When Monopoly Helped Win a War
Allied Powers Outwitted the Enemy, One Game at a Time
You know Monopoly as the game that ruins friendships and sparks hourlong battles over Park Place. But during World War II, it played a much more significant and far braver role: helping Allied soldiers escape from German POW camps. Yes, really .
In one of the most brilliant covert ops of the war, the British Secret Service turned Monopoly into a top-secret escape kit. Before this tactic, smuggling noisy paper maps without tipping off the guards was too risky, and getting caught could be fatal for prisoners. Enter silk — strong, weather-resistant, and, most importantly, silent. The British turned to John Waddington Ltd., the licensed Monopoly manufacturer in the UK, who also happened to be an expert in printing on silk. It was a match made in espionage heaven. Waddington didn’t just tuck maps into game boxes, though. In a locked room most employees didn’t know existed,
craftsmen rigged Monopoly sets with tiny metal files, magnetic compasses, and even real currency hidden beneath the play money. Each game was marked with a secret red dot on the Free Parking space — an insider’s clue for captured soldiers to look out for. Thanks to a clever partnership with the Red Cross, these “games” were slipped into POW camps as humanitarian aid packages. The guards thought they were passing along innocent entertainment. Meanwhile, inside the box were the tools to freedom. By the end of the war, over 35,000 POWs had escaped German camps — many with the help of these customized Monopoly sets. Though exact numbers are lost to history, Monopoly’s role in those escapes is one of the war’s clever secrets. The mission was kept quiet for decades to preserve the strategy for future use. Today, the story reminds us that the simplest tools can sometimes carry out extraordinary missions. Next time you pass “Go,” just remember Monopoly once helped people pass barbed wire.
Parallel Paths
Co-Parenting Through Summer Travel
As discussed in the cover article, family vacations are a fantastic way to spend quality time with your loved ones and create lasting memories, especially for children. However, these vacations can be problematic and emotionally charged when parents enter summer divorced and must tackle separate trips with their children for the first time. Here are two helpful tips to make this scenario less awkward and more enjoyable for everyone involved. OPENNESS AND COMMUNICATION ARE KEY. If taking a full family vacation post-divorce is out of the question, it is essential to find ways to work with your ex — and your children — to make the transition to separate trips as smooth as possible. Loop in the other parent on your travel plans with your children — including the destination, contact information, and pickup/drop-off times — to ensure they know what’s happening and how they can help if unexpected emergencies arise. If disagreements arise over any aspect of the trip(s), keep these discussions between you and your ex and don’t put the children in the middle. It’s also a great idea to involve your children in the vacation planning process by letting them suggest where to go and what to do. This will help them feel engaged and more positive about going away with only one parent. Additionally, consider encouraging them to contact
the other parent while they’re away with you. Filling them in on fun details may help your children feel more connected to them despite their absence. DON’T BOTTLE UP YOUR FEELINGS.
While it’s always good to maintain a positive attitude, keep a brave face in front of your children, and collaborate
with your ex-spouse during vacation planning; the stress and sadness that often come with navigating separate lives can be overwhelming. If you’re having difficulty processing your first summer vacation without your whole family in tow, seeking guidance and support from a therapist can help address these intense feelings. Sharing your thoughts with an outside party may introduce you to new perspectives and tools to help you better understand how to handle the tough times. Most importantly, working with a therapist allows you to vent productively instead of carrying negative emotions that may affect your time with your children, who are often more aware of your underlying mood than you may realize.
2 — rbbfirm.com
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