View source for Operation Ironside

{{short description|1944 military deception operation}}
{{featured article}}
{{for|the 2021 sting operation known as Operation Ironside|ANOM}}

{{operational plan
| name        = Operation Ironside
| partof      = [[Operation Bodyguard]]
| image       = [[File:Map of Operation Bodyguard subordinate plans.png|300px|alt=Grayscale map of Europe with the subordinate plans of Operation Bodyguard labelled]]
| caption     = Ironside was one of several plans within the larger Operation Bodyguard deception (contemporary boundaries shown).
| scope       = [[Military deception|Political deception]]
| location    = [[Bay of Biscay]]
| planned     = December 1943 – March 1944
| planned_by  = [[London Controlling Section]]
| target      = Bordeaux
| date        = May–July 1944
| executed_by = Agents Bronx, Tate, Rudloff and Garbo
| outcome     =
}}
{{Campaignbox Normandy}}
'''Operation Ironside''' was a Second World War [[military deception]] undertaken by the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]] in 1944. It formed part of [[Operation Bodyguard]], a broad strategic deception plan instigated by the Allies throughout the year to help cover the June 1944 [[invasion of Normandy]]. Ironside supported the overall deception by suggesting to the [[Nazi Germany|Germans]] that the Allies would subsequently land along the [[Bay of Biscay]]. It complemented efforts to deceive the Germans into believing that the Allies would also land in southern France at this time ([[Operation Zeppelin (deception plan)|Operation Vendetta]]). [[Bordeaux]] was an important port for the German war effort and had already been a target of commando raids two years earlier. Ironside intended to play on German fears of an invasion in the region, with the aim of tying down defensive forces following [[Operation Overlord]] in June 1944.

Planned by the [[London Controlling Section]], Ironside was communicated to the Germans via double agents between May and June 1944. Unlike other Bodyguard deceptions, the plan was put across entirely by double agents without support by physical deception. Agent Bronx took the lead with support from [[Wulf Schmidt|Tate]], Rudloff and [[Joan Pujol Garcia|Garbo]]. Ironside's story included an initial two-[[division (military)|division]] assault, using Overlord formations, staged out of the United Kingdom. This would then be followed up with six divisions sailing from the east coast of the United States. Historians disagree on the impact of Ironside on German plans. There is no indication that the operation was successful in convincing the Germans of imminent Allied plans to invade the Bay of Biscay. On the other hand, Allied planners attributed the delay of a [[panzer division]] moving to Normandy in part to the deception.

As Ironside was a marginal operation, and they were worried about exposing agents as false, the [[Double-Cross System|Twenty Committee]] for the most part used less important agents and added words of caution to the messages they sent, reducing the impact of the story. Allied landings around Bordeaux may also have seemed implausible because it was beyond air cover from the UK and lacked the normal physical elements (such as naval activities and dummy landing craft) associated with an invasion.

After the operation closed, at the end of June 1944, the threat of invasion from the United States was informally kept alive. It was revisited as '''Ironside II''' in mid-July as support for [[Operation Ferdinand]]. The invasion story was replaced with a supposed Allied plan to increase [[French resistance]] in the Bordeaux region to tie up German forces. Most of Ironside II was ignored by the Germans, whose interest had turned away from the region.

==Background==
{{main|Operation Bodyguard}}
Operation Ironside formed part of Operation Bodyguard, a broad strategic [[military deception]] intended to confuse the [[Axis powers|Axis]] high command as to Allied intentions during the lead-up to the [[Normandy landings]]. The overall aim of Bodyguard was to tie down German forces away from Normandy by threatening other targets.<ref name=Latimer218/> Ironside's specific objective was to tie up the [[17th SS Panzergrenadier Division Götz von Berlichingen|17th SS]] and [[11th Panzer Division (Wehrmacht)|11th]] Panzer divisions deployed in the south of France.<ref name=Levine261/><ref name=Howard125/><ref name=Macintyre331/>

