Lord Haw-haw’s Nazi fake news that brought Monty and Eisenhower to blows...
A NAZI supporter belonging to Lord Haw-haw’s traitors used BBC airwaves to poison relations between Britain’s Field Marshal Montgomery and America’s General Eisenhower, it has been revealed.
The Second World War broadcast falsely credited Monty’s troops with a victory against the Germans, when it was mainly US soldiers facing the enemy in the Battle of the Bulge.
Among those fooled by the fake newscast was British prime minister Winston Churchill, who was forced to tell MPS: “The United States troops have done almost all the fighting and have suffered almost all the losses.”
“Care must be taken not to claim for the British Army an undue share of what is undoubtedly the greatest American battle of the war.”
Details of the 1945 broadcast have been released on the 75th anniversary of the end of the campaign in Belgium’s Ardennes forest – Germany’s last major offensive on thewestern Front during the war.
Dr Joseph Quinn from the National Archives – which unearthed a secret file on the episode – said: “The broadcast helped to fuel an Allied public relations fiasco to a point where it went out of control.
“This inflicted lasting damage on Anglo-american relations, with Eisenhower never truly forgiving his British colleague.”
At the time, Montgomery was vying to become No2 to Eisenhower, who was leading the Allied forces.
But in late 1944, Monty was accused of exaggerating Britain’s role in the counter-attack in the Ardennes – to the fury of Eisenhower and Churchill. To try and defuse the row,
Monty held a press conference on January 7, 1945. But the following day, a broadcast went out on the official wavelength used by the BBC to transmit to Allied forces in Europe.
Battle-weary Americans were stunned to hear a “BBC” presenter boast: “In the three weeks since Montgomery tackled the German Ardennes offensive he has transformed it. It was the most brilliant and difficult task he has yet managed. He found no defence lines, the Americans somewhat bewildered, few reserves on hand and supply lines out. He quickly studied maps and started to tidy up the front. He took over scattered American forces, planned his action and stopped the German drive.” But the speaker was really in
Berlin and working for “Lord Hawhaw” – American fascist and Nazi propagandist William Brooke Joyce.
The BBC issued a denial the following day but not before the US press lambasted “big talker” Monty.
According to the secret file, Eisenhower said the episode caused him “more distress and worry than did any similar one of the war”. Meanwhile Churchill called Monty’s statement a “disastrous blunder”.