The Man Who Never Was

So I was watching an old movie the other day and was mesmerized by how the event shaped our history during World War 2. The movie is titled "The Man Who Never Was" and I had it laying on my shelf for a few years before I actually decided to watch it. I was so taken by it that I decided to create a lesson around the movie. My students were mesmerized by the topic and how they had to decide whether or not to use "classified" information from a dead body they found washed up on the shore. This was an excellent critical thinking activity that took about 30-45 minutes of discussion and individual thought. I have the lesson posted below.

The Man Who Never Was

Major William Martin’s body washed ashore on May 1st, 1943 on the beach in Spain. The country was controlled by Nazi Germany. Major Martin was a member of the British Royal Marines. He had a faulty parachute still connected to his body. Attached to his body was a briefcase. The contents on his body and briefcase were:

·        Dog tags with his name, rank, and serial number

·        British pounds (money) and various coins

·        Wallet

·        A Letter from his fiancé (with her address on the envelope)

·        Picture of his fiancé

·        2 tickets stubs from a recent performance at a London theatre

·        A receipt for six shirts from a local department store

·        A set of keys (one belonging to the briefcase, another to an apartment, another to a safe deposit box at his bank)

·        A bank overdraft notice

·        Membership to a country club

·        Inside the briefcase were:

o   A sealed letter from Lord Mountbatten (a very high-ranking official) to another commander criticizing the performance of other British and American leaders on various aspects of battle planning. It also discloses plans for “Operation Husky”, a secret allied plan to invade Nazi Europe by way of Sardinia, Corsica, and Greece (the Nazis had received previous knowledge of an Allied plan to attack Sicily as the invasion point so they had fortified their stronghold in Sicily).

o   Letter two was a personal letter from one high ranking official to his close personal high ranking friend discussing why the Allies chose to start “Operation Husky”.

o   Other documents with specifics on how, what, why, and when the attack will take place.

o   The briefcase also included instructions for Major Martin to deliver these letters to the individuals written on the envelope.

o   A 45 Luger revolver

o   Instructions on what to do if Major Martin is caught by the Nazis (suicide after destroying the contents of the briefcase).

Assignment “Operation Mincemeat”

You are German SS agents who have made copies of everything found on the body and suitcase of Major Martin. What decision will you make on what to do with this information? Do you disregard it as a trick by the Allies? Do you shift your troops away from Sicily to fortify Sardinia, Corsica, and Greece? Remember that you have spies located in London where Major Martin resides who are posing as British citizens. Write what you would do and discuss why you made the decisions you did. Reveal any ideas you can think of to either verify or discredit the information found on Major Martin. The lives of thousands of your men (and quite possibly the outcome of the war is now on your shoulders).

 

Will you act on the information found on Major Martin or not? ___________________________

Explain your reasoning and discuss what steps were taken to either verify or discredit the contents found on the corpse of Major Martin.