Operação Bodyguard: a exploração de processos intuitivos

Abstract

The aim is to investigate the potential of exploring intuitive processes in military operations, using the actions carried out by the Allies during Operation Bodyguard, in the context of World War II, as its primary analytical framework. It seeks to understand which strategies contributed to triggering intuitive or irrational mental processes that led the Germans to keep their troops stationed away from Normandy, the actual target of the Allied landing during Operation Overlord. This topic gains relevance in light of advances in psychological studies, which reveal the human mind’s tendency to act intuitively and irrationally, especially under pressure, potentially yielding practical applications in future military operations. The adopted methodology involves the analysis of theoretical conceptions of intuition and irrationality, as well as a historical examination of Operation Bodyguard and some of its main sub-operations. The ultimate aim is to correlate these actions with the mental processes that resulted in unfavorable decision-making by the adversaries, thereby contributing to future studies on the application, or limitation, of intuitive and irrational processes both as tools for agile decision-making or as instruments for inducing disinformation, revealing singular aspects of the human psyche within the realm of military operations.