Operation Willi
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Operation Willi was the German
code name A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may also be used in industrial c ...
for the unsuccessful attempt by the SS to kidnap
Prince Edward, Duke of Windsor Edward VIII (Edward Albert Christian George Andrew Patrick David; 23 June 1894 – 28 May 1972), later known as the Duke of Windsor, was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Empire and Emperor of India from 20 January 19 ...
in July 1940 and induce him to work with German dictator Adolf Hitler for either a peace settlement with Britain, or a restoration to the throne after the German conquest of the United Kingdom.


Background

Edward, the son of George V, assumed the throne in January 1936, when his father died. But it was already clear by then that he wanted to marry the
American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...
Wallis Simpson, and, since the Church of England proscribed the marriage because she was divorced, he stunned the world by abdicating his throne less than a year later in favour of his brother Albert, the
Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...
, who became George VI. The ex-king and Mrs. Simpson were married in France and, as the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, toured Nazi Germany in October, 1937 as personal guests of Adolf Hitler, fanning speculations that they were sympathetic to Nazism. The trip was paid for by the Nazi government, which believed that the duke was a potential ally. In Germany, "they were treated like royalty ... members of the aristocracy would bow and curtsy towards her, and she was treated with all the dignity and status that the duke always wanted," according to royal biographer Andrew Morton, quoted by BBC News. The Duke admired the economic achievements of the fascist regime, such as the reduction in unemployment, at a time before the Nazi brutality had been revealed. Still, he "closed his eyes to much of what he did not want to see". When World War II broke out in September, 1939, the Duke became liaison officer with the British military mission to the French Army High Command. He actually served as an agent for British military intelligence, which wanted information on French defences: specifically, the
Maginot Line The Maginot Line (french: Ligne Maginot, ), named after the French Minister of War André Maginot, is a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to deter invasion by Germany and force the ...
. His reports gave a very accurate assessment of French unpreparedness, but they were ignored. After the fall of France in June, 1940, the Windsors made their way to neutral Spain through
Biarritz Biarritz ( , , , ; Basque also ; oc, Biàrritz ) is a city on the Bay of Biscay, on the Atlantic coast in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the French Basque Country in southwestern France. It is located from the border with Spain. ...
to escape capture by the Germans.


Beginnings of a plot

On June 23, the German
ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or sov ...
to Madrid, Eberhard von Stohrer, a career diplomat, telegraphed
Joachim von Ribbentrop Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945. Ribbentrop first came to Adolf Hitler's not ...
, the Nazi
Foreign Minister A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
, that the Spanish Foreign Minister, Colonel
Juan Beigbeder y Atienza Juan Luis Beigbeder y Atienza (31 March 1888 – 6 June 1957) was a Spanish military and political leader who held the positions of Chief of Indigenous Affairs and later High Commissioner in the Protectorate of Morocco from 1937 to 1939 then, ju ...
, was inquiring on how to deal with the Duke, who was on his way to
Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...
, with the possibility of detaining him. Ribbentrop instructed von Stohrer the following day to forward the suggestion that the Duke and Duchess be detained for two weeks, but not let it appear that the suggestion came from him. Stohrer replied that Beigbeder would do as Ribbentrop asked. The Spanish Foreign Minister then wired Ribbentrop on July 2 that he met with the Duke and reported the Duke's alleged antagonism against the Royal Family due to the treatment meted to his wife, as well as criticising
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 Winston Churchill in the Second World War, dur ...
and his wartime policies. The Windsors then proceeded to Lisbon, where they arrived on July 3. The British government got wind of the Duke's alleged indiscreet remarks with Beigbeder, and as a result Churchill sent the Duke a telegram, ordering him back to Britain. Churchill pointed out that the Duke was under military authority, and unless he obeyed, he would be subjected to a court-martial.(The Duke had the temporary rank of major general.) Then came another telegram designating him as Governor of the Bahamas and ordering him to assume this post at once. Nevertheless, the Windsors stayed a month in the villa of Ricardo do Espirito Santo Silva, a banker (Banco Espírito Santo) said to have pro-Nazi sympathies. The German minister to Lisbon, Baron Oswald von Hoyningen-Huene, reported this to Ribbentrop on July 11 and added that the Duke "intends to postpone his departure as long as possible... in hope of a turn of events favourable to him," and basically reiterated what was reported by Minister Beigbeder. Ribbentrop took this as an encouraging sign, and cabled the German embassy in Madrid to try to prevent the Duke from going to the Bahamas by being brought back to Spain — preferably by his Spanish friends — and be persuaded, even compelled, to remain in Spanish territory. He further intimated that the "British Secret Service" was going "to do away" with the Duke as soon as he arrived in the Bahamas.


