Operation Mincemeat

The 1943 corpse deception that protected the invasion of Sicily

Overview

Operation Mincemeat planted fabricated invasion documents on the body of a dead man dressed as a Royal Marines officer, allowing it to wash ashore in Spain where German agents retrieved the ruse. The papers pointed to Greece and Sardinia so Sicily, the real target of July 1943, stayed lightly defended. Planned by naval intelligence officers Ewen Montagu and Charles Cholmondeley, the operation succeeded completely and became the most celebrated strategic deception of the war. The body was that of a homeless Welshman fitted with a complete fictitious identity.