Fake Vampires, Wailing Ghosts, and Other Fascinating Psy-Ops and Military Deceptions

1. Getting Medals From Both the Nazis and Allies

As to Juan Pujol Garcia, he gained the distinction of attaining an Iron Cross from Germany, plus a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) from Britain. After the war, fearing reprisals from the Nazis, he faked his death in Angola in 1949, then moved to Venezuela. There, he ran a gift shop and book store.

Pujol led an anonymous life until 1984, when he agreed to be interviewed for a book about agent GARBO. As a result of the ensuing publicity, he was received at Buckingham Palace, was lionized in Britain, and on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, traveled to Normandy to pay his respects to the dead. He died in Caracas four years later.

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Where Did We Find This Stuff? Some Sources and Further Reading

Ancient History Encyclopedia – Thutmose III at the Battle of Megiddo

British Battles – Siege of Mafeking

British Museum – Furst Karl Joseph Franz von Auesberg

Cracked – 5 Insane Psy-Op Strategies Governments Almost Tried

Encyclopedia Britannica – Zhuge Liang

Fisher, David – The War Magician: The Man Who Conjured Victory in the Desert (2005)

Gonick, Larry – The Cartoon History of the Universe II (1994)

Hesketh, Roger Fleetwood – Fortitude: the D-Day Deception Campaign (2002)

Historic UK – Britain’s WWI’s Mystery Q-Ships

History Today – The Relief of Mafeking