Overall planning for Bodyguard and Ironside rested with [[John Bevan (British Army officer)|John Bevan]] and the [[London Controlling Section]] (LCS). The LCS had been set up in 1942 following successes in deception in the Middle East by [[Dudley Clarke]]. After initial attempts at deception planning the department was tasked with bringing Bodyguard to fruition.<ref name=Latimer218/> One of their most useful deception channels was through double agents. During the early stages of the war, the [[Abwehr]] (German intelligence) had sent spies to Britain, but all of them either surrendered or were captured. Some, along with other volunteers, were used as an extensive misinformation network under the control of the [[Double-Cross System|Twenty Committee]].<ref name= Macintyre34/>

[[Bordeaux]] was an important port for the German war effort, receiving a great deal of cargo, mostly raw materials, from overseas.<ref name=Rees74/> It was also a major naval base, with huge [[submarine pen]]s for [[U-boats]]. The [[Gironde estuary]] and Bordeaux had already been a target for the Allies. [[Operation Frankton]] was a 1942 commando raid targeting important shipping in the port.<ref name=Rees75/> In January 1944, the Allies intercepted communications indicating that German commanders were concerned by the possibility of landings in the [[Bay of Biscay]] region of France. The next month, German naval and air units undertook anti-invasion exercises in the area. Ironside was intended to amplify these concerns.<ref name=Holt560/>

According to the storyline for Ironside, ten days following [[D-Day]], Allied forces would land in the Bordeaux region. This force would spend around twelve days establishing a [[bridgehead]] before advancing to meet formations supposedly part of an invasion of the Mediterranean coast of France (in reality these were fictional landings as well, part of another Bodyguard deception called [[Operation Zeppelin (deception plan)#Vendetta|Operation Vendetta]]).<ref name=Holt559/><ref name=Hesketh103/> The supposed target of Ironside was the mouth of the Gironde estuary, with a landing site at [[Royan]].<ref name=Holt559/>

At first, Bevan suggested that the fictional invasion force should stage from the American [[East Coast of the United States|East Coast]]. Newman Smith, based out of New York and responsible for the US elements of the deception, felt this was an unrealistic story and suggested a large force from the US might conceivably reinforce a bridgehead established by units from the UK. Formations intended for Normandy could be "re-purposed" for the initial invasion.<ref name=Holt559/><ref name=Holt287/> The final plan earmarked two [[Operation Overlord|Overlord]] divisions for the assault with the supposed reinforcements consisting of six real divisions (the 26th, 94th, 95th, and 104th Infantry, and the 10th and 11th Armored) under the notional command of Lieutenant General [[Lloyd Fredendall]].<ref name=Holt559/>

==Operation==
{{quote box|width=30%|Send £50 quickly. I have need of a dentist.|Coded message sent by Agent Bronx, 29 May 1944<ref name=Crowdy284/>}}
Ironside began on 23 May 1944 with the aim of having the threat established by 29 May and continued until 28 June (22 days after the Normandy landings). It was implemented via double agents, in Britain and the United States, under the control of the Twenty Committee.<ref name=Holt560/> The operation did not receive any resources from the Allied navies or airforce, so the deception had no physical element. This meant that Ironside had none of the traditional accompaniments to an invasion, including [[reconnaissance]] flights, bombardment, and naval operations. As a result, the Twenty Committee was cautious about using important agents to pass over the deception.<ref name=Holt560/><ref name=Crowdy284/>

The lead was given to the less important Agent Bronx, a Peruvian socialite named [[Elvira Chaudoir]], who communicated with her German handlers via letter. From April 1944, she had also begun sending codes as [[telegram]]s, which were faster than letters in the event of an imminent invasion. Her code was based on a financial theme, assigning different amounts of money to possible invasion sites. Mentioning her doctor (almost certain) or dentist (certain) showed Chaudoir's confidence in the information. Asking for the money "straight away", "urgently" or "quickly" identified when the invasion would take place (within a week, a fortnight or a month, respectively).<ref name=Holt560/><ref name=Crowdy284/>

