Dudley Clarke
Encyclopedia
Dudley Wrangel Clarke, CBE
, CB
(27 April 1899 – 7 May 1974) was a Brigadier in the British Army
who was behind several deception operations during the Second World War and who founded the British Army's Commando
force. He was born at Ladysmith
, Natal
, and educated at Charterhouse School
. As well as the Commandos, he is responsible for the name and concept of the US Army Rangers, and the Special Air Service
's name.
His brother was the film screenwriter T. E. B. Clarke
.
think that British General Archibald Wavell would invade Italian Somaliland
in 1940; whereas Eritrea
was the targeted country. The Italian leadership was fooled, but instead of diverting troops to Italian Somaliland
as the British hoped, they ordered their soldiers there to withdraw into Eritrea. Clarke also invented a number of deceptions against the Germans
. One idea, codenamed Operation Copperhead
, was to establish a look-alike
for Bernard Montgomery. The look-alike, M. E. Clifton James
, was deployed to the Mediterranean region in an effort to distract the Germans away from the English Channel
.
Clarke also was responsible for the creation of the First United States Army Group, a fictitious army group
based in south-east England
, that was designed to fool Adolf Hitler
into thinking that the Allies of World War II
were going to invade France
at Pas-de-Calais.
In January 1941, Clarke had a meeting with the American Colonel William J. Donovan, and wrote a paper outlining the formation of an American equivalent. As he had recently seen the Western film Northwest Passage, which dramatised the frontier force Rogers' Rangers, Clarke suggested the term "Rangers" as a suitable name. At the same time, Clarke was fabricating the existence of a British paratrooper
regiment, the Special Air Service
, to prey upon Italian fears of parachutists dropping behind their lines. False documents, genuine (but staged) RAF reports, staged photographs of "SAS soldiers" for the service magazine Parade, and two soldiers dressed in "1 SAS" uniforms hinting at Crete
or Libya
postings in Cairo were just some of the tactics used to spread the rumour. When David Stirling
proposed the idea of small, mobile four-man commando teams, Clarke gave it his full backing as long as Stirling called them the Special Air Service; as a result, the real SAS 'confirmed' the existence of the fictional one in the eyes of the Axis.
According to The Guy Liddell (MI5) Diaries, Clarke was detained while operating under cover in Spain and released in November 1941 due to intervention by the Germans. Strangely, he was dressed in women's clothes at the time, the reason for which was not known to Liddell.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, CB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(27 April 1899 – 7 May 1974) was a Brigadier in the British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
who was behind several deception operations during the Second World War and who founded the British Army's Commando
British Commandos
The British Commandos were formed during the Second World War in June 1940, following a request from the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, for a force that could carry out raids against German-occupied Europe...
force. He was born at Ladysmith
Ladysmith
Ladysmith is the name of several places:* Ladysmith, British Columbia, Canada* Ladysmith, Wisconsin, United States* Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, largest settlement with this name* Ladysmith, New South Wales, Australia...
, Natal
Colony of Natal
The Colony of Natal was a British colony in south-eastern Africa. It was proclaimed a British colony on May 4, 1843 after the British government had annexed the Boer Republic of Natalia, and on 31 May 1910 combined with three other colonies to form the Union of South Africa, as one of its...
, and educated at Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School
Charterhouse School, originally The Hospital of King James and Thomas Sutton in Charterhouse, or more simply Charterhouse or House, is an English collegiate independent boarding school situated at Godalming in Surrey.Founded by Thomas Sutton in London in 1611 on the site of the old Carthusian...
. As well as the Commandos, he is responsible for the name and concept of the US Army Rangers, and the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
's name.
His brother was the film screenwriter T. E. B. Clarke
T. E. B. Clarke
Thomas Ernest Bennett "Tibby" Clarke was a movie scriptwriter who wrote several of the Ealing Studios comedies. His scripts always feature careful logical development from a slightly absurd premise to a farcical conclusion...
.
