1741

Description

A file of signals intelligence reports, messages, and correspondence issued by the Government Code and Cypher School and sent by the head ('C') of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill. This file includes the following reports on Southern Europe: that an Allied air raid on Sicily destroys 3 aircraft, on June 15; that Allied air attacks on Castel Vetrano resulted in the runway and landing area being completely destroyed, on June 15; a damage assessment on Castel Vetrano owing to the Allied air raid, on June 15; a situation report on the central Mediterranean, for June 15; and that 10 more tanks are destined for Sardinia, on June 14; on South-east Europe: a situation report in the Balkans for June 12; a German secret service message revealed that Admiral Cunningham had received orders to attack Sicily on June 18 with the operation to be completed by June 25; from Balabanoff in Vichy, that the Bulgarian Foreign Minister is alleged to be acting as a mediator in Russo-German peace negotiations, on June 12; from the Japanese ambassador in Ankara, describing the Turkish attitude towards the belligerents, on June 7; from the Japanese ambassador in Rome, on remarks made by a German Embassy publicity officer, on June 12; from the Japanese military attach� in Rome, a partial report on speculation of a second front, on June 7; and SHARK: reporting success on June 11.

Keywords

air raids, effects of bombing, airfields, mechanical problems, military situation reports, military dispositions, tanks, guerrilla warfare, partisans, occupied Yugoslavia, operations planning, invasion of Sicily, Operation Husky, diplomatic intelligence, rumours, armistice, Turkish foreign policy, predicting enemy intentions, Allied strategy, second front