Operation Fortitude, students of military history might know, was the codename of the greatest deception of World War II. Protest against Border Force on the streets of Melbourne on Friday afternoon. Credit:Joe Armao Intent on deceiving the German high command about where the 1944 D-Day landings might occur, the Allied tricksters created phantom massed armies around Edinburgh in Scotland and in the south of England. The idea was to confuse the hell out of the Germans about where the D-Day landings might take place, and to draw attention from the real choice, Normandy. Plywood cut-outs of tanks and fighter planes were used, troops tramped around as if ready to be deployed, fake radio messages were broadcast and at one point, a body fitted up with false intelligence documents was dumped into the sea, ready for the pickings. Worked a treat.

The latest Operation Fortitude has all the hallmarks. Protesters took to Melbourne's CBD streets. Credit:Joe Armao First, announce a monstrous sweep of the streets of Melbourne by stormtroopers - sorry, Border troopers - and associated hangers-on, right through, and we find this hard to believe, to the Taxi Commission, all prepared to face down the citizenry in the hope of catching visa fraudsters. Great Gods! What next? Oh, pu-leeese! No one could be fooled, surely.

Melbourne, for pity's sake. Protest central. Sure enough, a bunch of hipsters gathered with astonishing speed, armed with posters and chalk for drawing slogans on the footpath, ready to defend civil rights to the last waxed beard... And the Border Force took to its jackbooted heels, braid flying. It was a crafty feint. Had to be. No military force could be so dunderheaded as to actually plan such an exercise, announce it and then mean to carry it out. Could it? Surely the Force must have a secret plan to strike at the heart of border transgressors elsewhere while all Melbourne looks over its shoulder, fearful and successfully confused.

Albury-Wodonga, perhaps. There's a border there. Follow us on Twitter