The authors’ third book on HMS Dasher establishes a connection between this ship’s sinking and The Man Who Never Was, the Allied ruse to deceive the Germans about the likely point of mainland Europe allied invasion. It seems certain that the body used was one of the 355 Dasher casualties, officially reported missing. Seabed surveys and contacts from survivors have yielded both the horror of war and information about the circumstances of the horrendous explosion and sinking of a strategically important Royal Navy ship.
The loss of HMS Dasher was kept a secret from the British nation until 1945 when her loss received a brief mention in the Times. Theories about her loss and why it was kept a secret have been explored by many, one suggests that reports of her loss were suppressed to cover an even bigger secret – that of ‘the man who never was’. Is it possible that a member of Dasher’s crew was posthumously the central character in the famous deception ploy which employed a dead body carrying fake secret documents set adrift of the Spanish coast in May 1943?
Great Britain — History, Naval — 20th century, Warships — History — 20th century — Great Britain, World War, 1939-1945 — Naval operations, British, Marine accidents — History — 20th century — Scotland — Clyde, Firth of
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