IT HAS been dubbed the most audacious hoax devised by the Allies during the Second World War.

Fake invasion plans were planted on a corpse that was dressed as a Royal Marines officer before being dumped in the sea off the coast of Spain.

Shortly after the body was recovered the bogus documents were passed to the Germans, who fell for the deception.

Nazis leaders were fooled into thinking the Allies were planning to invade Greece and Sardinia in 1943 when the real target was Sicily.

Daily Echo: Ewen Montagu lived at Warrens Beach, near Beaulieu.Ewen Montagu lived at Warrens Beach, near Beaulieu.

Operation Mincemeat was masterminded by military intelligence officers led by Ewen Montagu, a barrister in civilian life whose family owned an estate at Townhill Park, Southampton.

Now a new film starring Colin Firth tells the bizarre story of how the Germans were duped into moving their defence forces away from Sicily.

Firth plays Montagu, who is believed to have used the body of a vagrant who died in London leaving no next of kin.

The corpse was given a false identity - Major William Martin - and his pockets were filled with items including a photograph of a fictitious fiancee.

After being placed in the sea off Huelva the body was found by Spanish fishermen and the "invasion plans" ended up in the hands of Germans - which was always Montagu's intention.

Convinced the paperwork was genuine Hitler redeployed his troops, averting thousands of Allied deaths when the landings took place a few weeks later.

Daily Echo: Ewen Montagu was brought up at Townhill Park House, Southampton.Ewen Montagu was brought up at Townhill Park House, Southampton.

Montagu was the second son of Lord Swaythling and was brought up at Townhill Park House. In later life he became a judge in Hampshire and Middlesex and was also appointed Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Southampton.

During his career he made several controversial comments, once claiming a young crook "should be spanked with something like a hairbrush by a policewoman".

He added: "A photograph should be taken and the magistrates allowed to order its exhibition in every café and coffee bar in a mile radius. It would kill half the juvenile crime straight off."

Montagu, who lived at Warren Beach, near Beaulieu, died aged 84 in the summer of 1985.