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What’s the best April Fool’s prank you’ve ever pulled? Tricks and traps from America’s “Ghost Army” (a group of World War II soldiers whose talent for illusions saved tens of thousands of lives) I can’t stand it.
“All wars are based on deception,” wrote an ancient strategist Sun TzuAnd as the Allies prepared to invade Nazi-occupied France, two American military planners came up with a clever ruse. Using a force hand-picked with creative talent and intellect, he flooded Nazi intelligence with disinformation, using theatrical props and carefully staged media to rake in entire divisions.
Approximately 1,100 men, including fashion designers, are sworn to absolute secrecy about their work. Bill Blass,painter ellsworth kellyand photographer art kane. Using canvas, paint, cameras, radio, and sound effects records, this unit carried out over 20 major operations during the liberation of France, Belgium, and Germany.
Here is an anecdote about their courage: On September 14, 1944, the troops were encamped on the outskirts of Paris when emergency orders arrived.general george patton‘s Third Army was fighting hard to capture the fortified city of Metz, which was key to advancing into mainland Germany. However, the flank along the Moselle was weak, with only 500 men defending the front line.
The Ghost Army has transformed its 500 men into a formidable army of 8,000 men, packed with inflatable tanks and specialized heavy weapons. The mission was scheduled to last two days, but the Ghost Soldiers continued to deceive increasingly aggressive German patrols for a week until the 83rd Infantry Division took their place.
The unit’s technology was so vital to the war effort that its accomplishments were kept secret for 50 years. As a result, the men who deceived Nazi intelligence received little credit for their work until so many had died. But Congress finally formally recognized them this year by awarding them the Congressional Gold Medal on March 21.
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