I want you to command a group of American and British troops and get them across the Meuse and seize one of the bridges. Not, my dear Skorzeny, real Americans or British. I want you to create special units wearing American and British uniforms. They will travel in captured Allied tanks. Think of the confusion you could cause! I envisage a whole string of false orders which will upset communications and attack morale. —Adolf Hitler, explaining the purpose behind Operation Greif to Waffen SS commando Otto Skorzeny One of the key elements in the German Ardennes offensive was a false flag operation designed to sow confusion behind the Allied lines by using English-speaking German soldiers, wearing US Army uniforms, to spread disinformation and seize key objectives. To that end, these men would also have the use of captured Allied vehicles. And while Hitler confidently expected this incredibly risky and difficult plan to go off without a hitch, problems developed even before the launch date. Skorzeny encountered difficulty in finding both the men, and the machines, that he needed. The problem wasnt finding enough English speakers per se, but finding ones who spoke unaccented English. Just as important would be a knowledge of American slang, and meeting that requirement would ultimately prove impossible. As far as the vehicles, Skorzeny encountered resistance from Panzer units that were understandably reluctant to part with any operational tanks. They sent him cast-off Soviet vehicles which were completely useless for his purposes. In the end, four German Panther tanks were disguised to look like American M10 tank destroyers. The prospects for success didnt bode well, but Skorzeny was used to pulling-off the impossible. And Hitler was counting on him. So, on December 16, 1944 his specially trained units accompanied the lead elements of the German attack and did their best. They took over Allied checkpoints, switched road signs around, and sent Allied units in the wrong direction. But it began to unravel for them very quickly. American soldiers, having received some advance warning of the false flag operation, began asking other American soldiers questions that only a real American would know the answer to. The categories included state capitals, sports trivia, etc. A quiz show with life or death consequences. There were some mix-ups along the way, most notably in the case of American General Bruce Clark who was detained at gunpoint for five hours because he didnt know which league the Chicago Cubs were in! And British Field Marshal Montgomery became the victim of a rumor that one of Skorzenys commandos looked exactly like Monty, and was riding around in a staff car pretending to be the Field Marshal. When Monty was detained at an American checkpoint he angrily ordered his driver to speed away. The jumpy guards shot out the tires, and dragged the furious Monty to a nearby barn where they detained him until things were sorted out. Eisenhower was reportedly hugely entertained by the whole business, and said that it was the only good thing Skorzeny had ever done!
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 03:39:52 +0000
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