Second World War
During the Second World War, Clarke instituted a scheme whereby he would attempt to make the leadership of ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
think that British General Archibald Wavell would invade Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
in 1940; whereas Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea , officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa. Eritrea derives it's name from the Greek word Erethria, meaning 'red land'. The capital is Asmara. It is bordered by Sudan in the west, Ethiopia in the south, and Djibouti in the southeast...
was the targeted country. The Italian leadership was fooled, but instead of diverting troops to Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somaliland , also known as Italian Somalia, was a colony of the Kingdom of Italy from the 1880s until 1936 in the region of modern-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th century by the Somali Sultanate of Hobyo and the Majeerteen Sultanate, the territory was later acquired by Italy through various...
as the British hoped, they ordered their soldiers there to withdraw into Eritrea. Clarke also invented a number of deceptions against the Germans
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. One idea, codenamed Operation Copperhead
Operation Copperhead
Operation Copperhead was a small British-run deception operation run during World War II.It was one of many deceptions run prior to the invasion of Normandy . For instance, General Patton was supposedly in command of a fictitious army massing for a crossing to Calais...
, was to establish a look-alike
Look-alike
A look-alike is a person who closely resembles another person. In popular Western culture, a look-alike is a person who bears a close physical resemblance to a celebrity, politician or member of royalty. Many look-alikes earn a living by making guest appearances at public events or performing on...
for Bernard Montgomery. The look-alike, M. E. Clifton James
M. E. Clifton James
Meyrick Edward Clifton James was an actor and soldier, notable for his resemblance to Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery...
, was deployed to the Mediterranean region in an effort to distract the Germans away from the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
.
Clarke also was responsible for the creation of the First United States Army Group, a fictitious army group
Army group
An army group is a military organization consisting of several field armies, which is self-sufficient for indefinite periods. It is usually responsible for a particular geographic area...
based in south-east England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, that was designed to fool Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
into thinking that the Allies of World War II
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
were going to invade France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
at Pas-de-Calais.
In January 1941, Clarke had a meeting with the American Colonel William J. Donovan, and wrote a paper outlining the formation of an American equivalent. As he had recently seen the Western film Northwest Passage, which dramatised the frontier force Rogers' Rangers, Clarke suggested the term "Rangers" as a suitable name. At the same time, Clarke was fabricating the existence of a British paratrooper
Paratrooper
Paratroopers are soldiers trained in parachuting and generally operate as part of an airborne force.Paratroopers are used for tactical advantage as they can be inserted into the battlefield from the air, thereby allowing them to be positioned in areas not accessible by land...
regiment, the Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
, to prey upon Italian fears of parachutists dropping behind their lines. False documents, genuine (but staged) RAF reports, staged photographs of "SAS soldiers" for the service magazine Parade, and two soldiers dressed in "1 SAS" uniforms hinting at Crete
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
or Libya
Libya
Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....
postings in Cairo were just some of the tactics used to spread the rumour. When David Stirling
David Stirling
Colonel Sir Archibald David Stirling, DSO, DFC, OBE was a Scottish laird, mountaineer, World War II British Army officer, and the founder of the Special Air Service.-Life before the war:...
proposed the idea of small, mobile four-man commando teams, Clarke gave it his full backing as long as Stirling called them the Special Air Service; as a result, the real SAS 'confirmed' the existence of the fictional one in the eyes of the Axis.
According to The Guy Liddell (MI5) Diaries, Clarke was detained while operating under cover in Spain and released in November 1941 due to intervention by the Germans. Strangely, he was dressed in women's clothes at the time, the reason for which was not known to Liddell.
Publications
- Seven Assignments (1948), an account of Clarke's military career in deception.
- The Eleventh at War (1952) a history of the 11th Hussars11th HussarsThe 11th Hussars was a cavalry regiment of the British Army.-History:The regiment was founded in 1715 as Colonel Philip Honeywood's Regiment of Dragoons and was known by the name of its Colonel until 1751 when it became the 11th Regiment of Dragoons...
1934 - 1945. - Golden Arrow (1955), a thriller.