3. Fake General
There was nothing fake about Lieutenant General George S. Patton, a bear of a man who preferred “a German division in front of me, than a French division behind”, was an authentic commander of men. What you saw is what you got, but the quick-tongued, aggressive and passionate veteran of countless battles was used as an effective pawn in the deception game. Known to many as “Old Blood and Guts”, he was well known in German military circles.
The Germans held him in high esteem and felt he was the Allies’ best general and the man destined to lead the invasion. When news reached the Germans that Patton had been made commander of the First US Army Group it became clear that the Allies would invade from their base around Dover across the Channel to Calais.
Patton was ordered to keep a low profile during this period, his behaviour during his campaign to invade Sicily in 1943 had made him something of a public relations liability. War is hell, but slapping combat soldiers (and knowing Patton as we do, we can guess that it wasn’t a gentle, playful slap) who are suffering from combat fatigue was a step too far, and the resulting press coverage had led to Patton being removed from the command.
The slapping incident also meant Patton had no chance of commanding American troops during the initial Normandy landing. All of these incidents meant that one of the most ferocious Allied generals was left commanding an army of inflatable tanks and dummy soldiers. Without Patton’s appearance in Operation Fortitude, the fake invasion plan would not have looked as genuine.