Spy movie buffs have seen all kinds of crazy top secret operations on screen. But as it turns out, the weirdest, most insane missions are not a product of the film industry but actually happened in real life.
Operation Acoustic Kitty
During the 60s of the last century, the CIA spent nearly $20 million on equipment that they would surgically implant into a cat. The goal was to send the animal to the Soviet Embassy and use it to eavesdrop on employees.
But the cat would never complete its mission, as while it was crossing the street it was hit by a taxi. The cat actually survived the accident but the CIA decided not to use pets for spy missions anymore.
Operation Mincemeat
When British forces invaded the Italian island of Sicily, they were counting on what at first glance may seem like a completely insane plan with which to distract the Germans, while they took the island without any casualties.
The British assigned the mission to a deceased vagabond, who was to become bait for the Germans. In one of his pockets they placed fake "top secret" documents, detailing a fabricated Allied invasion of Greece.
The Germans took the bait and diverted a great part of their forces toward Greece, leaving Sicily poorly defended and it was easily taken by the Allies.
Operation Gestapo
One of the boldest, most daring operations in history was carried out by Polish woman Krystyna Skarbek. To enter a Gestapo bunker during World War II, let alone free prisoners, was practically an impossible task.
But Skarbek took up the challenge. She went to a French outpost of the Gestapo and started lying that an Allied army was on its way to storming the city. In exchange for the information, she asked for the release of her colleagues.
The clever spy and the prisoners managed to escape, while the Nazis were left with nothing but false warnings.
