The Spy Who Fooled Hitler: Garbo's 27 Agents Never Existed

Credits and sources for this video.

Images (10)

An Enigma machine
Robert-brook. CC0.
D-Day5
U.S. Twelfth Army Group. Public domain.
DecoyLCT
War Office official photographer. Public domain.
Dummy Vehicles and Equipment USED For Deception during the Second World War H42531
War Office official photographer. Public domain.
Eisenhower d-day
Unknown U.S. Army photographer. Public domain.
George S. Patton 1945
Author unknown. Public domain.
Ghost Army
U.S. Army Institute of Heraldy. Public domain.
Infantry waiting to move off 'Queen White' Beach
Mapham. Public domain.
Into the Jaws of Death 23-0455M edit
Chief Photographer's Mate (CPHoM) Robert F. Sargent. Public domain.
Joan pujol garcia
Author unknown. Public domain.

Thumbnail

Dummy Vehicles and Equipment USED For Deception during the Second World War H42531
War Office official photographer. Public domain, cropped.
Joan pujol garcia
Author unknown. Public domain, cropped.

Films (1)

D-Day 1944 Office of War Information
US National Archives — Office of War Information. Public domain.

Music

Score composed for this channel with ElevenLabs Music
ElevenLabs Music, paid plan with commercial use.

Sources (17)

MI5 (Security Service), "Agent GARBO"
mi5.gov.uk/history/world-war-ii/agent-garbo
English Heritage, blue plaque "Juan Pujol Garcia (1912-1988)", placed in 2020
english-heritage.org.uk/visit/blue-plaques/juan-pujol-garcia
The National Archives (Kew), "Double Agent Operations", 28 September 2016: release of files KV 2/4190 to KV 2/4214
nationalarchives.gov.uk/double-agent-operations
MI5, "September 2016 release of files to The National Archives", 28 September 2016
mi5.gov.uk/news/september-2016-release-of-files-to-the-national-archives
The National Archives, image library: "Juan Pujol-Garcia, codename Garbo, message", 5 June 1944, KV 2/69 (and 30 May 1944, KV 2/68)
images.nationalarchives.gov.uk/asset/28404
G. A. Harrison, Cross-Channel Attack (official history of the US Army, CMH, 1951), ch. X
ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-XChannel/USA-E-XChannel-10.html
C. P. Stacey, The Victory Campaign (official history of the Canadian Army, vol. III, 1960), ch. VI
ibiblio.org/hyperwar/UN/Canada/CA/Victory/Victory-6.html
R. M. Citino, "Deceiving the Enemy, Fooling Ourselves: Garbo at War", HistoryNet, 4 August 2010
historynet.com/deceiving-the-enemy-fooling-ourselves-garbo-at-war
D. C. Isby, "Double Agent's D-Day Victory", World War II, June 2004 (HistoryNet)
historynet.com/double-agents-d-day-victory
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, "World War II: D-Day, the Invasion of Normandy"
eisenhowerlibrary.gov/research/online-documents/world-war-ii-d-day-invasion-normandy
L. Clarke-Billings, "How Silk Stockings Almost Scuppered the Defeat of Adolf Hitler", Newsweek, 28 September 2016
newsweek.com/how-silk-stockings-almost-scuppered-defeat-adolf-hitler-503713
Maj. R. G. Ricklefs, "Fortitude South: D-Day Deception", Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin, 1996
irp.fas.org/agency/army/mipb/1996-2/meeks.htm
Wikipedia (en), "Juan Pujol García"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juan_Pujol_Garc%C3%ADa
Wikipedia (en), "Operation Fortitude"
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Fortitude
WarHistory.org, "OVERLORD and FORTITUDE II"
warhistory.org/article/overlord-and-fortitude-ii
Biteback Publishing (publisher of Operation Garbo), "How Garbo saved D-Day in his own words", 5 April 2012
bitebackpublishing.com/posts/how-garbo-saved-d-day-in-his-own-words
M. Blumenson, Breakout and Pursuit (official history of the US Army), ch. II, "The Enemy", pp. 31-32
ibiblio.org/hyperwar/USA/USA-E-Breakout/USA-E-Breakout-2.html

Notes

Newsreel shots are illustrative; some were filmed during exercises. Maps, medals, paper cut-outs and silhouettes are drawn in code.