Operation Periwig
The operation Periwig was a measure of operational information that during the Second World War in November 1944 by the British Special Operations Executive was planned (SOE) and carried out. The aim was to carry out an indoctrination of the Nazi regime by simulating resistance movements within the German territory .
At the beginning of the war, the British secret service authorities were aware that building an actual resistance movement in Germany was practically impossible. Due to the almost insurmountable surveillance by the German security organs, it was considered hopeless to dare to organize such a complex structure, especially since all British agents deployed in Germany were exposed and arrested right from the start of the war .
In cooperation with the Political Warfare Executive (PWE) and the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), the plan was therefore developed to invent a corresponding resistance movement. This measure was intended to involve the German security forces in practically useless activities in order to track down the alleged resistance fighters. This should create confusion and tie up important resources . There was also hope - after something had leaked out from the German population about such resistance movements - that one or the other brave German would actually support it.
In November 1944, the planning group for Operation Periwig worked out a total of eight different scenarios for a hypothetical resistance movement. For this purpose, groups of people within the Wehrmacht , the party and police , the Roman Catholic Church , industrialists, industrial and mine workers , foreign workers, separatists and members of the Reichsbahn were considered as possible resistance fighters.
As an example, the resistance movement of the Wehrmacht should be assigned its headquarters in Berlin . Danzig , Dresden , Hamburg , Nuremberg and other important cities in Germany were invented as additional locations for resistance cells. All cells should be connected to one another through regular Wehrmacht and personal contact. The office of the Wehrmacht resistance movement in London , which is under British control, would have constant contact with the headquarters in Berlin. Two selected German prisoners of war would carry out activities in Germany between the individual cells and would be able to communicate with Great Britain in a wide variety of ways . Numerous other agents should also be able to maintain regular communications with London. Similarly , for all other hypothetical resistance movements, procedures similar to those that would have been expected from actually existing resistance groups were worked out.
In order to make the supposed resistance movement known in Germany, suitable deception measures were devised. For this purpose, for example, containers with weapons, ammunition, propaganda material, food and the like should be dropped by plane via the alleged resisters' supply points.
When the plan for carrying out the operation took on more concrete form in January 1945, objections arose, mainly from the SIS, which feared that Periwig's own plans to indoctrine the enemy could be thwarted . A supposed support of hypothetical resistance cells could actually endanger existing anti-Nazi groups in Germany. However, when the concerns of the SIS were dispelled from mid-February 1945, Operation Periwig could begin, which began with manipulated radio messages to Germany. From February 21, 1945, the first containers with alleged supplies and falsified information materials for the alleged resistance cells were dropped by plane. These operations were discontinued from mid-March 1945, however, because the Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) feared that the Gestapo could misuse such drops of weapons or material in the vicinity of POW camps to carry out the murder of Allied prisoners.
From the beginning to the middle of April 1945, a few trustworthy German prisoners of war were finally deposited over German territory as ostensible agents . There they were supposed to carry out various conspiratorial activities for the alleged resistance cells. The prisoner-of-war soldiers were not aware that these cells did not actually exist.
To support the SOE for Periwig , the PWE took over from March 1945 some tasks that were connected with the printing of propaganda material . After the surgery, a new resistance cell named "Red Horse" ( Red Horse ) was invented, PWE also spread printed material with the horse symbol of the supposed resistance group. The alleged purpose of this group was the execution of senior Nazi officials . In order to draw more attention to this goal in the German population, agents were commissioned to attach this horse symbol to various buildings or objects, and to send postcards to prominent Germans that contained texts that seemed threatening and showed the red horse symbol. For example, the recipients were asked to commit suicide, with the hidden meaning that this would be more honorable than being liquidated by the “Red Horse” resistance group .
On March 7, 1945, the German Wehrmacht magazine “Nachrichten für die Troop” published an article entitled “ Special surveillance for threatened Gauleiter” . It described that for the protection of the 37-year-old Gauleiter of Westphalia-South, Albert Hoffmann , three additional armored vehicles and 24 men of the NSKK were deployed under the direction of Major Ludwig Läubl. This additional effort is necessary because numerous party members in the Rhine-Ruhr area have recently been liquidated. It is believed that Gauleiter Hoffmann is one of the next candidates for an assassination attempt. This description was followed by a list of Nazi members who had already been liquidated and ended with the text that the mayor of Bochum , Dr. Piclum , disappeared without a trace. He had also received several threatening letters, which only showed the red horse symbol as a signature.
The last action of Operation Periwig was the extraordinary plan to use carrier pigeons as spy assistants . For this purpose, from April 4, 1945 pigeons were packed in containers attached to parachutes . These containers were then dropped over enemy territory. A small capsule was attached to a pigeon's leg , containing a questionnaire , pencil and instructions for the safe return of the pigeons to England . The aim was for the pigeons to land in German towns, to be found there by cooperative residents and to have the questions answered. Then they should be sent back to England with the information they had gained - for example, strengthening troops near the village. Of a total of 330 pigeons used, only nine returned to England, two flew to France . For the returning pigeons, five capsules contained return messages, only one of which was usable.
Overall, the Periwig operation is viewed as a failure. Apart from the severe restrictions imposed by the SIS as well as the SHAEF, the actions during the war also came too late. With earlier planning, a free hand in the actions and full support of other secret service institutions, Operation Periwig could possibly have made a significant contribution to the overthrow of the Nazi regime .
literature
- Fredric Boyce: SOE's ultimate deception: Operation Periwig , Stroud: Sutton, 2005, ISBN 0-7509-4027-1 .