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Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 7:46 pm
by Vince
I'll just give you the wiki synopsis. It's well worth watching if you like WWII history and have Prime. The stuff they did was a low tech tactic but still sort of high tech.

The documentary tells the history of the secret U.S. Army unit of 1100 troops that was set up in 1944 and operated until 1945 in the final stages of World War II in the fight against German troops in various parts of Europe. They used a combination of different ways of visual, sonic and radio deception to convince the enemy of the presence of specific Army units that were in fact operating elsewhere. The unit included a large number of visual artists and designers who documented their experiences in paintings and sketches. The materiel employed in the 23rd Army Headquarters Special Troops' operations included decoys such as inflatable rubber tanks and jeeps as well as powerful loudspeaker trucks playing sound recordings of troop activity.

Posted: Wed Nov 05, 2014 8:18 pm
by Malcolm
This the D-Day bullshit 1st Army or something, if I remember my history of "how set building skills saved Europe."

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 9:07 am
by Vince
They aren't sure how great an impact it had, but the unit probably saved quite a few American lives. Probably didn't turn the tides of any battles, but made them much easier for the allies by thinning the Nazi lines. A number of captured maps showed the ghost army on their maps and as large groups. Also fake patched some holes in the allied lines until real tanks and troops could get there.

Pretty neat stuff.

Posted: Thu Nov 06, 2014 10:27 am
by Malcolm
According to intercepted German messages, it had a significant impact. Half the command over there was convinced Calais would be hit.