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Week three – Deceiving the Nazis

Week three – Deceiving the Nazis

In week three of the HistoryExtra Academy course on D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, historian and broadcaster Taylor Downing explores how hoax soldiers, dummy military equipment and a pretend commander concealed the Allies' D-Day plans from Nazi eyes

Published: August 21, 2024 at 11:38 AM

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Taylor Downing: From the beginning of planning, it was decided that deception would be a key feature of Operation Overlord in an attempt to deceive the Germans about where and when the invasion would take place.

In Operation Fortitude, a variety of tricks were played to convince the Germans that the invasion would take place over the shortest route across the Channel, against the Pas-de-Calais and not in Normandy. In this week's video lecture, I explain how a fake army group was created of about a quarter of a million men, complete with dummy tanks and landing craft in south-east England.

A bullish and tough commander was put in charge, and double agents – turned by the secret services – fed the Germans with phoney information about this pretend army. Discover how the deception was set up and how the Allies succeeded in fooling the Germans as to what was going to happen...

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HistoryExtra Academy video lecture: Deceiving the Nazis. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

In week three of the HistoryExtra Academy course on D-Day and the Normandy Campaign, historian and broadcaster Taylor Downing explores how hoax soldiers, dummy military equipment and a pretend commander concealed the Allies' D-Day plans from Nazi eyes
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D-Day: why the training was deadlier than the assault. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Amid live-ammo mishaps and landing craft sinkings, more troops were lost in training for 6 June than on the day itself, reveals Peter Caddick-Adams
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The road to D-Day: getting ready for action. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

As their plans to liberate Europe gathered pace, the Allies knew that every stage of the invasion would have to be carried out with razor-like precision. Soon, thousands of troops were being put through rigorous training exercises – some of which turned out to be as deadly as the real thing. By historian Peter Caddick-Adams
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"Hitler slept through D-Day", plus four other facts about the Normandy Landings you might not know.... This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Historian and broadcaster Taylor Downing shares five surprising facts about the biggest amphibious landing in military history
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The LibraryThe Allies’ big idea: the largest air battle of the Second World War. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

For D-Day to succeed, the Allies had to wrest control of the skies over western Europe from the Luftwaffe. As James Holland recounts, the February 1944 'Big Week' raids, which collectively made up the largest air battle of the war, helped secure that aerial supremacy
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HistoryExtra Academy D-Day and the Normandy Campaign quiz: week three. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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