As said by Sun Tzu in the Art of War “The enemy must not know where I intend to give battle. For if he does not know where I intend to give battle he must prepare in a great many places. And when he prepares in a great many places, those I have to fight in any one place will be few.” This philosophy of deception was embraced by the Allies in World War II through Operation FORTITUDE as a means to defeat the German forces in one of the most well know battles of the war, the battle of Normandy or “D-Day”. Operation FORTITUDE ,although at its core a simple plan, involved a complex network of agents, carefully selected intelligence leaks, fake military units, and cooperation from the Allied forces. Operation Fortitude essentially had three main parts. Fortitude North was the fictitious invasion of Norway, the
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German Field Marshall Edwin Rommel and others in German command worried of a Normandy invasion. In an effort to appeaser his concerns he suggested that the Panzer Lehr and 12 ss Panzer Divisions be placed closer to Normandy beach however there was a lot of uncertainty as to the Allied plans (Hesketh 144). As a result of the deceptive messages given to the Germans by the double agents as well as observed troop movements by spies the Germans were still unclear as to where the attack would take place but many such as Rundstedt felt it was a safer decision to keep the units closer to the Pas-de-Calais because he was unsure as to whether Normandy required that type of reinforcement (Bickell 99). From this it can be gathered that Operation Fortitude South had a definite impact on how the Germans carried out their preparations. In this case there are statements from German military officials showing that there was confusion and uncertainty about the location of the Allied
German Field Marshall Edwin Rommel and others in German command worried of a Normandy invasion. In an effort to appeaser his concerns he suggested that the Panzer Lehr and 12 ss Panzer Divisions be placed closer to Normandy beach however there was a lot of uncertainty as to the Allied plans (Hesketh 144). As a result of the deceptive messages given to the Germans by the double agents as well as observed troop movements by spies the Germans were still unclear as to where the attack would take place but many such as Rundstedt felt it was a safer decision to keep the units closer to the Pas-de-Calais because he was unsure as to whether Normandy required that type of reinforcement (Bickell 99). From this it can be gathered that Operation Fortitude South had a definite impact on how the Germans carried out their preparations. In this case there are statements from German military officials showing that there was confusion and uncertainty about the location of the Allied