German wartime plans for Gibraltar translated and published online

German military documents detailing Nazi Germany’s plans for a possible assault on Gibraltar during the Second World War have been translated into English and made publicly available by the Ministry for Heritage.

The collection focuses primarily on Operation Felix, the planned German assault on Gibraltar in 1940, and includes intelligence reports, operational orders, artillery plans and logistical preparations compiled between 1940 and early 1941.

The documents were sourced from a Russian archival project containing captured German military records and are now available to download from the Ministry for Heritage website.

They show how German military headquarters, intelligence services, artillery commands, engineering units and logistical planners studied Gibraltar and prepared for a possible attack on the Rock.

Among the material are intelligence reports on Gibraltar’s fortifications, artillery batteries, anti-aircraft defences, tunnel systems, communications infrastructure, water supplies, fuel storage facilities and military installations.

The collection also contains assessments of British troop strengths and defensive positions, as well as plans setting out how German forces intended to carry out artillery bombardments, infantry attacks and engineer breaching operations before seizing key military objectives.

Extensive artillery fire plans identified hundreds of targets across Gibraltar, including batteries, barracks, tunnels, harbour installations and communications facilities.

Other documents detail German reconnaissance of routes through Spain intended for the movement of troops, artillery and supplies towards Gibraltar.

The collection also includes reports by Admiral Wilhelm Canaris concerning discussions with senior Spanish officials and preparations linked to the proposed operation, as well as logistical plans covering ammunition, fuel, transport, communications and medical support.

According to the Ministry, some of the documents demonstrate the level of detail gathered by German intelligence, including studies and maps of Gibraltar’s tunnel networks and underground galleries, analyses of utilities and infrastructure and descriptions of defensive systems around the northern frontier, lagoon, airfield and the Rock.

Operational orders issued to formations including the Infantry Regiment Großdeutschland, Mountain Infantry Regiment 98 and the 620th Mountain Engineer Regiment are also included, setting out their intended roles in an attack.

The Minister for Heritage, Dr John Cortes, said: "These documents offer a remarkable perspective on Gibraltar's role during the Second World War and the strategic importance attached to the Fortress by the German High Command. They reveal in considerable detail the extent of military planning undertaken for a proposed attack that, fortunately, never took place. Making these translations publicly available will provide an invaluable resource for historians, researchers, students and anyone interested in Gibraltar's wartime history."

Gibraltarian journalist and editor Joe Garcia wrote and published a book about Operation Felix in 1979, followed by an extended edition containing new material in 2008.

The Ministry said the availability of the newly translated documents would add to the research material available on the planned operation.

The documents can be downloaded from the Ministry for Heritage website at https://www.ministryforheritage.gi/russian-german-project.