Operation Greif

Significance

Operation Greif was a German special operation conducted during the Battle of the Bulge in which soldiers wearing captured Allied uniforms and using captured Allied vehicles were deployed behind enemy lines. Conceived by Adolf Hitler and commanded by Otto Skorzeny, its stated objective was to seize one or more bridges over the Meuse River before Allied forces could destroy them. Beyond the physical objective, the operation was designed to generate confusion in Allied rear areas. The infiltration of German personnel disguised as Allied troops created a climate of suspicion within Allied commands that had effects disproportionate to the operation's actual scale, disrupting communications and security procedures across the rear echelon during a critical phase of the German offensive.

Tactics