Comments on: Mincemeat and the Imaginary Man http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/ A collection of Damn Interesting things Sat, 11 Feb 2012 01:49:52 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: MacAvity http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-26977 MacAvity Sat, 07 Jan 2012 06:02:38 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-26977 There's a fairly new (2010?) book about this - <i>Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory</i>, by Ben McIntyre. Since it uses Ewen Montagu's personal journals and correspondences as never-before-seen sources, it answers some questions as conclusively as they can ever be answered - I recommend reading it, as it's also entertaining, engaging, and full of stranger-than-fiction details. When I saw it in my local library, I checked it out just because I had read this article years before - thank you Damn Interesting! There’s a fairly new (2010?) book about this – Operation Mincemeat: How a Dead Man and a Bizarre Plan Fooled the Nazis and Assured an Allied Victory, by Ben McIntyre. Since it uses Ewen Montagu’s personal journals and correspondences as never-before-seen sources, it answers some questions as conclusively as they can ever be answered – I recommend reading it, as it’s also entertaining, engaging, and full of stranger-than-fiction details. When I saw it in my local library, I checked it out just because I had read this article years before – thank you Damn Interesting!

]]> By: ballpet http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-26062 ballpet Tue, 01 Jun 2010 17:01:34 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-26062 There are Interesting comments in this thread, some on the mark and some who seem to be from another galaxy. …I haven’t read the book yet but it will be interesting to see if it adds anything to “The Man Who Never Was” (Ewen Montagu). For those who think that it should have been obvious to the Germans that this was a deception I would suggest further reading on the various and devious methods of deception used by the Allies during WW2. In particular Anthony Cave Brown’s tome “Bodyguard of Lies” (the title is from a Winston Churchill quote; “In war-time truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies”). Copies may be available from a used bookstore or your local library. Or just “Google” “bodyguard of lies”, there are excerpts available online. There are Interesting comments in this thread, some on the mark and some who seem to be from another galaxy. …I haven’t read the book yet but it will be interesting to see if it adds anything to “The Man Who Never Was” (Ewen Montagu). For those who think that it should have been obvious to the Germans that this was a deception I would suggest further reading on the various and devious methods of deception used by the Allies during WW2. In particular Anthony Cave Brown’s tome “Bodyguard of Lies” (the title is from a Winston Churchill quote; “In war-time truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies”). Copies may be available from a used bookstore or your local library. Or just “Google” “bodyguard of lies”, there are excerpts available online.

]]> By: Flackbash http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-25980 Flackbash Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:42:51 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-25980 [quote]family member said: "The man who never was as being a family member, have you told the real life of him, or this fake person, or the real person and his life. Thank you from family member."[/quote] I feel more like I do now than I did before. Great article, Alan. [quote]family member said: “The man who never was as being a family member, have you told the real life of him, or this fake person, or the real person and his life. Thank you from family member.”[/quote]

I feel more like I do now than I did before.

Great article, Alan.

]]> By: whateverewethink http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-23145 whateverewethink Mon, 20 Oct 2008 10:09:28 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-23145 [quote]gm89 said: "For those who think it's ridiculous they fell for it (and other people did, after that) and that it could never happen these days… do a Google search for 'Top-secret Iraq documents found on train'. That's right, the UK allegedly accidentally left very important stuff on a train, in an orange envelope, and someone read them. Happened on June 10 this year (2008)."[/quote] During the first Gulf War, General Norman Schwarzkopf, used this trickery to divert attention away from the actual ground invasion plans. A good short write up about diversionary tactics can be found at http://muller.lbl.gov/TRessays/17-Deceiving_Saddam.html including notation about the first night vision system developed by the British being carrot powered. Fly my wascally wabbits, fly!!! [quote]gm89 said: “For those who think it’s ridiculous they fell for it (and other people did, after that) and that it could never happen these days… do a Google search for ‘Top-secret Iraq documents found on train’. That’s right, the UK allegedly accidentally left very important stuff on a train, in an orange envelope, and someone read them. Happened on June 10 this year (2008).”[/quote]

During the first Gulf War, General Norman Schwarzkopf, used this trickery to divert attention away from the actual ground invasion plans. A good short write up about diversionary tactics can be found at http://muller.lbl.gov/TRessays/17-Deceiving_Saddam.html including notation about the first night vision system developed by the British being carrot powered.
Fly my wascally wabbits, fly!!!

]]> By: family member http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-22575 family member Thu, 21 Aug 2008 17:10:00 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-22575 The man who never was as being a family member, have you told the real life of him, or this fake person, or the real person and his life. Thank you from family member. The man who never was as being a family member, have you told the real life of him, or this fake person, or the real person and his life. Thank you from family member.

]]> By: gm89 http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-21745 gm89 Thu, 12 Jun 2008 11:01:05 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-21745 For those who think it's ridiculous they fell for it (and other people did, after that) and that it could never happen these days... do a Google search for 'Top-secret Iraq documents found on train'. That's right, the UK allegedly accidentally left very important stuff on a train, in an orange envelope, and someone read them. Happened on June 10 this year (2008). For those who think it’s ridiculous they fell for it (and other people did, after that) and that it could never happen these days… do a Google search for ‘Top-secret Iraq documents found on train’. That’s right, the UK allegedly accidentally left very important stuff on a train, in an orange envelope, and someone read them. Happened on June 10 this year (2008).

]]> By: Rachelita http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-21311 Rachelita Fri, 09 May 2008 22:47:48 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-21311 [quote]another viewpoint said: "However, in the world today, is there any way to turn OFF the media broadcasters from telling the world what the military is up to at any one time? I have to believe that our enemies get some of their best info and "intelligence" from watching CNN nightly news…for your convenience, beamed directly to you anywhere in the world. Thank you very much."[/quote] Seriously though! [quote]another viewpoint said: “However, in the world today, is there any way to turn OFF the media broadcasters from telling the world what the military is up to at any one time? I have to believe that our enemies get some of their best info and “intelligence” from watching CNN nightly news…for your convenience, beamed directly to you anywhere in the world. Thank you very much.”[/quote]

Seriously though!

]]> By: K8theGr8 http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-20280 K8theGr8 Sat, 01 Mar 2008 22:19:48 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-20280 It's good that they don't know who the man was for sure, because that's what the family wanted. It’s good that they don’t know who the man was for sure, because that’s what the family wanted.

]]> By: piper http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-14827 piper Sun, 13 May 2007 11:19:28 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-14827 <p>agooga, see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158583/</p><p>Specifically the end bit with Emerson's conversation with the French president.</p><p>Yeah, it's a pretty crappy movie.</p> agooga, see http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0158583/

Specifically the end bit with Emerson’s conversation with the French president.

Yeah, it’s a pretty crappy movie.

]]> By: Ledasmom http://www.damninteresting.com/mincemeat-and-the-imaginary-man/#comment-14289 Ledasmom Fri, 20 Apr 2007 22:51:37 +0000 http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=176#comment-14289 <p>The novel "Operation Heartbreak" by Duff Cooper was also based, loosely, on this incident.</p> The novel “Operation Heartbreak” by Duff Cooper was also based, loosely, on this incident.

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