The Ghost Spy of WWII
How a deceased homeless man pulled off the greatest deception of World War II and saved countless lives.
About this video
How a deceased homeless man pulled off the greatest deception of World War II and saved countless lives.
Full transcript of The Ghost Spy of WWII
In 1943, the Allies' greatest spy was a man who didn't exist. British Intelligence needed to trick Hitler about their planned invasion of Sicily. Their solution was brilliant, and entirely morbid. They took the corpse of a homeless man from a London morgue... ...and dressed him in the crisp uniform of a Royal Marine officer. They named him Major William Martin, and built him a fake life. They stuffed his pockets with theater stubs... ...and a worn photograph of a fictional fiancée named Pam. But the most important item was chained directly to his wrist. A leather briefcase containing fake, top-secret plans to invade Greece instead. Under the cover of darkness, a submarine dumped his body off the coast of Spain. As expected, Nazi spies intercepted the body and opened the briefcase. Hitler fell for the trap completely, rerouting his entire defense force to Greece. When the Allies finally stormed the beaches of Sicily, they faced almost no resistance. Saving tens of thousands of lives. The war's most effective hero... was a ghost.