5. The Allies Cash in on A Fabulist’s Carefully Crafted Fabrications
British intelligence had Pujol send a message alerting the Germans to the invasion a few hours before it began. It was a gamble, but his handlers figured that by the time it worked its way from German intelligence to commanders in the field, the invasion would have already taken place, and the warning would have done the enemy no good. However, it would cement Juan Pujol’s credibility in German minds. British intelligence then went in for the kill. Building upon the years of trust, Juan Pujol informed the Germans that the Normandy landings were diversions, and the real attack would fall upon the Pas de Calais a few weeks later. That, coupled with other deception measures, convinced the Germans. So during the crucial weeks following the D-Day landings, they kept powerful formations in the Pas de Calais, instead of sending them to help destroy the vulnerable Allied beachhead at Normandy.
When the Pas de Calais formations were finally released, the Allies had amassed sufficient forces to defeat the counterattacks, then go on the offensive. In July, 1944, the Allies broke out of the beachhead, then swept across and liberated France within a few months, not stopping until they ran out of fuel at Germany’s border. As to Juan Pujol, he gained the distinction of winning an Iron Cross from Germany, plus a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) from Britain. After the war, he faked his death, then moved to Venezuela. He led an anonymous life until 1984, when he agreed to be interviewed for a book about agent GARBO. The revelation led to Juan Pujol Garcia’s lionization. He was received at Buckingham Palace, and on the 40th anniversary of D-Day, he traveled to Normandy to pay his respects to the dead. He died four years later.
