Operation Modelhut– How a fashion icon tried to broker Nazi Germany surrender in World War II
By: Karthick Nambi
Tags: War, Europe, World War II, History, WIB History

Operation Modelhut– How a fashion icon tried to broker Nazi Germany surrender in World War II Karthick Nambi Follow Feb 18 · 4 min read

Coco Chanel .Source –Wikipedia

The train from Paris stopped at the Madrid railway station. A British aristocratic lady gets out of her carriage and walks in a crowded platform.

It was 1944, and a German defeat was evident. The baggage she holds contains a letter addressed to Prime Minister Sir Winston Churchill from a top leader in Nazi high command. The letter contains terms for a German surrender.

The British lady’s task was to provide the letter to the British Ambassador in Spain. The lady enters the British Embassy but for a different reason.

Early life:

Coco Chanel, the founder of the famous luxury French brand Chanel, started a modest life in her childhood.

Poverty marred her childhood, but she kept on her confidence and hard work. Chanel learned to stitch and started to design new fashionable clothes. Her time in French night clubs got her closer to the high society of French aristocracy.

Meeting Lombardi:

Chanel and Lombardi.Source–Wikipedia

Chanel came in contact with Vera Bate Lombardi, and it changed her life forever. Lombardi was a distant relative of the Queen of England. Through Lombardi, Chanel was able to gain access to the British aristocracy. Chanel’s fashion ideas influenced Lambordi, and she agreed to be Chanel’s brand ambassador in Britain.

Chanel expanded her stores across France, and Britain and her business were booming. Lombardi married an Italian general, Alberto Lombardi. Lombardi introduced Chanel to Edward VIII, who was to be the king of Britain. The off-screen affair between them ended shortly. Chanel settled down in Paris, and World War II was knocking at the doors of France.

World War II:

As the German war machine captured Paris during the Blitzkrieg. Chanel closed all her shops in support of France.

Chanel, on the other hand, moved to the Hotel Ritz and stayed there for 30 years. During her stay in the Hotel Ritz, she developed a relationship with Hans Günther Von Dincklage in the Nazi high command.

The Hotel Ritz in Paris was the official accommodation of senior Nazi high command officials. Some historians pointed to Chanel move to the hotel as proof That she is a Nazi sympathizer.

Documents unearthed in 2014 paint a different picture of Chanel;s links with Nazis. Chanel used her influence with the Nazi government tried to bring down Jewish competitors in the perfume industry in France, and she succeeded in some cases.

Channel acquiring Jewish businesses was just the tip of the iceberg. Her main act could rivals any of Jame Bond’s fictional feats.

Chanel was in communication with the British aristocracy during the entirety of the war. She even had correspondence with Winston Churchill.

In 1944 it was clear that the Axis Domination time is over in Europe, and the Allied Forces will invade France at any time. SS Leader Heinrich Himmler’s aide Walter Schellenberg was in close contact with Chanel. Chanel and Schellenberg planned to negotiate a separate peace treaty under SS leadership.

Chanel drafted a letter addressed to Winston Churchill, and they needed someone to deliver it to the British embassy in Madrid, Spain. They named the operation Operation Modelhut.

Chanel with Winston Churchill. Source — Wikipedia

Operation Modelhut:

Walter schellenberg.Source-Wikipedia

Chanel sought the help of Lombardi. In Rome, Lombardi was under arrest on charges of spying for Britain.

On request from Germany, Lombardi was released. Chanel informed Lombardi that the trip is a business trip for new store locations in Madrid and also dropping a letter in the British Embassy.

Lombardi accepted the offer and set off to Madrid. On arrival in Madrid, Lombardi went to the British Embassy and named Chanel and Schellenberg as Nazi spies. The plan was a colossal flop, and Lombardi languished in Madrid for years.

After the war, Chanel went to Switzerland to escape prosecution as a war criminal France. However, when summoned for the trial, she appeared before the court. Due to the influence of Winston Churchill, Chanel was acquitted.

Lombardi was reunited with her husband only after the war that too, after a recommendation from Winston Churchill.

Conclusion:

When Coco Chanel died, the French government thought of giving her a state funeral.

French intelligence released the documents linking Chanel with the Nazi high command. The reports let to the cancellation of the state funeral. Chanel’s life is still a mystery. How did she think she was audacious to broker a peace and been a Nazi collaborator escaped justice?

Source:The Memoirs of Hitler’s Spy master — Walter Schellenberg