33. Mincemeat’s Consequences
By the end of June, 1943, Hitler had ordered the crack 1st Panzer Division transferred from France to Greece. Another two panzer divisions were sent from the Eastern Front to the Balkans. The total number of divisions in Greece was raised from one to eight, and in the Balkans from eight to eighteen. Sicily was stripped of torpedo boats, which were sent to Greece, to defend an assault that did not arrive. What did arrive was a massive Allied invasion of Sicily, on July 9th, 1943.
The precise impact of Operation Mincemeat’s deception is unknowable. What is known is that the Allied invasion of Sicily went smoother than expected. The British had anticipated 10,000 killed and wounded in the first week, but suffered only a seventh of that. Naval planners expected the loss of 300 ships, but only 12 were sunk. The campaign was expected to last 90 days, but was won in 38. As to “Major William Martin”, he was buried in Huelva. In 1997, a postscript was added to his grave, finally identifying his real name, Glyndwr Michael.