MrBallen Podcast: Strange, Dark & Mysterious Stories

Episode: Operation Mincemeat

Date: December 11, 2025

Host: John Allen (MrBallen)
Stories: "Last Stand" and "Cloak and Dagger"

Overview

In this episode, MrBallen presents two remarkable and dramatic battlefield stories, both rooted in extraordinary historical events. The first, "Last Stand," delves into the harrowing defense of Ossevich Fortress by Russian soldiers during World War I in the face of a deadly chemical attack. The second, "Cloak and Dagger," recounts the true story behind Operation Mincemeat—one of World War II's most daring and successful acts of military deception. Through vivid narration, MrBallen explores the horror, courage, and cunning that defined these episodes, underscoring how strange and dark moments can alter the course of history.

Story 1: "Last Stand" — The Defense of Ossevich Fortress

(Begins: 03:49)

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Setting the Scene:
  On August 3, 1915, during WWI, 21-year-old Russian officer Vladimir Kotlinsky and his garrison of roughly 900 men defended Ossevich Fortress in Poland against 7,000 German soldiers. The fortress was strategically important due to its railway, river, and road access.

• Stalemate and Boredom:
  Six months into the siege, both sides had settled into an uneasy stalemate. Russian soldiers, bored by the inactivity, even sneaked out to fish.
  (Quote:)

  "There had been so little action from either side that the Russian soldiers... got so bored they began sneaking out the side door of the fortress to try to catch fish with their bare hands." — MrBallen [06:10]

• Ominous Signs:
  Vladimir noticed "strange behavior" among a group of German officers, but, doubting his own instincts, dismissed concern.

• The Chemical Attack:
  Three days later, on August 6, the German army launched a chemical attack, releasing a mixture of chlorine and bromine gas, which combined with internal moisture to form hydrochloric acid, essentially dissolving victims from the inside out.
  (Quote:)

  "It would literally fill their lungs with acid, which would dissolve them from the inside out... the gas would get into their eyes and into their nose, and the acid there would burrow holes into their skull." — MrBallen [09:12]

• No Protection & The 'Dead Men':
  Russian soldiers, unprepared and without gas masks, attempted makeshift defenses (wet rags), which only made the gas more dangerous. As death seemed certain, Vladimir rallied approximately 100 remaining survivors—severely wounded and dying—to launch a desperate counter-attack.

• The Charge:
  Covered in blood, coughing up pieces of their lungs and with terrorizing eyes, the Russian soldiers charged the Germans in a scene reminiscent of a zombie attack.
  (Quote:)

  "These men that are covered in bloody rags... stumbling forward like zombies with bayonets out, screaming like banshees, it scared the living shit out of the Germans." — MrBallen [16:56]

• German Panic & Retreat:
  The Germans, shaken to the core, believed they were facing undead soldiers, leading to panic and retreat—even though they outnumbered the Russians 70 to 1.

• Aftermath:
  Despite their success in repelling the initial German assault, all Russian defenders eventually succumbed to the gas. When the Germans later captured the ruins, the fortress was destroyed beyond use.

• Legacy:
  Vladimir Kotlinsky was posthumously awarded Russia's highest military honor, and his defense—known as "The Attack of the Dead Men"—remains enshrined in Russian memory through songs, stories, and statues.
  (Quote:)

  "His actions and the actions of the other dying soldiers... are remembered today in stories, songs, and statues all across Russia." — MrBallen [20:32]

Notable Moment

• Vladimir, after being stabbed through the stomach, spat blood and lung tissue onto his attacker before continuing to fight, an image that encapsulates the horror and defiance of the defenders.
  (Quote:)

  "Vladimir spit blood and lung tissue all over this German’s face, and then just began screaming directly at the sky... and then Vladimir was back on his gun with the bayonet still in his stomach, shooting at the Germans." — MrBallen [18:43]

Story 2: "Cloak and Dagger" — Operation Mincemeat

(Begins: 21:15)

Key Discussion Points & Insights

• Discovery of the Body:
  On April 30, 1943, fisherman Jose Antonio Ray Maria found a decomposing body off the coast of neutral Spain, chained to a briefcase and dressed as a British officer named William Martin.

• Building the Deception:
  Spanish authorities, under Franco (a secret Nazi ally), confiscated the body and briefcase, finding classified documents. Spain, though officially neutral, provided access to German intelligence, so the letters quickly made their way to Hitler.

