Operation mincemeat how the allies tricked hitler to open. Its the latest, and in many ways the very best, of a torrent of books based on the gradual opening of the files of the british secret service beginning in the 1970s. Masterminded by charles cholmondeley and ewen montagu, the plan involved the dead body of a. It was an unusual plan which would be called operation mincemeat and was first proposed by flight lieutenant charles cholmondeley, and lieutenant commander ewan montagu, who originally got the idea from a novel by ian fleming, best known for his james bond series of books. Operation mincemeat would only work if the germans could be fooled into believing that the british had been fooled. Macintyres operation mincemeat is part of a long line of books.
Charles cholmondeley, left, and ewen montagu in april 1943, about to put their ruse in motion. How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured allied victory is nothing short of a revelation. I followed this by rereading duff coopers novella operation heartbreak, published in 1950. The effects of operation mincemeat are still being felt today, and everyone should know about what has been called by historians the single, most important and successful wartime deception in history, rivaled only by the original itself, the trojan horse, more than 3,000 years earlier. Jul 22, 2010 cholmondeley was secretary to the twenty committee, which ran double agents and whose chief, john masterman, was another crime writer. Ben macintyre is a writeratlarge for the times of london and the bestselling author of a spy among friends, double cross, operation mincemeat, agent zigzag, and rogue heroes, among other books. Operation mincemeat charles cholmondeley the payoff.
The following suggestion is used in a book by basil thomson. Operation mincemeat how a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory. Macintyre, whose previous book chronicled the incredible exploits of eddie. He was a member of the xxtwenty comittee responsible for operation mincemeat.
The operation was planned by mi5s charles cholmondeley and the british navys ewen montagu in 1943 in a london basement office. Macintyres meticulous research and the layers of his historcal understanding, is his elegant, jaunty, and very british high style. Operation mincemeat, operation heartbreak, and the man who never was. Feb 07, 2010 ben macintyres operation mincemeat, a true story of wartime reception, reads like spy fiction and has andrew lycett gripped. In his new book, operation mincemeat, he tells an extraordinary story that will delight his legions of fans. In 1943, ewan montagu of the british naval intelligence and charles cholmondeley of mi5 came together in collaboration of a. Commander ewen montagu, first under the code name trojan horse. Charles cholmondeley of mi5 and the british naval intelligence officer ewen montagu could not have been more different. Operation mincemeat by ben macintyre the new york times. When the caller sent me a photograph of the page from the register, i studied it carefully. In his new book, operation mincemeat, macintyre suggests that the pair carefully constructed an entirely fictitious life for the homeless welsh man, providing him with a family, regiment, bank. Macintyre has also written and presented bbc documentaries of his work. Cholmondeley had a long, waxed, airforce mustache, a shy personality, and a very strange mind, but he was a genius at deception work, and the unsung hero of operation mincemeat.
You may not be familiar with the names ewen montagu or charles cholmondeley but you may have heard of operation mincemeat, the spectacularly successful in world war ii deception that they masterminded. Operation mincemeat was a successful british deception operation of the second world war to disguise the 1943 allied invasion of sicily. Stream and download audiobooks to your computer, tablet or mobile phone. Masterminded by charles cholmondeley and ewen montagu, the plan involved the dead body of. Operation mincemeat kindle edition by macintyre, ben. Due to its large file size, this book may take longer to download. Bbc history operation mincemeat pictures, video, facts. Operation mincemeat was a successful british disinformation plan during world war ii.
How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory. How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory by ben macintyre. The plan was the brainchild of an eccentric 25yearold raf flight lieutenant named charles cholmondeley pronounced chumley who took it to the chief of section 17m, naval lieutenant commander. Responsible for the idea behind operation mincemeat, later popularised under the title of the book and film, the man who never was, and worked on its development. The drowned man was actually a welsh tramp whose body was obtained in a london morgue by british intelligence officers charles cholmondeley and.
About operation mincemeat pure catnip to fans of world war ii thrillers and a lot of fun for everyone else. Operation mincemeat, operation heartbreak, and the man who. Under the guidance of first lieutenant charles cholmondeley and lieutenant commander ewen montagu, the idea was developed in the chambers of the twenty committee, which was the codename of the british counterintelligence service. As part of operation barclay, the widespread deception intended to cover the invasion of italy from north africa, mincemeat helped to convince the german high command that the allies planned to invade greece and sardinia in 1943 instead of sicily, the actual objective. Martin was scotts house, eynsham, in oxfordshire now a daycare center. Ben macintyres operation mincemeat, a true story of wartime reception, reads like spy fiction and has andrew lycett gripped. The handwriting was that of charles cholmondeley, the originator and cocreator of operation mincemeat.
