Duško Popov
Serbian WWII double agent (1912–1981) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Dušan "Duško" Popov OBE (Serbian Cyrillic: Душко Попов; 10 July 1912 – 10 August 1981) was a Serbian, a double agent who served as part of the MI6 and Abwehr during World War II. He passed off disinformation to Germany as part of the British Double-Cross System while occasionally using cover as the Yugoslav government-in-exile in London diplomat.
Duško Popov | |
---|---|
Born | Dušan Popov (1912-07-10)10 July 1912 |
Died | 18 August 1981(1981-08-18) (aged 69) Opio, Alpes-Maritimes, France |
Nationality | |
Alma mater | University of Belgrade University of Freiburg |
Occupation(s) | Lawyer, businessman, intelligence officer |
Spouse(s) | Janine Ducasse (1946–1961; divorced) Jill Jonsson (1962–1981; his death) |
Children | 4 |
Parent(s) | Milorad Popov, Zora Popov |
Awards | Iron Cross Order of the British Empire |
Espionage activity | |
Allegiance | Yugoslavia United Kingdom |
Service branch | VOA, MI6, Abwehr |
Service years | 1940–1945 |
Codename | Duško |
Codename | Ivan |
Codename | Tricycle |
Codename | Scoot |
Operations | World War II |
Popov was born into a wealthy family and was practicing law at the start of the war. He held a great aversion to Nazism, and in 1940, infiltrated the Abwehr, Germany's military intelligence service, which considered him a valuable asset due to his business connections in France and the United Kingdom. Popov provided the Germans with misleading and inaccurate information for much of the war.
Deceptions in which he participated included Operation Fortitude, which sought to convince German military planners that the Allied invasion of Europe would take place in Calais, not Normandy, thereby diverting hundreds of thousands of German troops and increasing the likelihood that Operation Overlord would succeed.
Popov was known for his lifestyle and courted women during his missions, including the French actress Simone Simon. Apart from MI6 and the Abwehr, he also reported to the Yugoslav intelligence service, which assigned him the codename Duško. His German handlers referred to him by the codename Ivan. He was codenamed Tricycle by the British MI5 because he was the head of a group of three double agents.[1]
In 1974, he published an autobiography titled Spy/Counterspy, in which he recounted his wartime exploits. Popov is considered one of Ian Fleming's primary inspirations for the character of James Bond.[2][3] He has been the subject of a number of non-fiction books and documentaries.