Editing Double-Cross System (section)

== Operation Fortitude and D-Day landings ==

The British put their double-agent network to work in support of [[Operation Fortitude]], a plan to deceive the Germans about the location of the [[Normandy Landings]] in France. Allowing one of the double agents to claim to have stolen documents describing the invasion plans might have aroused suspicion. Instead, agents were allowed to report minutiae, such as insignia on soldiers' uniforms and unit markings on vehicles. The observations in the south-central areas largely gave accurate information about the units located there. Reports from south-west England indicated few troop sightings, when in reality many units were housed there. Reports from the south-east depicted the real and the notional [[Operation Quicksilver (WWII)|Operation Quicksilver]] forces. Any military planner would know that to mount an invasion of Europe from England, [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] units had to be staged around the country, with those that would land first placed nearest to the invasion point. German intelligence used the agent reports to construct an [[order of battle]] for the Allied forces, that placed the centre of gravity of the invasion force opposite [[Pas de Calais]], the point on the French coast closest to England and therefore a likely invasion site. The deception was so effective that the Germans kept 15 divisions in reserve near Calais even after the invasion had begun, lest it prove to be a diversion from the main invasion at Calais. Early battle reports of insignia on Allied units only confirmed the information the double agents had sent, increasing the Germans' trust in their network. Agent Garbo was informed in radio messages from Germany after the invasion that he had been awarded the [[Iron Cross]].