GHOST ARMY

Big Guy and I decided to visit the @soldiersstlouis to take in the Ghost Army exhibit. I had heard the exhibit was moving on after Memorial Day, so we wanted to be sure we got there.

It was a fascinating visit to learn about the “combat con artists of World War II.” The U.S. Army unit was formed as a tactical deception group officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. The 1,100-man unit was given one directive which was to deceive Hitler’s forces by misleading them as to the size and location of the Allied Forces. It was a tour de force of deception with the use of inflatable tanks and guns, sound trucks that could transmit the sounds of moving vehicles and troop conversations up to fifteen miles, fake radio transmissions, as well as the changing of patches on uniforms to make it seem like the actual moving troops were still in the local area.

The stories of these brave men were kept secret for over fifty years only being told after the unit’s activities were declassified in 1996. If you have interest in learning more about this unit, @pbs has an excellent documentary which tells the entire story of how this unit saved countless lives and assisted with the end of the war.