11. Agent GARBO, the Nazis’ Favorite Spy
Juan Pujol Garcia was whisked to Britain, given the codename GARBO, and put to work building up his imaginary network to benefit his German handlers. The original hoax was transformed into an elaborate double cross operation that carefully fed the Germans a massive amount of often true but useless information, mixed in with half-truths and falsities.
The flood of reports from Pujol and his steadily growing network of fictional sub-agents transformed him, in German eyes, into their most successful spy in Britain. The moment for cashing in on that trust came during the buildup to D-Day and the subsequent Normandy campaign. The ultimate aim was to convince the Germans that the Normandy landings were just the first in a series of planned invasions, with an even bigger one planned against the Pas de Calais.