another version of the nickname rationale was that the german minister of propaganda goebbels heard the legend that, if the barbary apes on the rock of gibraltar ever left, the british empire would crumble. at that stage of the war, when things were not going well for the axis forces, he decided that a propaganda coup was required and reportedly sent a commando raid to eradicate the apes. the story goes that winston churchill heard of the mission and immediately tasked the raf regiment with protecting the apes, and thus the nickname was born.[45]