Being in the shoes of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel in the months leading to D-Day must have been a living nightmare: the Allies seemed to be everywhere, preparing to strike from every direction.

As the largest amphibious invasion in human history loomed closer, large troop encampments had been photographed across Pas-de-Calais in the north of France. Thousands of tanks and even more tents spoke of an unprecedented attack. However, other reports pointed to a major invasion of Norway.

Things were just as concerning in the south, with intelligence suggesting a massive amphibious landing on southern France. Moreover, the British Twelfth Army was assembling in preparation for a rumored invasion of the Balkans from North Africa.

In the end, the liberation of Europe would not start in Pas-de-Calais or in southern France. In fact, there was no such thing as the British Twelfth Army, and it had all been an elaborate series of deceits designed to mislead the Germans.

Even so, ruses like Operation Zeppelin that claimed an invasion through the Balkans, were so sophisticated and masterfully executed that some historians still debate whether Winston Churchill actually considered liberating Europe that way…

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