It was the role of a lifetime: portraying one of history’s most famous generals – Field Marshal Bernard “Monty” Montgomery – on a stage that spanned two continents. The casting, however, had one small drawback. A bad review could cost thousands of lives. A good one could cost your own.

It was a part that Lieutenant M. E. Clifton James couldn’t refuse. A little-known, middle-aged Australian actor before the war, James had joined the army in 1939, serving as a pay officer. His only remarkable service in the war up to that time was to save a foundering war rally with a hilarious, impromptu impersonation of Monty, to whom he bore a great resemblance.

The success of the skit would have repercussions.

Guarding D-Day Secrets

As the date for D-Day, the invasion of Normandy, approached, the Allies launched Operation Bodyguard, an intelligence operation designed to keep the Nazis from discovering the location of the coming assault on Fortress Europa.

One of the problems the Allies faced was the appointment of Montgomery as ground commander for the invasion. British intelligence knew German spies would be watching the colorful, publicity-seeking general’s every move, hoping to determine the location of the coming invasion. How could they keep Monty out of sight of Nazi agents?