#theGhostArmy
Today, we are going to talk about a top-secret military unit during World War 2 that only became known to the world in 1996 - about five decades after the war ended. They are known as The Ghost Army. Du Du Duuuuu!
1. Creation
The intense struggle between the Allies and Axis during World War 2 on the Western Front raged on. After the successful Operation Overlord - aka D-Day - Germany was desperately trying to halt the Allies' advance.
As the Allies pushed further and further into Germany, German resistance grew stronger and stronger. The Allies were taking heavy casualties so they needed a new plan.
War is all about deception - that's why they would put camouflage nets on important buildings, camps, tanks, and even people to make them look like grass, trees, and fields. Americans thought to themselves, "Wait, what if... what if instead of disguising our buildings and units as fields, we DISGUISE FIELDS AS BUILDINGS AND UNITS".
(Here is a picture of their thinking process)
"Omg that's so bad that it's gooood, why not? Let's give it a try!" Henceforth came the creation of The Ghost Army (which, disappointingly, was not an army of ghosts).
Here's their lit insignia:
The Ghost Army consisted of special super soldiers. No, we are not talking about Steve Rogers and Bucky. They hailed from art schools and ad agencies. They were sought for their skills. They were selected for their creativity.
The Ghost Army had:
Artists
Actors
Singers
Sculptors
Writers
Soul jazzers
Those filthy Colgate-recommended-by-dentists spammers
Sexy posters
They were soldiers whose most effective weapon was artistry. With the help of their God-given talents, they were able to create an entire army of fake military equipment such as planes, trucks, tanks, artillery pieces, soldiers and every other thing you can think of out of inflatable rubber balloons. They even had a giant speaker to blast off the realistic sound of soldiers chattering, the sound of vehicle engines, tanks moving, and etc.
(Here is one example of their "advanced technology")
2. Role
The role of the Ghost Army was simple - to fool Adolf Hitler and his army. They were able to set up a huge fake armed force in a matter of minutes! This caused chaos and confusion to the Axis because all of the sudden they saw a huge Allied force seemingly ready to attack at once or an actual real army looking much bigger and stronger than it really was. (Just like how people look way better on the internet).
They also acted as a distraction so that real units could go and sneak up on Nazis when they weren't expecting. They would turn on their giant speaker and send out fake scripted radio communication to be intercepted by the Germans. They fooled the enemy about the strength and location of American units time after time. It is safe to say they were the most successful ultimate CATFISH of all time.
3. Achievement
They staged more than 20 successful catfish operations in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Germany, often operating dangerously close to the front lines.
One notable moment was when the Germans were pushed back into the France-German border, Rhineland, their last natural barrier before the Fatherland. The Angry Mustache Man was very angry.
So he and his soldiers made a grim determination to protect the border. They said "The Rhine river will soak red with the blood of the Americans"
(Here is a picture for those who don't know where it is.)
But thanks to our catfish army they were able to cause chaos and confusion to the German army. They were able to save thousands of lives.
There you have it! The story of unsung heroes. #NotAllHeroesWearCapes