Operation Copperhead
Operation Copperhead was part of Operation Bodyguard, the cover plan for the invasion of Normandy in 1944. It was intended to mislead German intelligence as to the location of General Bernard Montgomery. An appropriate look-alike was found, M. E. Clifton James, who spent a short time with Montgomery to familiarise himself with the general’s mannerisms.
About Operation Copperhead in brief
Operation Copperhead was a small military deception operation run by the British during the Second World War. It formed part of Operation Bodyguard, the cover plan for the invasion of Normandy in 1944. It was intended to mislead German intelligence as to the location of General Bernard Montgomery. The operation was conceived by Dudley Clarke in early 1944 after he watched the film Five Graves to Cairo. An appropriate look-alike was found, M. E. Clifton James, who spent a short time with Montgomery to familiarise himself with the general’s mannerisms. After the war James wrote a book about the operation, I Was Monty’s Double, which was later adapted into a film, with James in the lead role. The German high command expected Montgomery to play a key role in any cross-channel bridgehead.
It did not appear to have any significant impact on German plans and was not reported high up the chain of command. The overall aim of the plan was to confuse the German high. command as to the exact location and timing of the invasion. The deception was executed some time before D-Day, and in the mid of several other Allied deceptions. It is not known if the operation was ever reported to the German government. The story of Operation Copperhead can be read in the book I was Monty’s Double, by M. E. James, published by Simon & Schuster, priced £16.99, or the film in the UK is available for £12.99. For more information on the book, visit www.simonandschulder.com or the publisher’S website, www.samaritans.co.uk. The book is available in paperback and hardback.
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This page is based on the article Operation Copperhead published in Wikipedia (as of Oct. 30, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
