military-deception

In this chapter, Ernest Worthing is assigned a covert mission to deliver a parcel and a letter to Captain Doolittle aboard the French fishing boat Mlle. Jeannette in Dover, posing as a Cornish sailor named Seaman Higgins. Meanwhile, the team continues to build a dummy military camp to deceive German reconnaissance, and Ernest struggles with the logistics of delivering planted news articles to local newspapers while preparing for his journey on foot, which involves hitchhiking and engaging with locals to reinforce disinformation efforts.

In this chapter, Ernest and his colleagues in the Fortitude South deception unit grapple with the ongoing success and eventual revelation of their efforts to mislead the Germans about the location and timing of the D-Day invasion. Despite initial fears that the Germans would soon realize the deception, it becomes clear that the ruse has been effective, though the unit must continue to perpetuate false information to maintain the strategic advantage. The chapter culminates in a meeting where Colonel Algernon praises the unit's work and outlines plans to sustain the deception by fabricating further disinformation about troop movements and command changes.

In this chapter set in Kent, April 1944, Ernest and Cess deal with the aftermath of deploying fake tanks as part of a deception strategy against German reconnaissance. They encounter a farmer and his bull, who charges and seemingly 'kills' one of the inflatable tanks, revealing the absurdity and risks of their operation. Despite the physical and environmental challenges, including fog and rain, they successfully conceal the fake tank before preparing for an important event involving the Queen.