Operation Cornflakes

The Allied Plot to Sabotage Nazi Germany’s Mail

De: Cyril Marlen

Narrado por: David Seldin

Operation Cornflakes: The Allied Plot to Sabotage Nazi Germany’s Mail is a gripping account of one of World War II’s most audacious and little-known psychological operations. Cyril Marlen reconstructs, with cinematic clarity and archival precision, how a handful of intelligence officers, printers, linguists, and airmen conspired to turn the Nazi postal system into an instrument of its own undoing. This is the story of how ink and paper became weapons, how forged stamps and counterfeit newspapers travelled through bombed-out rail yards and into German kitchens, and how the relentless craft of deception sought to undermine a regime that depended on the control of information.

Marlen opens with the genesis of the idea: an unconventional, almost mischievous plan hatched in the OSS Morale Operations branch to exploit the intimate trust citizens placed in their mail. Faced with the limits of leaflet drops and radio broadcasts, Allied propagandists conceived a far bolder tactic—create letters so authentic that German postal workers would process them alongside genuine correspondence, and families would read them as ordinary news from home. The operation required extraordinary attention to detail: matching paper stock and inks, replicating Reichspost seals, imitating handwriting and local dialects, and even producing convincing forgeries of Nazi newspapers. The forgeries were not crude attacks; they were careful psychological nudges—personal notes of despair, official-looking notices that hinted at corruption, and fake reports designed to erode faith in the regime without obvious partisanship.

The narrative follows the operation’s development from concept to execution. Marlen introduces the key players—the OSS analysts who studied German mail routes and distribution hubs, the refugees and native speakers who authored letters that sounded heartbreakingly authentic, the printing specialists who perfected stamps and postmarks, and the pilots who risked their lives to deliver a payload unlike any other. He reconstructs the dramatic missions in which Allied aircraft, after bombing a targeted mail train, dropped weighted mailbags containing the counterfeit post among the wreckage. German postal teams, intent on salvaging and restoring communications, sometimes unwittingly recovered and redistributed the enemy’s handiwork.

Through vivid scenes and painstaking research, Marlen exposes the brittle veneer of wartime information control. He traces the operation’s successes and failures—early missions that saw leaflets slip into households across the Reich, and blunders that provoked Gestapo suspicion after a single typo or suspicious postmark. He examines the ethical gray zones the operation inhabited: forging private correspondence, exploiting grief and fear, and manipulating trust. Yet he also shows how, in a conflict dominated by propaganda, such deception could save lives by hastening the erosion of fascist control.

Operation Cornflakes is as much about craft as it is about courage. It celebrates the unsung artisans of psychological warfare—the printers, typographers, translators, and aircrews—whose meticulous work blurred the line between authenticity and artifice. Marlen situates their story within the larger evolution of modern information warfare, arguing that Cornflakes anticipated later campaigns where truth, half-truth, and forgery would be wielded with strategic intent.

©2025 Deep Vision Media t/a Zentara UK (P)2025 Deep Vision Media t/a Zentara UK

A Refreshing Break From Traditional Spy Narratives

Rather than focusing on lone agents, this book emphasizes teamwork and coordination. It feels more realistic and more informative than many dramatized spy stories.

A Reminder That War Is Also About Ideas

This book reinforces the idea that wars are fought in minds as much as on battlefields. Controlling belief and doubt can be as decisive as controlling territory.

Perfect for Readers Interested in Intelligence His

Those curious about the evolution of intelligence agencies and morale operations will find this book especially rewarding. It provides concrete examples rather than abstract theory.

Rich Character Portraits Without Sensationalism

The people involved are presented as skilled professionals rather than caricatures. Their dedication and creativity come through without unnecessary dramatization.

Connects WWII to Modern Psychological Operations

The author’s discussion of how Operation Cornflakes anticipated later information warfare is insightful. It shows how techniques developed decades ago still influence modern strategy.