• The Letters' Content:
  The briefcase contained forged documents indicating the Allies were planning a fake invasion of Sicily and actually intended to strike Greece, seemingly confirming Nazi suspicions about a Greek assault.

• Hitler Takes the Bait:
  Immediately following the deception, Hitler repositioned massive German forces from Sicily to Greece, all based on this single planted piece of false intelligence.
  (Quote:)

  "Suddenly Hitler went from having no idea where this huge attack on him was going to be, to knowing... he would have the time to shore up his weakest link—Greece." — MrBallen [32:14]

• The Real Allied Invasion:
  On July 9, 1943, while German armies concentrated in Greece, Allied forces launched their massive attack—on Sicily. The undermanned defenders retreated almost without a fight, allowing the Allies to capture Sicily quickly and topple the Italian government.

• Operation Mincemeat Revealed:
  Major William Martin never existed. British officers Ewen Montague and Charles Cholmondeley devised the scheme using the corpse of an unclaimed homeless man, Glendor Michael. The body was meticulously planted with personal effects—love letters from "Pam," nightclub receipts, a diamond engagement ring receipt—creating an authentic backstory to fool anyone investigating.
  (Quote:)

  "Montague and Cholmondeley spent as much time on Major Martin's uniform... as they did on his fake love affair with Pam." — MrBallen [36:45]

• Humanizing the Ruse:
  The episode highlights the tragic fate of Glendor Michael, whose death—though lonely and grim—altered the course of the war.

• Aftermath:
  Operation Mincemeat is now recognized as one of the greatest wartime deceptions, and a marker now honors Glendor Michael as an official British officer. Montague and Cholmondeley were celebrated for their achievement.
  (Quote:)

  "Glendor Michael may have lived a wretched life and died in absolute agony, but in death he helped defeat the Nazis." — MrBallen [39:29]

Notable Moments

• The emotional punch of a fabricated love story:
  Spanish soldiers found personal effects, including a photo signed “Pam” and engagement ring receipts, and concluded Major Martin had only recently become engaged—a touch that made the ruse devastatingly convincing.
  (Quote:)

  "It's like a tragic love story..." — MrBallen [26:08]

• The perfect positioning of the fake intelligence:

  "Hitler thought the secret intelligence he had found inside of Major Martin's briefcase would help him win the war. But in reality, those letters actually proved to be the beginning of the end for the Nazis." — MrBallen [33:21]

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• "If they're going to come in here and kill us, then we're going to make it as hard as humanly possible. First."
  — MrBallen, recounting Vladimir's mindset [12:55]

• "The Germans, who had escaped the counterattack and made it back to their trenches... told the other German soldiers that the Russians had turned into zombies, literally that they were undead."
  — MrBallen [18:56]

• "Montague and Cholmondeley had a woman on their staff write these phony love letters to Major Martin, pretending to be Pam..."
  — MrBallen [37:10]

• "It was designed entirely to trick Hitler. The Allies knew if they dropped a dead British soldier off the coast of Spain, a neutral country, that they would turn it over to the Germans. And that's exactly what happened."
  — MrBallen [36:43 and 36:45]

Episode Structure & Timestamps

• [00:00–02:51]: MrBallen updates and podcast announcements (content schedule, show changes).
• [03:49–21:15]: Story 1 - "Last Stand" (Ossevich Fortress, Vladimir Kotlinsky).
• [21:15–40:00]: Story 2 - "Cloak and Dagger" (Operation Mincemeat).
• [40:00–40:15]: Disclaimer about the use of pseudonyms and dramatization in stories.
• [Interstitial ad breaks skipped]

Tone & Storytelling Style

MrBallen delivers each story with his trademark blend of suspense, empathy, and attention to haunting detail. He humanizes the horrors of war, focusing not just on historical events but on the emotions, motivations, and fates of the obscure individuals at the center of them. His tone is immersive, respectful of the victims, and keen-edged with the macabre.

Summary Conclusion

This episode is a gripping exploration of two moments when individuals, either in the last throes of life or through unwitting posthumous service, changed the fate of nations. Whether facing certain doom in battle or serving as the linchpin in the greatest wartime deception, the central figures of "Last Stand" and "Cloak and Dagger" exemplify how strange, dark, and mysterious stories from history can be both horrifying and awe-inspiring.
As MrBallen puts it:

"Glendor Michael may have lived a wretched life and died in absolute agony, but in death he helped defeat the Nazis." [39:29]