The British Army had used tactical deception in Operation Bertram in the Battle of El Alamein in 1942. The success of the operation inspired the United States to take up a similar project.
Thus the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops was founded on January 10th, 1944. It was only later that it came to be known as the Ghost Army by the masses.
The troop was indeed special. The equipment used by them were ones that helped create a simulated battle scenario.
Tanks, vehicles, radio transmitters, and entire battlegrounds – every element from visual to sound were fake. Very rarely would they use real weapons and armories to enhance the touch of reality.
Using science and art, this group of 1,100 members successfully camouflaged the actual troops that were being deployed elsewhere in Europe by keeping the Nazis engaged on this front. Though it sounds like an amusing task, these men were in no less dangerous as they worked close to the front lines itself.
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All About The Ghost Army
They had broken up the entire process into four different sections, hiring people accordingly. The visual section required combat engineers.
The signal company was needed for the fake radio transmissions and sound section. In fact, some of these people were so talented and well trained that they could even mimic the morse code ‘fist’.
Here is a short video that will give you more insight into the Ghost Army and their tactics of deception.
The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops was a highly secret mission that had been revealed to the public 40 years after the war was over. The Ghost Army was indeed one of the wonders of World War-II. Creativity does rule at the end of the day!
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: The Atlantic, Ghost Army Legacy Project, Live Science + More
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This Post Is Tagged Under: Ghost Army, World War-II, Nazi, Allied power, Axis Power, 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, 1100 men, artists, architects, actors, designers, art schools, British Army, United States Army, 1944, inflated tanks, simulated battlegrounds, Operation Bertram, Battle Of El Alamein, fake radio transmitters, frontlines, tactical deception
