# Secret Military Files - The Battle of the Mace



## Old Sweat (10 Nov 2010)

This was on History Television this afternoon 1400-1500 and is on again tonight at 2000. The host is Professor David O'Keefe, who dug deeply into the NWE Ultra files. (I used some of his work for No Holding Back.) In the first part of the show he correctly states that Crerar and Simonds were mistakenly left off the distribution on Ultra messages re the movement of 1 SS Pz Div away from the Canadian front to take part in the Mortain offensive. He also claims that 12 SS Pz Div had been moved away from the Canadian front to face 2nd Br Army. (Partly true, and the division had been ordered to move during the night of 7/8 Aug to join the Mortain offensive.) He then makes the point that if Crerar and Simonds had known about the movements, they would/could have cancelled the Phase 2 Bombing and motored into Falaise and beyond. 

As he did the research, I don't mind him taking credit for unearthing the info, or for claiming he is the first person to reveal it. In fact I referred to this in Chapter Four of No Holding Back, see end note 58 and on pp 102-103 I outline the First Canadian Army intelligence appreciation signed at 1320 hrs on 7 August that shows Crerar, Simonds, et al knew that 1 SS Pz Div was fighting in the Mortain area and that elements of 12 SS Pz Div were engaged against 2 British Army.

Maybe I am just getting bitchy in my old age!

The rest of the program deals with the closing of the gap by the Poles. He also shows that the claims of tanks destroyed by the air forces are grossly inflated. 

I am going to watch it again as I missed the first ten minutes or so.


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