I'm familiar with Skorensky's OPeration Greif but what about Operation Wahrung? Can anyone enlighten me - show me some sources? Thanks!
Operation Wahrung During the Battle of the Bulge in WWII, Operation Währung ("Currency" in German) was a special operation conducted as part of the Wacht am Rhein. A small number of German agents infiltrated Allied lines in American uniforms. These agents then used an existing Nazi intelligence network to attempt to bribe rail and port workers to disrupt Allied supply operations. This operation failed miserably.
I'd like to revive this question. The above statement is from the Wikipedia article, and is copied word for word on a bunch of blogs and websites. But, I would like a book suggestion. My grandfather was a guard in a port company in Antwerp. There were rumors of these English-speaking Germans in disguise, so I am trying to learn more about their failed plan. When I search for "Operation Währung" in the Battle of the Bulge books on amazon, nothing comes. Can anyone help?
You can read either Skorzeny´s memoirs, or this one. It was actually a massive failure from the start... "FIRST THE MEUSE, THEN ANTWERP" on Skorzeny's Panzer-brigade 150 during the Ardennes Offensive by Michael Schadewitz....
Drats! Neither of those books have a "search inside" option on amazon. If only that Wikipedia author had cited his statement. I'd hate to shell out $50 for a book that makes no mention of the effort to bribe port workers. Thanks for the book suggestions, though. I suppose I'll have to buy them.
If you´re looking for one detail only I am sure that´s not in the Skorzeny book, and if I recall they only mention in the second book how far the troops ( one jeep ) got.But I think it´s probably the best there can be on the operation as it deals with how they got the men to this operation, how they were trained, etc. Although everything was more or less a fiasco from the start.
Hmmm. Really, all I am after is a source more authoritative than Wikipedia stating that there was in fact a plan to send disguised Germans to interfere with port and train work. But, if these commandos never reached the Antwerp area, then I will probably not discuss it in my book. I'll simply say there were "rumors of Germans dressed in American uniform."
there were loads of plans like tens of shermans to be used in the operation and many english-speaking Germans to be in the operation, but they had much difficulty to find even some. Skorzeny was really depressed about what he was getting to make the operation. The book is full good on what was planned but what they actually achieved themselves was not much, the rumours did the biggest trick. If you want to read about the objectives then the latter book is good, I thought you wanted to know some precise detail.