May 12, 2010 charles cholmondeley, left, and ewen montagu in april 1943, about to put their ruse in motion. Mincemeat was a small part of operation barclay the deception intended to cover the invasion of italy. Operation mincemeat was one of the most audacious, and bizarre, deception. Operation mincemeat and the man who never was mysterious. Unlike other participants, he was modest about the achievement, never told anyone what he had done during the war, and ended up selling lawn mowers in a small town in. Operation mincemeat, launched in 1943, was one of the most successful wartime deceptions ever attempted. I was particularly fascinated by charles cholmondeley, the raf officer seconded to. Montagu was an aristocratic, detailoriented barrister. Operation mincemeat how the allies tricked hitler to. Ben macintyre never lets me down and i picked operation mincemeat when it was a kindle 99p deal. As part of operation barkley, operation mincemeat was in effect.
Or rather, the point of operation mincemeat was to convince the nazis of this fact, dissuading them from their assumption that the allies would come by way of sicily. It was an impossibly complex scheme, dependent on all manner of unknowns and. With ben macintyre, peternel hankin, jeremy montagu, patricia trehearne. Ben macintyre writes in his new book, operation mincemeat. This is the story of the wartime deception operation better known as the man who never was, due to the famous book and film of that name. Cholmondeley was secretary to the twenty committee, which ran double agents and whose chief, john masterman, was another crime writer. Set in 1943, the film follows two brilliant intelligence officers, ewen montagu firth and charles cholmondeley macfadyen who conceived a plan that was dubbed operation mincemeat. History books operation mincemeat by ben macintyre. Charles cholmondeley of mi5 and the british naval intelligence officer. Commanding officer of nid 17m, squadron leader in the rafvr he was one of the masterminds behind operation mincemeat he was a very tall man measuring in at sixthree cholmondeley gazed at the world through thick, round spectacles from behind a remarkable mustache fully six inches long and waxed into magnificent points. In his new book, operation mincemeat, he tells an extraordinary story that will.
In 1943, from a windowless basement office in london, two. What makes operation mincemeat so winning, in addition to mr. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Two members of british intelligence obtained the body of glyndwr michael, a tramp who died from eating rat poison, dressed him as an officer of the royal marines and placed personal items on him identifying him as the fictitious captain acting major william. In 1943, from a windowless basement office in london, two brilliant intelligence officers conceived a plan that was both simple and complicated operation mincemeat. Charles cholmondeley of mi5 and the british naval intelligence officer ewen. The drowned man was actually a welsh tramp whose body was obtained in a london morgue by british intelligence officers charles cholmondeley and ewen montagu, the brains behind operation. The plan for operation mincemeat was born out of an idea that cholmondeley had put forward previously, which had subsequently been dismissed as unworkable. Cholmondeley and montagu filled martins pockets with odds and ends. How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory audiobook by ben macintyre. The true spy story that changed the course of world war ii. The plan was the brainchild of an eccentric 25yearold raf flight lieutenant named charles cholmondeley pronounced chumley who took it to the chief of. Joseph kanon, washington post book world thrilling.
Operation mincemeat was a successful british deception operation of the second world war to. How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory ben macintyre broadway books 2011 epub. The twenty committee duly assigned cholmondeley to work out the details with montagu, who would run operation mincemeat from his cramped offices under the admiralty. Operation mincemeat how a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory book. Aug 29, 2018 the drowned man was actually a welsh tramp whose body was obtained in a london morgue by british intelligence officers charles cholmondeley and ewen montagu, the brains behind operation. Matthew macfadyen joins colin firth in operation mincemeat. The fearsome admiral godfrey m in the bond books, ian fleming himself flitting through the. Courtesy of jeremy montagufrom operation mincemeat. Jan 23, 2010 history books operation mincemeat by ben macintyre.
Ben macintyres agent zigzag was hailed as rollicking, spellbinding new york times, wildly improbable but entirely true entertainment weekly, and, quite simply, the best book ever written boston globe. Apr 30, 2018 operation mincemeat, launched in 1943, was one of the most successful wartime deceptions ever attempted. Charles cholmondeley, left, and ewen montagu in april 1943, about to put their. Charles cholmondeley and ewen montagu, the two intelligence officers responsible for operation mincemeat, eventually found a suitable body an. Spilsbury provided the medical requirements and cholmondeley contacted charles frasersmith of the ministry of supply to. Ben macintyres agent zigzag was hailed as rollicking, spellbinding new york times, wildly improbable but entirely true entertainment weekly, and, quite. The true spy story that changed the course of world war ii 2010 by macintyre, ben isbn. The corkscrew minds at british navy intelligence, headed by john godfrey and his assistant, ian fleming yes, of james bond fame, put forth the germ of the idea, which was then developed to its fantastic implementation by raf flight officer charles cholmondeley and lt. The idea was taken up by charles cholmondeley, secretary of the. The originator of the scheme, charles cholmondeley, is all but written out. How a dead man and a bizarre plan fooled the nazis and assured an allied victory ben macintyre, author. This plan had included the parachuting of an already dead man perhaps disguised as an agent into german occupied france with a radio, although the parachute would be rigged to. Operation mincemeat by ben macintyre books on tape.