Operation Cascade: Difference between revisions
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==Implementation== |
==Implementation== |
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In 1941, [[MI9#.27A.27_Force|'A' force]] had already created two bogus formations to deceive the enemy in the Mediterranean Theatre: the 10th Armoured Division in the Western Desert, and the 7th Division to guard Cyprus. This fictional buildup was expanded into a systematic plan to inflate British strength throughout the Middle East. In March 1942, the real strength stood at 5 Armoured and 10 Infantry divisions. ''Cascade'' intended to increase this strength, for the benefit of enemy intelligence, to 8 Armoured and 21 infantry divisions.<ref name=Howard43/> |
In 1941, [[MI9#.27A.27_Force|'A' force]] had already created two bogus formations to deceive the enemy in the Mediterranean Theatre: the 10th Armoured Division in the Western Desert, and the 7th Division to guard Cyprus. This fictional buildup was expanded into a systematic plan to inflate British strength throughout the Middle East. In March 1942, the real strength stood at 5 Armoured and 10 Infantry divisions. ''Cascade'' intended to increase this strength, for the benefit of enemy intelligence, to 8 Armoured and 21 infantry divisions.<ref name=Howard43/><ref name=Crowdy>Crowdy, pg 168</ref> |
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Bogus units had to be created, and actually shipped from their bases in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. An order of battle had to be drawn up for these units, crests and signs had to be created, and some form of physical presence was needed to convince enemy agents that the units really existed.<ref name=Howard43/> False radio traffic, and information gathered by civilian informers in Egypt, increased the Axis impression that these units were real and present in the theatre. Most of the civilian agents, however, were double agents controlled by 'A' force through a double-agent network called Cheese.<ref name=Latimer155>Latimer, Pg. 155</ref> |
Bogus units had to be created, and actually shipped from their bases in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. An order of battle had to be drawn up for these units, crests and signs had to be created, and some form of physical presence was needed to convince enemy agents that the units really existed.<ref name=Howard43/> False radio traffic, and information gathered by civilian informers in Egypt, increased the Axis impression that these units were real and present in the theatre. Most of the civilian agents, however, were double agents controlled by 'A' force through a double-agent network called Cheese.<ref name=Latimer155>Latimer, Pg. 155</ref> |
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Revision as of 11:43, 16 August 2009
Operation Cascade was an Allied deception plan during World War II.
Background
In 1942, the British forces in the Middle East were very weak. To prevent an attack on them, a deception operation was planned to deter them from doing so. This operation, beginning in March 1942, was called Operation Cascade.[1] This operation was designed to create a false order of battle in order to keep the Axis guessing as to the strength of the Allies in the Mediterranean theatre, by use of bogus troop formations, radio traffic and double agents.
Implementation
In 1941, 'A' force had already created two bogus formations to deceive the enemy in the Mediterranean Theatre: the 10th Armoured Division in the Western Desert, and the 7th Division to guard Cyprus. This fictional buildup was expanded into a systematic plan to inflate British strength throughout the Middle East. In March 1942, the real strength stood at 5 Armoured and 10 Infantry divisions. Cascade intended to increase this strength, for the benefit of enemy intelligence, to 8 Armoured and 21 infantry divisions.[1][2]
Bogus units had to be created, and actually shipped from their bases in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. An order of battle had to be drawn up for these units, crests and signs had to be created, and some form of physical presence was needed to convince enemy agents that the units really existed.[1] False radio traffic, and information gathered by civilian informers in Egypt, increased the Axis impression that these units were real and present in the theatre. Most of the civilian agents, however, were double agents controlled by 'A' force through a double-agent network called Cheese.[3]
Enemy documents, captured during and after the battle of El Alamein, showed that Cascade was a success. An analysis by 'A' force, published on 19 November 1942, showed that enemy intelligence overestimated the armoured strength of the British forces by 40%, and infantry strength by 45%.[4]
Influence
Operation Cascade gave the Allies valuable experience in planning deception operations, which was later used to good extent in the deception operations covering the invasion of Europe (D-Day in Normandy, and the invasion of Southern France).[1]
See also
Notes
Further reading
- Jon Latimer, Deception in War, London: John Murray, 2001
- Howard, Michael Eliot. Hinsley, Francis Harry. British Intelligence in the Second World War: Volume 5, Strategic Deception. Cambridge University Press, 1990. ISBN 9780521401456
- Latimer, Jon. Alamein. Harvard University Press, 2002. ISBN 9780674010161.
- Crowdy, Terry. Deceiving Hitler: Double Cross and Deception in World War II. Osprey Publishing, 2008. ISBN 9781846031359.