Editing Operation Fortitude (section)

==Fortitude North==
[[File:EdinburghCastle.jpg|thumb|[[Edinburgh Castle]], the headquarters of the fictional British [[Fourth Army (United Kingdom)|Fourth Army]] during Operation Fortitude]]

Fortitude North was designed to mislead the Germans into expecting an invasion of [[Norway]]. By threatening any weakened Norwegian defence, the Allies hoped to prevent or to delay reinforcement of France after the Normandy invasion. The plan involved simulating a buildup of forces in northern England and political contact with Sweden.<ref name=Sexton>Sexton 1983, p. 112</ref>

During a similar operation in 1943, [[Operation Cockade|Operation Tindall]], a fictional field army ([[British Fourth Army#Second World War|British Fourth Army]]) had been created, headquartered in [[Edinburgh Castle]].<ref name=HoltTindall>Holt 2004, p. 486</ref> It was decided to continue to use the same force during Fortitude. Unlike its southern counterpart, the deception relied primarily on fake radio traffic since it was judged unlikely that German reconnaissance planes could reach Scotland without being intercepted.<ref name=Sexton/><ref name="BrownSkye">Cave Brown 1975</ref> False information about the arrival of troops in the area was reported by the double agents [[Mutt and Jeff (spies)|Mutt and Jeff]], who had surrendered following after their 1941 landing in the [[Moray Firth]], and the British media co-operated by broadcasting fake information, such as football scores or wedding announcements, to nonexistent troops.<ref name=BrownSkye>Cave Brown 1975</ref>{{rp|464–466}} Fortitude North was so successful that by late spring 1944, Hitler had positioned 13 army divisions in Norway.<ref name=Ambrose82>Ambrose 1994, p. 82</ref>

In the early spring of 1944, British commandos attacked targets in Norway to simulate preparations for invasion. They destroyed industrial targets, such as shipping and power infrastructure and military outposts. That coincided with an increase in naval activity in the northern seas and in political pressure on neutral Sweden.<ref name=BrownSkye/>{{rp|466–467}}

Similar to the operation in the south, Fortitude North had a subsidiary plan used to implement the extensive radio deceptions. Codenamed Operation Skye, it began on 22 March 1944, was overseen by Colonel R. M. McLeod, and became fully operational by 6 April.<ref name=BrownSkye /> Skye was split into four sections, relating to different divisions of the Fourth Army<ref group=note>Operation Skye: (I) Fourth Army headquarters, (II) British II Corps, (III) American XV Corps (a genuine formation but with fictional units added to its order of battle), (IV) British VII Corps.</ref>