✉️ The Mail That Ate Morale: Inside Operation Cornflake

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"Operation Cornflake" was a highly clandestine and ambitious psychological warfare operation conducted by the American Office of Strategic Services (OSS) during the final months of World War II, primarily in late 1944 and early 1945. Its audacious goal was to sow discord, mistrust, and demoralization among German soldiers and the civilian population by infiltrating their own postal system with meticulously forged mail.

I. The Premise: Weaponizing the Post

By 1944, Germany's infrastructure was crumbling under relentless Allied bombing, but its internal postal service, the Deutsche Reichspost, remarkably, was still largely functional. This represented both a challenge and an opportunity for Allied intelligence. If mail could still get through, it could be a powerful conduit for propaganda.

The OSS recognized that direct propaganda leaflets often lacked credibility. They were clearly enemy material. However, if propaganda could be disguised as personal correspondence from trusted sources (family, friends), or even official-looking German documents, it would bypass initial skepticism and deliver its message directly into German homes and barracks.

II. The Forgery Factory: Artistry of Deception

The heart of "Operation Cornflake" was a dedicated OSS "black propaganda" unit, a clandestine factory set up in Rome, Italy. Here, a team of experts worked tirelessly on every detail to ensure the fake mail was indistinguishable from genuine German correspondence:

Paper and Ink: They sourced authentic German paper and ink, meticulously matching textures, colors, and watermarks.
Stamps and Postmarks: Counterfeit German postage stamps were produced with astonishing accuracy. More impressively, they created precise forgeries of postal cancellation stamps (postmarks) from various German cities. These postmarks would match the supposed origin of the letter.
Addresses and Recipients: The OSS compiled vast lists of genuine German addresses, often gleaned from captured documents or intelligence. These included addresses of ordinary civilians, as well as soldiers on the front lines, with the intent of reaching a wide cross-section of the population.
Content Crafting: This was perhaps the most crucial element. The letters' contents were carefully designed to exploit existing anxieties:
- Civilian Mail: Letters appearing to come from family members would describe the devastating effects of Allied bombing, food shortages, the growing casualties, and express despair about the war, urging the recipient to question its purpose. Some hinted at infidelity or financial troubles at home, designed to distract and worry soldiers.
- Soldier Mail: Letters to soldiers would often contain similar demoralizing news from home, creating a sense of guilt, worry, and helplessness. Some were designed to look like official orders, creating confusion or misdirection.
- "Official" Documents: Some forgeries mimicked official Nazi Party documents or military orders, subtly spreading disinformation or undermining trust in leadership.
Handwriting: Talented calligraphers were employed to mimic common German handwriting styles, adding another layer of authenticity.

The entire process was painstakingly precise, down to the nuances of German phrasing and common social conventions.

III. The Delivery System: Air Dropped Mail Bags

The "Cornflake" nickname is often attributed to the method of delivering the fake mail, though the exact details have some variations in historical accounts. The most common understanding is:

Bundling: The fake letters, often numbering in the hundreds of thousands, were bundled together, sometimes into small packets or even larger sacks.
"Cornflake" Containers: These bundles were then packed into special containers. While the famous "cornflake box" might be more of a symbolic reference to how seemingly innocuous items could carry deadly psychological payload, the reality was often more robust. These containers were designed to be durable enough for air transport but would break open at a predetermined altitude.
Airborne Infiltration: The containers were loaded onto Allied bomber aircraft. Instead of bombs, these planes would fly over target areas—often major German cities, railway hubs, or areas known to have active postal routes—and drop the containers.
Scattering: The containers would burst open in the air, scattering hundreds of thousands of individual letters across a wide area. The hope was that these fake letters would then mix with genuine mail that might have been dislodged, or simply be picked up by civilians and well-meaning postal workers who would deposit them into mailboxes or collection points, assuming they were lost genuine mail.

IV. Impact and Legacy

"Operation Cornflake" achieved its objectives on several fronts:

Demoralization: The letters, with their seemingly personal and credible content, successfully planted seeds of doubt, anxiety, and despair among the German populace and soldiers.
Disruption: The sheer volume of fake mail clogged the already strained German postal system, forcing overworked postal staff to sort through a huge influx of useless (or harmful) correspondence, diverting resources.
Distrust: It fostered an atmosphere of suspicion. People began to question the authenticity of their own mail, wondering if the news from loved ones was real or fabricated. This undermined confidence in communication channels.

While it's difficult to quantify the exact military impact, "Operation Cornflake" contributed significantly to the overall breakdown of German morale and social cohesion in the war's final stages. It stands as a testament to the power of psychological warfare and the often-unseen battles waged by intelligence agencies.