Magic at War

This blog takes a quick look at two military operations with magical names, Operation MAGIC and Operation MAGIC CARPET: Operation MAGIC As the British worked to crack German military codes, the Americans had a similar programme to intercept and read coded Japanese messages.  In a nod to the world of magicians, i t was called ‘Operation MAGIC’. On 25th September, 1940, an intelligence team led by Colonel William Friedman cracked the 'Purple' code the Japanese were then using for their top-secret diplomatic messages. The MAGIC programme, devoted to decoding Japanese radio traffic, was under way not long afterwards. But, American cryptologists had not broken all the Japanese codes by late 1941. This explains why the State Department and wider U.S. Government did not have a complete picture of Japanese plans to attack Pearl Harbor. Despite the failure of Operation MAGIC to adequately predict Japan’s opening more, its value was undisputed and it remained in use to the end of the war...

Sirdani was the most popular magician to entertain on British radio during World War Two.  Over the airwaves, he entertained millions of people, bringing  light   relief  to dark times. Although he played the role of an Egyptian gilly-gilly man, Sirdani's real name was Sid Daniels. He was born in Mile End, London in 1899. World War One broke out when Daniels was 16 years old.  Like many others, he enlisted by falsifying his age. He went on to serve in three campaigns, in West Africa, German East Africa and France.  A keen amateur magician, Daniels used to mystify his fellow soldiers in the trenches with his tricks. It was when shells came whining over just as he was in the middle of a particularly interesting bit of magic that he originated his famous phrase, "Don't be fright" . After his discharge from the army, Daniels took up magic full-time. He adopted the name Sirdani and the persona of an Egyptian gilly-gilly man.   Early in his career he perform...