4. (Dis)Information
The fake tanks, the fake unit, and Patton’s presence amongst his ‘army’ would mean nothing if the Germans did not take the bait. The German reconnaissance planes did their part by taking photographs of the build-up of tanks and troops in the Dover area, but what was needed to make the deception a success was much more concrete information. Namely, precise and specific information on troop numbers and troop movements, the Allies achieved this by swamping the German high command with disinformation.
One of the unsung heroes of the Second World War was a Spanish student of animal husbandry called Juan Pujol García, perhaps better known by his British codename, Garbo or his German codename, Alaric Arabel. Garbo was a double agent. The British discovered Garbo when he was still an amateur spy, supplying the Germans with false information he created.
Garbo went on to work for the Double Cross Committee, a counter-espionage operation. As part of the Double Cross Committee, Garbo quickly gained the trust of the German intelligence agencies and supplied them with detailed yet misleading information of Allied plans.
Garbo managed to trick the Germans into believing he had a network of 14 spies working throughout the Allied high command supplying him with vital information. Garbo’s detailed reports on the growth of the First US Army Group stationed in southern England greatly aided the deception. Garbo was so convincing he was awarded the Iron Cross from Germany, which must have complimented the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) gong he received from the British.