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Operation Mincemeat - site of grave of Major Martin
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Operation Mincemeat - site of grave of Major Martin
Site of the grave of Major William Martin in the Nuestra Senora cemetery in Huelva, Spain, whose body was found washed up on shore in Spain on 30th April 1943, an elaborate and successful deception by British forces in World War Two (codenamed Operation Mincemeat) to convince German high command that the Allies were planning to attack Greece and Sardinia in 1943 rather than Sicily, the actual objective. Major Martin never in fact existed and his body was that of Glyndwr Michael, a homeless man who had died in January 1943. Date: 1943
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Media ID 14126800
© Mary Evans / The National Archives, London. England
1943 Cemetery Deception Grave Gravestone Hoax Huelva Intelligence Major Martin Mincemeat Nuestra Operation Senora Tomb Gravesite
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EDITORS COMMENTS
In this solemn image, the grave of Major William Martin, located in the Nuestra Senora cemetery in Huelva, Spain, stands as a testament to one of the most intriguing and successful deceptions in military history – Operation Mincemeat. The grave, which holds the remains of a man whose identity was never truly his own, played a pivotal role in the Allied strategy during World War Two. Major Martin's body was discovered washed up on the Spanish shore on 30th April 1943. Unbeknownst to the German high command, the man was not a British officer named William Martin but rather Glyndwr Michael, a homeless man who had died in January 1943. The body was part of an elaborate plan, codenamed Operation Mincemeat, orchestrated by British intelligence to mislead the Germans about the Allies' true objectives. The plan involved planting false documents on Major Martin's body, which led the Germans to believe that the Allies were planning to attack Greece and Sardinia instead of their actual target, Sicily. The ruse was successful, and the German forces diverted their resources and attention away from Sicily, allowing the Allied forces to launch a surprise attack on 10th July 1943. The grave of Major Martin serves as a poignant reminder of the ingenuity and cunning employed during wartime, as well as the human cost of deception. The historical significance of this site is a testament to the complex and often intricate nature of intelligence operations during World War Two. Visitors to the Nuestra Senora cemetery in Huelva can pay their respects to the enigmatic Major Martin, whose life, or rather death, played a crucial role in the outcome of the war.
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