22 Photos Inside Operation Fortitude’s Deception During World War II

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22 Photos Inside Operation Fortitude’s Deception During World War II

See how inflatable tanks and tin foil won the war.

Published 7 months ago

Go behind the scenes of the most elaborate deception of World War II.

In 1944, while preparing for the invasion of Normandy, the Allies also began a plan to convince the German command that they would instead be landing in Pas de Calais, France. A fake army, complete with inflatable tanks, dummy aircraft and even airborne paratrooper dolls, was set up in Dover, where German air reconnaissance could see what they believed to be a massive invasion force assembling. These efforts, alongside disinformation and jamming radio communication, led to major resources diverted away from Normandy and the success of the D-Day invasion.

Witness how phony weaponry and ingenious plotting ultimately led to an Allied victory.

1
A dummy plane
Used in Operation Fortitude

2
The reconstructed repeater station in the tunnels beneath Dover Castle.
From here, coded fake radio messages were relayed across Britain to simulate the communications of the fictitious army, FUSAG

3
General Patton
Designated as the commander of the fictitious "First United States Army Group (FUSAG)

4
Dummy plane
Used for Operation Fortitude

5
A factory worker producing foil code-named WINDOW which was dropped by allied aircraft to jam enemy radar
1944

6
Lancasters dropped tinfoil strips called Window
Confounded German radar and disguised the position of the real bombers.

7
Scaffolding of a dummy tank
Would later be fitted with rubber

8
A dummy landing vessel
Used for Operation Fortitude

9
Juan Pujol García or "Garbo", in his disguise. A Spanish spy who worked as a double agent for Britain.
His relaying of false information to the Germans was an instrumental part of Operation Fortitude and the success of D-Day