Operation Deception

The Maundy Monday Newsletter - This Week in History June 3 - 9.

As dawn broke over the English Channel on June 6, 1944, Allied Forces ferried over 150,000 troops on 5,000 ships toward the shores of Normandy. To complement the largest amphibian attack in history, an aerial assault began hours earlier, sending 24,000 troops deep into Nazi-occupied France.

American, British, Canadian, and the wrath of God swept across choppy waters and dark skies to deliver freedom to the Third Reich. The liberation of Western Europe began.

Years of planning made D-Day a success. It wasn’t just the combination of parachuting soldiers from the sky or unloading troops and tanks onto beaches. We can thank the art of deception and the general stupidity of the Germans, which kept the loss of life relatively low; if almost 5,000 killed and another 5,000 wounded can be considered low.

Thanks to the hard work of intelligence officers, the Allies fooled the Nazis into expecting an invasion to take place further north, including possibly Norway. Operation Bodyguard, the codename for the plan of deception and trickery, turned German spies into double agents, and their results could be seen in the men who stormed the beaches that summer morning.

If you want to read more about Operation Bodyguard, I recommend reading Double Cross by Ben Mcyntire. I read it back in 2018, if you can believe it. It is a fantastic look at the most complex and successful deception undertaken by the unlikeliest spies.

Like Anonymous. Looking at her, you don’t think, “Hey, she’s a spy.” You think she does something else. Even her LinkedIn account paints a different story.

But don’t be fooled like the Nazis. My wife is a spy. She tricks me into doing chores all the time.

Speaking of time, I spent some time yesterday watching the opening scene of Saving Private Ryan. What an amazing reenactment of the bravery that occurred 80 years ago this week.

Okay, let's highlight what else happened this week. As a reminder, these events celebrate their anniversary, ending in 5 or 0. Here's what I got:

1.      General William Sherman refused the Republican nomination on June 5, 1884. The Civil War hero told national convention attendees, “I will not accept if nominated and will not serve if elected.” Instead, the Republicans nominated James Blaine of Maine, who served as a House Representative, Speaker of the House, Senator, and Secretary of State. Remember, there is no one named President Blaine.

2.      Former President Ronald Reagan died on June 5, 2004. But not by this. It was pneumonia complicated by his Alziehemer disease, which he announced a decade earlier. The 40^th president was 93.

3.      The Securities and Exchange Commission was established on June 6, 1934. This independent federal agency was created after the Wall Street Crash of 1929. It protects investors from people like Bernie Madoff, which shows that it doesn’t always do its job. Interestingly, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. was the first chairman.   

---

If you haven’t watched Saving Private Ryan, I can’t recommend it enough. Pay attention to all the actors who were cast in this thing. It’s remarkable. Of course, you have Tom Hanks and Matt Damon. But there’s Vin Diesel, the guy who played the nerd in Dazed and Confused, and the other guy who was in Boiler Room, Giavonni Something. He was perfect in this movie. Ed Burns and Tom Sizemore were excellent.

Dennis Farina, the guy who played a mobster in Midnight Run and a detective in Law & Order, is in this movie. Also, I just realized Dennis has been dead for almost ten years.

Sam Malone from Cheers is a captain. Paul Giamatti plays a sergeant, and I don’t remember he was in it because who would believe Paul Giamatti was a soldier?

Bryan Cranston is in this movie. Do you know who he played?  

Overall, it’s a fantastic cast and a moving story.

Okay, June is here, and the week ahead is busy. Do not worry. I’ll be back on Friday with something that is okay.

Have a good one!

Okay,

Chris

Blue is paying his respects.