CLANDESTINE OPERATIONS
During the Battle of the Bulge, Germany attempted two operations designed to sow confusion among the Allies. Operation Greif (‘griffin’) involved English-speaking German troops dressing in captured US and British uniforms and driving Allied vehicles. They sought to disrupt the Allied defence against the Ardennes Offensive by spreading rumours, giving false orders and preventing vital bridges from being destroyed before moving on to capture a bridge over the Meuse ahead of the main advance. An offshoot of Operation Greif, Operation Wahrung (‘currency’) saw disguised Germans trying to bribe dock and railway workers into disrupting Allied supply lines.
The operations were put into effect by Waffen-SS commando Otto Skorzeny, who was to recruit and train the new Panzer Brigade 150 for the task. He was an experienced operator who had previously been wounded on the
