13. An English Criminal Derailed Germany’s Rocket Bombardment of London
Eddie Chapman was an English career criminal, who was serving a two year prison stint for burglary in Britain’s Channel Islands, when they were captured by the Germans in 1940. He volunteered to work for the invaders, so they trained him in explosives and sabotage, before parachuting him into Britain in 1942. He was arrested soon thereafter, and immediately offered to become a double agent. His offer was accepted, and he began feeding the Nazis fake reports and carrying out fake sabotage missions, that raised his stock with German intelligence.
Chapman was recalled to Germany, lionized as a hero, and awarded an Iron Cross. He was sent back to Britain in the summer of 1944, to report on the effectiveness of the German V1 and V2 rocket bombardment of London. Back under British control, Chapman fed the Germans false information about the rockets’ impact points. That led the Germans to shift the aim points, which caused the rockets to strike parts of London with a lower population density, which resulted in fewer overall casualties.
