing beat”: Ibid., p. 129.
27
“a flicker of light from”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 113.
28
“dark shapes emerged slowly”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.
29
“The English language needs a new descriptive”: Jewell,
Secret Mission Submarine
, p. 114.
30
“like footlights on a stage”: Robertson,
Ship with Two Captains
, p. 129.
31
“Shells whistled high overhead”: Ibid., p. 128.
32
“with different coloured tracer”: Ibid.