Operation Long Jump Exposed: The Greatest WWII Assassination Plot You’ve Never Heard Of

In the annals of espionage, few stories rival the sheer audacity of Operation Long Jump. Conceived at the highest levels of Nazi intelligence, the plan was simple in its ambition and terrifying in its implications: assassinate the leaders of the United States, United Kingdom, and Soviet Union in one fell swoop. The Tehran Conference, with its unprecedented gathering of Roosevelt, Churchill, and Stalin, presented the perfect opportunity. But as the Nazi agents prepared to strike, a complex dance of intelligence and counterintelligence was already underway.

German operatives, trained in sabotage and assassination, parachuted into Iran disguised as Soviet soldiers. Their orders were clear: infiltrate the security perimeter, locate the Allied leaders, and strike without mercy. But the Nazis had not reckoned with the vigilance of Soviet and Allied intelligence. Signals intercepts, undercover surveillance, and the tireless work of local informants began to unravel the plot before it could reach its deadly conclusion.

The turning point came when teenage Soviet spies, patrolling the city on bicycles, intercepted suspicious radio traffic. Their reports triggered a cascade of investigations, raids, and arrests that ultimately dismantled the Nazi network. The Allies’ willingness to share intelligence and coordinate security measures proved decisive, turning Tehran into a fortress that even the most skilled operatives could not breach.

Operation Long Jump is a story of near misses, last-minute discoveries, and the relentless pursuit of security in an age of unprecedented danger. It is also a reminder of the fragility of peace and the ever-present threat posed by those who would seek to disrupt it. As we look back on this forgotten chapter, we are reminded that history often turns on the actions of the few—and that the line between disaster and deliverance is sometimes drawn by the thinnest of margins.