D-Day: How Wiltshire Museum Metal Tape Disrupted German Radar

A metal strip in a tattered cigar box at an aircraft museum represents some of the work used to fool the Nazis before D-Day on June 6, 1944.

Set behind Plexiglas at the Boscombe Down Aviation Collection, tangled strips of aluminum tape, called crushes, disrupted German radar alongside other methods such as reflector balloons on small boats.

When dropped at the right point across the channel, the tape was picked up by radar and fooled the Germans into thinking an invasion was taking place.

The method was invented by Barnes Wallis, who also developed the “bouncing bomb” for Dambusters raids.

The collection’s Graham Horner said the story “gave him goosebumps”.

He said the planes flew very precisely to drop the metal strip.

After the operation, there were still a few left on the aircraft.

One of the bomb aimers involved, John Bell, collected some, giving it to Mr Wallis as a souvenir, who then put it in his cigar box.

His daughter felt it should be preserved, later giving it to someone connected to the museum.

The Boscombe Down Aviation Collection has a number of aircraft used during the Second World War, including an Auster observation plane and the front of a Dakota used to drop paratroopers on D-Day. It also has a reconstructed cockpit of a Lancaster bomber.

The collection is based on Old Sarum Airfield, which was used to waterproof thousands of vehicles for D-Day.

On June 8, the museum is holding a D-Day open house, featuring archaeologists talking about their work in World War II, guest speakers and an opportunity to try packing a parachute.