The act of assasination to gain advantage in war is probably as old as war itself. The aim to destroy the command and control systems of an army or state leaves the enemy bewildered and unable to make coordinated decisions in response to your own attacks. From the stabbing of Julius Caesar in a small room behind a stage in Rome through to CIA and US Army attempts in Vietnam Through the Phoenix Programme to target Viet Cong and NVA leaders. The Gulf War in 1991 saw numerous use of drones, smart bombs and cruise missiles to knock out the "brains" behind the enemies armed forces. Perhaps the latest use of assasination has been the hunting down of many of Al Queda leaders in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
So why have I brought you to this pretty leafy street in Davenport one of Stockports quieter suburbs? Perhaps all is not as it might first appear? I often wonder if the people who live at 46 The Crescent know about its previous owner and the plans made to change the outcome of World War Two and the future of mainland Europe.
Operation Foxley was designed as a feasibility study to look into the killing of Adolf Hitler and so end the war in Europe in 1944. The report was compiled by S.O.E The Special Operations Executive. This organisation sometimes called Churchills Private Army had some success in Occupied Europe coordinating resistance, providing arms, exposives and communcations to those fighting the Axis Forces in Europe. S.O.E had numerous successes in the Occupied countries but not surprisingly very little support within Germany and Austria itself. What was then being asked was for S.O.E to organise a mission into the heart of Germany, against the best defended target imaginable with no resistance network in place.
So with the challenge set S.O.E German section set about researching the problem and compiled a report that ran to 120 pages and was only declassified in 1998. Initial thoughts were directed towards Hitlers Private Train. The armoured train Named Amerika took Hitler all over Europe as he toured his new empire. S.O.E had a great deal of experience in disrupting the rail networks through bombing and derailment so it is understandable that this area would seem attractive. Inteligence was gathered from captured German Officers held in England both from interogations and hidden microphones. An examination of the trains water and food supplies were also made with the intention of introducing a poison into Hitlers food and drink. In the end the whole idea of attacking Amerika was given up as Hitler was erratic in his travel plans and had a tendency to change plans and modes of transport at the last minute. A plan to attack Hitlers Mercedes Car with an anti tank projector called a P.I.A.T was also abandoned for similar reasons. Berlin was ruled out as an attack opportunity due to the heavy protection which led to one more option...
Hitler loved the area around the Obersalzburg and had made this area his home since before coming to power. It was in this location that Hitler let his guard down, found time to relax with his friends and high ranking Nazis and settled into more of a regular routine. SOE discovered through a German who had been part of Hitlers personal protection squad that while at his home The Berghof that he always took a 20 minute walk usually at 10am from his home to his favourite teahouse. The walk took Hitler past an area of woodland and was out of sight of fixed sentry posts for several minutes. S.O.E had discovered Hitlers weak spot and now examined what was needed to make a successful hit on the most powerful man in Europe.
S.O.E's plan was to parachute in a two man team, a sniper with a german Mauser 98k sniper rifle and a German speaking Polish agent who would act as spotter. Both assassins would be dressed in German mountain troop uniforms to make infiltration possible and hopefully to aid their escape afterwards. The man chosen for this almost impossible mission was a Captain in the British Army Edmund Harley Bennett who lived just behind you at 46 Davenport Crescent, Stockport.
Edmund Harley Bennett joined the army at the outbreak of war and after training joined the Highland Regiment. Captain Bennett fought in North Africa and was wounded at El Alamein being shot in the stomach. He was later posted to America where he became Military Attache to the British Embassy in Washington. There is something of a dispute a to why Captain Bennett was chosen as he was not a trained sniper nor was he considered a talented shot. Perhaps his choice was due to his ability to speak fluent German which would have been essential in gaining access to the Military Zone in Berchesgarden and the Berghof.
So why is there no blue plaque here and no mention of Captain Bennett in the books about World War Two? The mission was never attempted for which there are many possible reasons. By the time the plan was ready D Day had already successfully taken place and the Russians were making huge gains on the Eastern Front. What would the removal of Hitler achieve? Already Hitler was making erratic Military decisons his failing health noticeable after the July 1944 Bomb Plot made him distrustful and he saw enemies and traitors everywhere. Could it be possible that by removing Hitler at this point that a power vacuum could be filled by a stronger leader perhaps Himmler supported by the SS? At the very least Hitler would become a martyr and a rallying point for many Germans who had previously been against his excesses? So the plan was shelved and Edmund Harley Bennett returned to Britain and the family business and raised two children. Adolf Hitler died by his own hand on 30th April 1945 in a bunker under the Chancellery and never knew about what might have occurred on his daily walk to the teahouse.