Eisenhower, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Gen. In March of 1945, the 23 rd performed their most spectacular act of deception - simulating two infantry divisions just south of the planned American attack across the Rhine river. In December, the Ghost Army bolstered the line along the Ardennes, just barely evacuating before one of the bloodiest American battles of World War II - the Battle of the Bulge. George Patton’s assault on the French fortified city of Metz. In September, the Ghost Army impersonated the 6 th Armored Division - helping to plug a 70 mile gap north of Lt.
All in all, they were involved in more than 21 full scale deception operations - often placing their men in harm’s way and at times suffering casualties. Together, these techniques allowed the Ghost Army to impersonate Army divisions up to 30 times its size.įrom June 1944 to March 1945, the Ghost Army crisscrossed Northwestern Europe, crafting the military equivalent of Potemkin villages from the verdant fields of Normandy to the snowbound forests of the Ardennes. Radio operators trained in the art of mimicry imitated American radio personnel, spoofing the Germans as to the whereabouts of various divisions. Recordings of sound-effects were mixed on turntables, then blasted from speakers to emulate the din and activity of nearby divisions - the hammering of pontoon bridges, the movement of convoys, and the salty conversations of soldiers. In lieu of artillery and heavy weapons, the Ghost Army was equipped with truckloads of inflatable tanks, trucks, artillery, jeeps, and airplanes. In short, the soldiers of the 23 rd were charged with tactical deception, and their inventory reflected this mission. The Ghost Army’s mission was straightforward: hoodwink Hitler’s military machine into thinking the Americans possessed more men and hardware than they actually did and deceive their opponents as to their basing, deployments, and movements. What they had seen was not a real Sherman tank, but an elegantly crafted, inflated replica.Īlso known as the Ghost Army, the 23 rd Special Troops were activated on Jan. In reality, they had wandered into the bivouac of an important and highly secretive military unit - the 23 rd Special Troops. One of the G.I.s, noting the farmers’ bewilderment, called out, “The Americans are very strong!” The baffled Frenchmen could have been forgiven for believing they had just witnessed a scene from a Captain America comic book.
In June 1944 in Normandy - shortly after D-Day - two French peasants stumbled upon an unusual sight: Four Americans were hoisting a 40-ton Sherman tank into the air and seemed to be barely breaking a sweat.
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