AN OLD RUSE IN A NEW SETTING

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume 80, 30 November 1945, Page 4

AN OLD RUSE IN A NEW SETTING

FURTHER proof that the Western Allies left nothing undone to ensure th e success of the invasion of Europe is supplied by the revelation of the rather remarkable hoax that was perpetrated at the last minute against the defenders of the West Wall. As the Germans first learned to their cost during the Battle of Britain, radar is an ingenious and efficient tell-tale device and they were not slow to incorporate it in their war machine, both for attack and defence. According to the Nuremberg trial disclosures, the West Wall was a massive work, well sited, excellently equipped and heavily manned, with much greater reserves of troops in rear than Allied Intelligence estimated before D-Day. Eisenhower and his team knew it would be solid and very difficult going unless they could find soft spots or make them, one way being ter create a diversion. With a perfected radar system working normally it would be impossible to conceal th e approach of a huge sea and air armada such as was to be employed, so the old technique of a feint attack was used in a new form to throw the defenders off balance and off the scent and lead them to disperse their energies. In a war full of mechanical contrivances which are not ordinarily subject to human foibles a way had to be found of inducing them to tell th e wrong story. When this had been discovered Bomber Command was entrusted with its execution. The combination of planes, ships and dummy parachute, troops served its purpose excellently and the hazards of a perilous undertaking were reduced by practising one of the most elementary principles known to the art of war. It was a pleasant surprise at the time—almost eighteen, months ago now—to find the genuine invasion fleet moving across the Channel with so little molestation and the airborne troops establishing bridgeheads with relatively few casualties. The indications were then that the Germans had been caught on th e wrong foot and had made a bad calculation about landing places. By what we have just been told it is clear that they were given every encouragement to do so.

Invasion secrets concerning weapons and tactics have been given out to the world piecemeal. The latest is certainly one of the most intriguing. Are there still more to come?