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Operation Tracer was a bold but risky plan to leave a stay-behind team of British intelligence personnel in Nazi-occupied Gibraltar by sealing them into a hidden chamber deep inside the monolith for up to seven years.
As German forces advanced across Europe, the British government feared Gibraltar would soon be conquered, thereby ceding control of the Mediterranean to Germany, which would be of almost incalculable strategic value. A last-ditch plan to mitigate this disaster scenario was hatched in late 1941. Construction began on a chamber inside the labyrinthine tunnels crisscrossing the interior of the Rock, which would allow a small team to continuously observe German activities from within.
The chamber had two small gaps just a few inches tall opening to the outside, allowing a clear view of the Strait of Gibraltar. A radio aerial antenna, a bicycle generator, a 10,000-gallon freshwater tank, and provisions for up to seven years were all installed inside. Six men were picked for the top-secret mission, including two doctors, three signalmen, and an executive officer. Once they were inside, the entrance would be bricked up and thoroughly disguised. The men were told to expect to stay inside for at least a year, and would only be released when British forces retook Gibraltar.
Most of the floor was covered in cork tiles to dampen sounds and reduce the chances of detection, but one area of the floor was left covered in loose soil. If one or more of the men died during the mission, they would be buried inside, just yards away from where their surviving colleagues slept.
By the summer of 1942 the six-man team took up postings in the town of Gibraltar at the foot of the Rock, prepared to occupy the chamber when German forces invaded the territory. Fortunately for all, German forces never advanced that far and Gibraltar remained unconquered. The chamber, and Operation Tracer, were buried in secrecy for decades to come.
Finally in late 1996, a team from the Gibraltar Caving Group discovered the long-rumored secret chamber and managed to break inside. Its authenticity was confirmed in 2008 by Dr. Bruce Cooper, the last surviving member of the team.
Reposted from @spycraft101
As German forces advanced across Europe, the British government feared Gibraltar would soon be conquered, thereby ceding control of the Mediterranean to Germany, which would be of almost incalculable strategic value. A last-ditch plan to mitigate this disaster scenario was hatched in late 1941. Construction began on a chamber inside the labyrinthine tunnels crisscrossing the interior of the Rock, which would allow a small team to continuously observe German activities from within.
The chamber had two small gaps just a few inches tall opening to the outside, allowing a clear view of the Strait of Gibraltar. A radio aerial antenna, a bicycle generator, a 10,000-gallon freshwater tank, and provisions for up to seven years were all installed inside. Six men were picked for the top-secret mission, including two doctors, three signalmen, and an executive officer. Once they were inside, the entrance would be bricked up and thoroughly disguised. The men were told to expect to stay inside for at least a year, and would only be released when British forces retook Gibraltar.
Most of the floor was covered in cork tiles to dampen sounds and reduce the chances of detection, but one area of the floor was left covered in loose soil. If one or more of the men died during the mission, they would be buried inside, just yards away from where their surviving colleagues slept.
By the summer of 1942 the six-man team took up postings in the town of Gibraltar at the foot of the Rock, prepared to occupy the chamber when German forces invaded the territory. Fortunately for all, German forces never advanced that far and Gibraltar remained unconquered. The chamber, and Operation Tracer, were buried in secrecy for decades to come.
Finally in late 1996, a team from the Gibraltar Caving Group discovered the long-rumored secret chamber and managed to break inside. Its authenticity was confirmed in 2008 by Dr. Bruce Cooper, the last surviving member of the team.
Reposted from @spycraft101
