British Plans for Soviet Cooperation in Operation Bodyguard Deception Raids Against Norway and Finland (1944)

Date: May 1, 1944

Created By: Joint Planning Staff

Original or Replica: Original

Era: D-Day and the Normandy Invasion, The General

Collection: Eisenhower Presidential Library

Citations: Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum

This top-secret May 1, 1944 report from the British Joint Planning Staff discusses proposed Soviet cooperation in Operation Bodyguard, the Allied deception campaign designed to conceal the location and timing of the invasion of Western Europe. British planners proposed Soviet raids against German positions in northern Norway or Finland to reinforce the impression that Allied military operations might occur in Scandinavia. The document notes that such raids could help keep German forces stationed in Norway rather than allowing them to reinforce defenses elsewhere.

The planners recommended providing Soviet officials with intelligence, maps, aerial photographs, coastal information, and other material concerning possible targets. They also proposed sending a British liaison officer to Moscow and supplying aircraft transportation if necessary. The attached intelligence summary identifies possible targets and previously considered commando operations in northern Norway, including attacks on transportation facilities, airfields, mines, naval bases, and other German positions.

The document demonstrates the extensive international coordination behind Allied deception planning before D-Day. Rather than simply concealing invasion plans, Operation Bodyguard sought to manipulate German expectations and influence where German military forces were positioned across Europe.