Paul Brannan & Patricia Schmaltz
Summer 1943, in a nod to this maxim, Operation Bodyguard was initiated in order to deceive German intelligence into believing a false narrative for the allied invasion of Northwest Europe. Although there are disagreements amongst historians as to the impact of the deception operations that were conducted under the Bodyguard umbrella, it is worth considering how the United States might employ similar techniques in a future large scale combat operations (LSCO) environment.
Ideally, deception operations should be constructed around central narratives so that, through their connective tissue, certain falsehoods can gain the sheen of truth by way of repetition. This framework ensured that even as some ruses were uncovered or discounted by the enemy, a confirmation bias was inculcated in the German intelligence and leadership that would negatively impact their response to the actual Operation Overlord plan. The core fiction of the July invasion at Pas-de-Calais was still being successfully sold to the Germans over a month after the landings at Normandy.
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