Agent Tate (a [[Danes|Dane]] sent to England in 1941 and turned double shortly after) opened the operation, on 23 May, in a message to his German handlers stating that a friend from the US had identified an expeditionary force, consisting of six divisions, preparing to sail.<ref name=Holt560/> On 29 May, Bronx sent a telegram identifying an invasion targeted at the Bordeaux region within a month, using the code "dentist" to say she was certain of the information. She also sent a follow-up letter explaining that the information came from a drunken British officer in the [[Four Hundred Club]] who had later sworn her to secrecy. According to Bronx, the officer had boasted about an airborne assault in the Bordeaux region that would be in the papers the following morning. The next day he had told her the operation had been delayed by a month.<ref name=Crowdy284/><ref name=Hesketh104/>

Although many messages were sent by agents, the Twenty Committee considered that Ironside was quite unrealistic and as a result was cautious about promoting it too heavily. Most of the information was sent with words of caution or uncertainty to ensure that the agent would not be compromised.<ref name=Howard125/> One of the most critical Bodyguard agents, [[Joan Pujol Garcia|Garbo]], did become involved on 5 June, but only in forwarding the message of a fictional sub-agent who he had already identified as unreliable (MI5 hoped that this would cover for, in their opinion, the implausible nature of the story). The agent's report explained that a US division based in Liverpool was preparing to head to Bordeaux.<ref name=Levine261/><ref name=Holt560/>

Messages were also sent from the US. Rudloff, an agent based in the New York, sent four reports between 2 and 20 June. He identified the six divisions under Fredendall being sidelined for specialist training in bridge building but not amphibious assault and under heavy security.<ref name=Holt560/> A last-minute deception involved an [[MI6]] transmitter in France. Known to be under German control, when the operator asked about routes to send escaped [[prisoners of war]] the handlers replied that they should, from 15 June, be sent toward Bordeaux.<ref name=Crowdy285/>

==Impact==
German intelligence documents indicate that there was never strong belief that the Allies were ready to land in the Bordeaux region. Intercepted situation reports suggested that the Germans believed rumours of landings in the area to be "cover operations of small caliber" and part of the cover for a main Allied thrust at [[Calais]] (in itself a deception called [[Operation Fortitude]] South).<ref name=Holt560/> Axis commanders had considered the idea and conducted exercises in preparation, and training continued in the region after D-Day.<ref name=Hesketh237/> Following the Normandy invasion, the Allies had expected both German divisions in the Bordeaux area to mobilize. In the end, only the 17th SS Panzer Division moved north, and even they were delayed by several days, while the 11th Panzer Division remained to guard the region.<ref name=Macintyre331/>

Historians are divided over whether the deception played a major role in the German response. Most, such as historian Ben McIntyre, agree that Ironside added to the general picture of confusion for the German commanders. McIntyre quotes senior Allied figures, such as [[John Cecil Masterman|John Masterman]] (chair of the Twenty committee) and Hugh Astor (MI5), who attributed the delayed German response in part to Ironside.<ref name=Macintyre331/> [[Michael Howard (historian)|Michael Howard]]  dismisses the impact of the operation saying that there is "no evidence that anyone took them seriously".<ref name=Howard125/>

Part of the problem was that Bordeaux may not have appeared a plausible Allied target because it was out of range of [[fighter aircraft]] cover from the United Kingdom.<ref name=Crowdy284/> Historian Terry Crowdy's analysis is that Ironside may have suffered simply from lack of resources. In common with other, higher-impact, Bodyguard deceptions it preyed on a concern that the Allies knew Hitler and the [[Oberkommando der Wehrmacht|German High Command]] had discussed. Crowdy suggests that with physical deception, and more effort, Ironside could have succeeded in the same way as deceptions aimed against Calais, Normandy and the Mediterranean.<ref name=Crowdy285/>

