Jasper Maskelyne
Jasper Maskelyne, famous British illusionist, was born in England in 1902 and died in Kenya in 1973. He is known as a «war magician».) for his intervention in World War II. He was the grandson of John Nevil Maskelyne, founder of the Magic Circle and one of the most famous magicians of the 20th century.
Biography
When the war broke out, he enlisted in the army, being assigned to the Royal Corps of Engineers. As for his participation in the warfare, it was in Egypt where he was used to a greater extent, being initially assigned to camouflage service. Later he manages to join A Force, dedicated to counterintelligence and commanded by General Archibald Wavell. Integrated into it, he is credited with having protected the port of Alexandria from aerial bombardment by building a false city in Maryut Bay to deceive German pilots; the feat would have been accomplished on June 22, 1941.
Later, tasked after his success with protecting the Suez Canal, he used the Canal's own searchlights, bolstered by rotating strobe mirrors, to confuse German pilots and avoid bombing.
Possibly his greatest success took place in deceiving the German army, in the prelude to the battle of el-Alamein, creating the illusion of a false army that would attack the Nazis from the south, misleading them about the true allied strategy consisting of attack from the north. Tanks, barracks, water tanks, even a fake train track and pipeline were built; false radio signals were emitted to confuse the Germans, who effectively moved a large part of their troops to avoid the supposed attack, thus facilitating the allied victory at el-Alamein.
He was later appointed colonel of the Experimental Camouflage Service, where he designed spy kits for the OSS and escape kits for captive Allied pilots.
After the war he resumed his magic shows and chaired the Wessex Magical Association. He retired to Kenya until his death.
Controversy
Most of the information about Maskelyne's exploits in World War II comes from his autobiography, Magic: Top Secret (1949), which has been called into question for allegedly exaggerating the merits of the magician In any case, the official reports on his involvement in the war remain classified as secret and will not see the light of day until 2046.