The emissary

The next day, July 12, von Stohrer saw Ramón Serrano Súñer, Spanish Minister of the Interior, who promised to get his brother-in-law Generalissimo Francisco Franco in on the plot and carry out the following plan: the Spanish government would send a friend of the Duke, Miguel Primo de Rivera, leader of the Falange and son of Miguel Primo de Rivera, a former dictator, as an emissary. Rivera would invite the Duke to Spain for a hunting trip and also to discuss Anglo-Spanish relations. There he would also be informed of the "plot" by the British secret-service to liquidate him. If the Duke would agree to stay, he would be given financial assistance to permit him in maintaining a lifestyle befitting his station. (Reportedly 50 million Swiss francs were set aside for this.) Rivera agreed to the task, although he was not told of German involvement in this. He visited the Windsors on July 16 and presented the offer to the Duke; while he was receptive to the offer, the Duke also expressed reservations for several reasons, not least of which were the telegrams from the British government urging him to leave for the Bahamas. Another visit on July 22 gave similar results. It was during the time of the last visit by Rivera that the Nazis were drawing up the plan to kidnap the Windsors. Hitler personally assigned Walter Schellenberg to handle the operation.


Schellenberg's role

Schellenberg, who was awarded the Iron Cross for his role in the Venlo Incident the year before, flew from Berlin to Madrid, conferred with von Stohrer, then went on to Portugal to begin work. The final plan would be to entice the Windsors over the border to Spain (with the collusion of cooperative border officials, since they did not have passports) and keep them there to "protect them from plotters against their lives, specifically the British Intelligence Service". He carried out scare tactics to induce the Duke's willingness to leave the villa while trying to pin the blame on the British. Schellenberg arranged for some stone-throwing against the windows of the villa while circulating rumours among the servants that the British were responsible. A bouquet of flowers was also sent to the Duchess warning her of "the machinations of the British intelligence service". Another scare tactic, the firing of shots resulting in the harmless breaking of the windows, scheduled for July 30, was not carried out due to possible psychological effects on the Duchess. On that same day, Schellenberg reported that Walter Monckton, 1st Viscount Monckton of Brenchley, Sir Walter Monckton, an old friend of the Duke, had arrived, evidently charged by the British government to speed the Windsors toward the Bahamas as soon as possible. Moreover, the German ambassador reported that the Windsors would be leaving on August 1 for the small British possession. According to Schellenberg in his memoirs, when Hitler learned of this, he urged Schellenberg to take away all pretence and abduct them outright.


Failure of the plot

Even while the Spanish ambassador to Lisbon was prevailed upon to make a last-minute appeal to the Windsors, the automobile carrying the ducal baggage was "sabotaged", according to Schellenberg, so the luggage arrived at the port late. A bomb threat on the liner USS Joseph Hewes (AP-50), ''Excalibur'' was also spread by the Germans, which further delayed its departure while Portuguese officials searched the ship. Nevertheless, the Windsors departed that evening. While Schellenberg blamed the failure of the plot on Monckton, the collapse of the Spanish plan and the alleged "English mentality" of the Duke, it was also probable that Schellenberg deliberately refused to carry out the plan, which seemed doomed from the start. Even he admitted in his memoirs that his role in the affair was a ridiculous one.


Suspicions of pro-Nazi sentiment

Many historians have suggested that Hitler was prepared to reinstate the Duke of Windsor as king in the hope of establishing a fascist Britain, had Edward agreed to do so after reaching Spain. Documents recovered from the Germans in 1945 near Marburg, later called the Marburg Files as well as The Windsor Files, included relevant correspondence about the planned outcome of Operation Willi. A telegram from
Joachim von Ribbentrop Ulrich Friedrich Wilhelm Joachim von Ribbentrop (; 30 April 1893 – 16 October 1946) was a German politician and diplomat who served as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Nazi Germany from 1938 to 1945. Ribbentrop first came to Adolf Hitler's not ...
indicated that the Duke of Windsor would be offered the throne of the United Kingdom (as a puppet king) if the Operation succeeded and Edward reached Spain. Another telegram indicates that the plan to reinstate the Duke as king had been discussed with the Duke and Duchess: The Duke was appointed to the Bahamas post in 1940 as a means of removing him from Europe, as his suspected ties with the Nazis "made him a liability", according to royal historian Carolyn Harris.


See also

* Cultural depictions of Edward VIII of the United Kingdom


Further reading

* Bloch, Michael. ''Operation Willi: The Nazi Plot to Capture the Duke of Windsor''. Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1984. * Patterson, Harry. ''To Catch a King''. 1979. In this novel Jack Higgins gives a fictionalized account of Operation Willi. The author postulates that the Duke of Windsor passed the planned date of Operation Sea Lion on to the British, after tricking the would-be German abductors into revealing it.


References

{{Reflist Edward VIII July 1940 events World War II espionage, Operation Willi