BEHIND LINES

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 119, 22 May 1945, Page 5

BEHIND LINES

ARDENNES OFFENSIVE i Germany Tries Greatest Spy Operation Of War N.Z. Press Association—Copyright Rec. 12.30 p.m. LONDON, May 21. When the Germans began, the Ardennes offensive last December : Lieutenant-Colonel Skorzeny, Nazi ; master spy,' dispatched . 150 spies, with American accents, behind the Allied lines in the . war's most ambitious sabotage-espionage operation, writes the British United Press correspondent at Supreme Headquarters. This was revealed by Colonel Sheen, chief counter-intelli-gence officer at Supreme Headquarters, who directed successful counter-measures. Skorzeny's assignment was to form a spearhead in the German ; attack by penetrating the Allied lines and reconnoitre the rear areas, destroying bridges ahd creating confusion on the roads immediately behind the Allied front lines. He selected 150 officers speaking English with an American accent, 800 signallers and paratroops, and trained them in . languages and accents, demolition, wireless operation and map and photograph reading. They were put into American prisoner of war cages in American uniforms to pick up accent and slang. They were instructed in American customs, even down to the method of opening a packet of cigarettes. r The spies were then issued . with American uniforms, weapons and jeeps, but the Germans made two errors. They- did not issue identification discs and they gave the men poor forgeries of American identity cards. Americans Catch First Spy The Americans caught the first ] spy a few hours after a parachute drop. Counter-intelligence officers in less than 24 hours knew the whole plot. The authorities imposed a curfew arid other restrictions, and Paris placed a security guard around high officers. in the first Week of the Ardennes offensive 125 of the spies were accounted for. About 50 were tried and executed and others were shot when they tried to escape. Only ten were not located. Enemy planes over Paris on Christmas Eve dropped special meteorological instruments, whicn broadcast weather conditions at various levels as they descended. A parachute attack was believed imminent. The military- police patrolled the streets and arrested hundreds of people 1 h f r iiouml many casualties when armourea cars opened up against vehicles which ignored road-blocks.