==Ironside II==
John Bevan had asked Newman Smith to retain the threat of a US invasion force beyond 28 June when the initial deception was supposed to have ended. Agent Rudloff sent messages on 10, 12 and 18 July referring to the Ironside force.<ref name=Holt618/> In mid-July, the Allies began [[Operation Ferdinand]], a cover deception for [[Operation Dragoon]], the August 1944 invasion of southern France. The Ironside story was considered as an option in support of Ferdinand, but [[Noel Wild]] and [[Ops (B)]], the [[SHAEF]] deception planners were worried about the impact of a theoretical US invasion force on the continuing Fortitude deception. It was decided that a new story would be presented to the Germans, suggesting that the Allies intended to bolster French resistance in the south of the country. The operation went largely unnoticed and German interest in the Bordeaux region dissipated.<ref name=Holt618/>

==References==
{{reflist|30em|refs=
<!-- Crowdy -->
<ref name=Crowdy284>Crowdy (2008), p. 284</ref>
<ref name=Crowdy285>Crowdy (2008), p. 285</ref>
<!-- Hesketh -->
<ref name=Hesketh103>Hesketh (1999), p. 103</ref>
<ref name=Hesketh104>Hesketh (1999), p. 104</ref>
<ref name=Hesketh237>Hesketh (1999), pp. 237–240</ref>
<!-- Holt -->
<ref name=Holt287>Holt (2005), p. 287</ref>
<ref name=Holt618>Holt (2005), p. 618</ref>
<ref name=Holt559>Holt (2005), p. 559</ref>
<ref name=Holt560>Holt (2005), pp. 560–561</ref>
<!-- Howard -->
<ref name=Howard125>Howard (1990), p. 125</ref>
<!-- Latimer -->
<ref name=Latimer218>Latimer (2001), pp. 218–232</ref>
<!--  Levine -->
<ref name=Levine261>Levine (2011), pp. 261–262</ref>
<!-- Macintyre-->
<ref name=Macintyre34>Macintyre (2012), pp. 34–37</ref>
<ref name=Macintyre331>Macintyre (2012), pp. 331</ref>
<!-- Rees -->
<ref name=Rees74>Rees (2010), p. 74</ref>
<ref name=Rees75>Rees (2010), p. 75</ref>
}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Crowdy|first=Terry|title=Deceiving Hitler: Double Cross and Deception in World War II|year=2008|publisher=Osprey|location=Oxford|isbn=978-1-84603-135-9}}
* {{cite book|author=Hesketh, Roger|title =Fortitude: The D-Day Deception Campaign|publisher=St Ermin's Press|location=London|year=1999|isbn=0-316-85172-8}}
* {{cite book|last=Holt|first=Thaddeus|title=The Deceivers: Allied Military Deception in the Second World War|year=2005|publisher=Phoenix|location=London|isbn=0-7538-1917-1}}
* {{cite book|last=Howard|first=Michael|title=British Intelligence in the Second World War: Strategic Deception|year=1990|publisher=Cambridge University Press|location=New York|isbn=978-0-521-40145-6|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/britishintellige00hins_0}}
* {{cite book|author=Latimer, Jon|author-link=Jon Latimer|title=Deception in War|publisher=Overlook Press|year=2001|isbn=978-1-58567-381-0|location=New York}}
* {{cite book|last=Levine|first=Joshua|title=Operation Fortitude: The True Story of the Key Spy Operation of WWII That Saved D-Day|year=2011|publisher=Collins|location=London|isbn=978-0-00-731353-2|edition=1. publ.}}
* {{cite book|author=Macintyre, Ben|authorlink=Ben Macintyre|title=Double Cross: The True Story of The D-Day Spies|url=https://archive.org/details/doublecrosstrues0000maci|url-access=registration|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|location=London|date=2012|isbn=978-1-4088-1990-6}}
* {{cite book|last1=Rees|first1=Quentin|title=Cockleshell Heroes: The Final Witness|date=2010|publisher=Amberley|location=Stroud, Gloucestershire|isbn=978-1-84868-861-2}}
{{refend}}

{{Allied Military Deception in World War II}}
{{World War II}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ironside}}
[[Category:World War II deception operations]]
[[Category:United Kingdom intelligence operations]]