Operation Willi

Operation Willi….no not Harry’s frostbitten winkle….

Operation Willi was the German code name for the unsuccessful attempt by the SS to kidnap Edward, Duke of Windsor, in July 1940 and induce him to work with the Germans for either a peace settlement with Britain or a restoration to the throne after the German conquest of the United Kingdom.

When France fell to the Germans in 1940, Edward and Wallis, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, fled to Spain in order to evade capture. Although Spain was technically neutral at that point, it quickly declared a state of "non-belligerency", which essentially meant supporting the Nazis when provoked.

When the Spanish Foreign Minister asked how to deal with the royals, Joachim Von Ribbentrop, the Foreign Minister, requested that they be detained for two weeks, but without letting them know it was at their request. During this time, Edward allegedly spoke quite freely about his dislike for the royal family and their treatment of his wife, and he heavily criticised Churchill for his war policies. By the time the couple had reached Portugal, Churchill had heard of the Duke’s disparaging conversations and sent two telegrams to Edward. The first ordered him to return to Britain, with a reminder that Edward was technically a military man and could face a court-martial; the second announced his new role as Governor of the Bahamas and instructed him to go there immediately.

It was at this point that Operation Willi began in earnest. The first step of the plan was to intimidate the couple, which included throwing rocks through their windows and sending a bouquet of flowers with a threatening note. These scare tactics were made to look like they were being done by the British. A rumour was spread among their staff that British intelligence was planning to assassinate the couple. On August 1st, as the couple prepared to make their way out of Portugal to the Bahamas, the Spanish ambassador to Portugal tried to convince the couple not to go; the car carrying their luggage to the port was sabotaged; and a fake bomb threat was made against the ship they were supposed to be travelling on. Nevertheless, the Windsors departed that evening. The failure of the plot was blamed on the Spanish and the alleged "English mentality" of the Duke.

Sources:

Operation Willi: The Nazi Plot to Kidnap the Duke of Windsor/July 1940, Michael Bloch

Operation Long Jump: Stalin, Roosevelt, Churchill, and the Greatest Assassination Plot in History, Bill Yenne, p.60

The Duchess Of Windsor: The Uncommon Life of Wallis Simpson, Greg King

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-35765793

Princes at War: The Bitter Battle Inside Britain's Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII, Deborah Cadbury