Secret World War II D-Day documents found in hoarder's home

The reports describe events such as "Operation Neptune", the codename for the D-Day invasion of Normandy. Photo / 123rf

Confidential military reports from the Second World War have been found in the clutter of a self-confessed hoarder 75 years after they were given to a secretary working for Allied high command.

The typescript reports, amounting to over 200 pages illustrated with coloured maps, were prepared by officers at the joint US-British Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force (SHAEF) in 1944 and 1945 and describe events such as "Operation Neptune", the codename for the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

It appears that they were given by US Air Force personnel at SHAEF to a secretary called Ella. Her fate is unknown and they were later acquired by their owner Mike Firth, a 73-year-old RAF veteran and collector.

He said: "l like military history and many years ago a woman showed me the documents. I couldn't resist and acquired them off her. I've had them for quite some time, just lying around the house."

He didn't realise the significance of the documents until he showed them, and other papers, to local antiques dealer Mark Hebblewhite. "As soon as Mike showed me the collection I realised I was holding history in my hands. It felt a bit like my 'Del Boy' moment. To actually see original documents relating to Operation Neptune and other central events in World War II is incredible. They easily could have been lost forever."

The first report, a despatch from Air Chief Marshal Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory, Air Commander-in-Chief, Allied Expeditionary Force, to the Supreme Allied Commander, Dwight D Eisenhower, describes operations from November 1943 to September 1944 and was sent as Leigh-Mallory prepared to leave Europe to take a command in Burma.

He warned: "The stiffening of German resistance in the air during September [1944] was accomplished at high cost. There is reliable evidence that the G.A.F. [German air force] had to scrape up from its training organisation its older and more experienced pilots, a policy not calculated to produce a long term improvement in its condition. However, the G.A.F. is by no means a spent force yet, and recent technical developments, in jet-propelled aircraft, for example, are likely to make it more formidable. It would be folly to regard the G.A.F. as 'down and out'."

This report includes the following handwritten dedication. "To Ella, In grateful appreciation of all her hard work on this production & with thanks for her loyal services to Ops. Records, R. Douglas Paul... April 1945".

The second report, by "Air Staff, SHAEF" describes Allied Air Operations from October 1944 to May 7, 1945, the day before VE Day, including details of German targets.
This belonged to a Corporal Clayton, who worked at SHAEF under the command of Douglas Paul.

Matthew Haley, a specialist at Bonhams, said: "It is likely that both items were presented to 'Ella' who was involved in record-keeping for the Allied Expeditionary Forces and that they were retained by her. From her, or her estate, they found their way to the current owner. These secret internal reports are a vivid reminder of the nitty-gritty of war: which bridges to bomb, where the main oil-processing targets were, what the Germans had in terms of air weaponry, and how many Allied casualties there were at each stage of operations."

Written by: Mark Bridge
© The Times of London