Deception

Darlan, Adm Jean Francois

(1881-1942). Fr. c-in-c of the French Navy; refused to order the fleet to British or neutral ports following the French defeat in 1940. He declared his allegiance to Petain’s Vichy regime and was rewarded with the Ministry of Marine. In February 1941 he was appointed Vice-Premier and Foreign Minister and pursued a policy of accommodation with the Germans, seeking to secure a degree of independence for France and her empire. Laval’s return to power in April 1942 greatly diminished Darlan’s influence. Nevertheless, he returned to prominence when, in November 1942, the Allies invaded French North Africa. Darlan was in Algiers at this time and issued a cease-fire and opened negotiations with the Americans. His actions saved many lives but his tainted reputation and the demands of the Free French affected Allied dealings with him. In December Darlan was assassinated by a French monarchist. MS.

Darwin, Battle of (1942). To complete the conquest of the Dutch East Indies, Japan sought to prevent the reinforcement of Java. At dawn on February 19 1942, from the Banda Sea, the four aircraft carriers of Nagumo’s striking force launched 71 dive-bombers, 81 torpedo-bombers and 36 fighters (54 medium bombers joined the raid from bases in the (I! elebes) against Darwin, abda Command’s major supply base, in Australia’s Northern Territory. Although warning was given by Coast Watchers, total surprise was achieved. Darwin’s air defences were inadequate, and of the 23 defending fighters, eight were destroyed in the air and the rest on the ground. Five Japanese aircraft were lost. Of 17 ships in the harbour, the destroyer uss Peary and seven transports (43,429 tons) were sunk and six large transports damaged. Installations ashore were heavily bombed; the port remained inoperative for several weeks. More than 500 seamen were killed or wounded, and civilian casualties were heavy. RO’N.

Davison, Rear Adm Ralph Eugene (1895-1972). US. Graduated from heading escort carrier groups providing air support for

Kwajalein and Hollandia landings, early 1944, to command of fast carrier task groups in Third (Halsey) and Fifth (Spruance) Fleets. In October 1944, participated in the massive air assault on Formosa and in the Sibuyan Sea (where his aircraft helped sink super-battleship Musashi) and Cape Engaho actions at Leyte Gulf. Took part in first major carrier raids on Japanese home islands, February-March 1945.

Dawley, Maj Gen Ernest J (b.

1886). US. Commander VI US Corps during the Allied landings at Salerno; superseded by Lucas on September 20 1943.

Dayan, Gen Moshe (1915-1981). Israeli soldier and politician. See ARAB-ISRAELl WARS.

D-Day see NORMANDY, INVASION OF.

Deakin, Col Sir (Frederick) William (Dampier) (b. l913) Br. Research assistant to Churchill 1935, head of first soe mission to Tito 1943; helped persuade Churchill to support Tito and his Partisans instead of the Chetniks.

Dean, Lt Gen William Frishe

(1899-1981). US. In 1947-48 Dean was Military Governor of the US occupation zone in Korea. When the Korean War began, he commanded 24th Infantry Division, the first US ground unit committed to the fighting. Dean’s division was defeated by the nkpa at the Battle of Taejon on July 20 1950. Dean lost contact with his command during the breakout from the city and was captured on August 25 1950. He was the highest ranking US officer to fall into enemy hands during the Korean War. CM.

Deans, Sergeant James Alexander Graham (“Dixie”) (19111988). Br. Pilot of raf Whitley bomber damaged by German AA fire in autumn 1940, which he safely crash-landed. He surrendered, with his crew and was taken prisoner. In several successive prisoner-of-war camps, he achieved an ascendancy over his guards, and dispatched plentiful intelligence to MI9 by coded letters. Deans guided 12,000 fellow-prisoners to safety in 1945.

Deception. Military term derived from feints in sword fighting, an old-established and still current weapon, depends on secrecy for success. It was used by both sides as a minor tactic in the Second Boer War. In the Balkan War of 1912, the Bulgars used it against the Turks: their purely notional victories of Kirk Kilisse and Lule Burgas gave them much credit abroad, and continue to figure in under-informed handbooks of war.

Both sides, again, used it during World War I; especially in feint bombardments, to deceive the enemy about where he was next to be attacked, and persuade him to shift his reserves away from the point that was really threatened. At sea, Hipper’s retreat in the first phase of Jutland was a feint, intended to draw Beatty on to Scheer; while Beatty’s retreat in the second phase was another, intended to draw Scheer on to Jelli-coe. The Royal Navy developed in its Q ships, ostensible tramp steamers, a sound deceptive weapon against attacking U-boats: a party of panic-stricken sailors would leave the steamer; the U-boat would then surface, to deliver the coup de grace by gunfire; and would be sunk by gunners left hidden on the steamer.

Between the great wars, Mussolini and Hitler in turn sought by deceptive propaganda to intimidate and destabilize their enemies. When Franco had four columns advancing on Madrid late in 1936, one of his generals claimed by radio broadcast that there was a fifth column of sympathizers, hidden in the city, waiting to help; the phrase at once became proverbial. Almost all the fifth columnists who were alleged to be supporting Hitler in western Europe in 1940 were notional, not real; the concept was a great help to him all the same.

Deception was used with still greater effect by the Allies. The captain of Graf Spec was bluffed by a trick that was old in Nelson’s day: the small ships besieging him in the River Plate kept signalling to nonexistent friends over the horizon; he lost his nerve and scuttled his ship.

Wavell appointed Dudley Clarke to run A Force in the Mediterranean; Clarke constantly misled the Germans and Italians about Allied strengths and intentions in North