subtitled "A new documentary shares the story of the 23rd unit’s daring deceptions".
Posted on 05/21/2013 4:54:46 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Edited on 05/21/2013 5:21:33 PM PDT by Sidebar Moderator. [history]
Mixing real tanks alongside the inflatable ones, the troops appeared to be assembling a massive attack. Their fake observation planes were so convincing, American pilots tried to land in the field next to them. When the offensive finally made its move across the Rhine, with General Dwight Eisenhower and Prime Minister Winston Churchill watching, they were met with little German resistance. The riverbanks were left for the taking and the Ghost Army earned a commendation for its success.
(Excerpt) Read more at smithsonianmag.com ...
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| GGG managers are SunkenCiv, StayAt HomeMother & Ernest_at_the_Beach | |
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In the early- or mid-1970s, Bob Crane was on one of the old talk shows (probably Mike Douglas) and noted that "Hogan's Heroes" was in syndication and dubbed into the local language or subtitled in nearly every country on Earth. "Germany?" "Yes, it's very popular in Germany. And in Japan, it's shown as a documentary." |
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I think I’ll watch this tonite.
We still have inflatable tanks...the acronymn was BATV...don’t remember what it stands for. They now come with a generator and a heating device, to give them a thermal signature.
In an neat coincidence, right now I’m watching my local public TV station which is running a show about the army’s WWII 603rd Camouflage Engineers.
Springtime for Hitler?
Springtime for Hitler?
The deception was far more elaborate that this brief decription . It also included a body loaded with secret documents winding up on a seacoast controlled by the Nazis.Phoney radio transmissions between units etc as the Germans bought into but never questioned returing recon aircrraft loaded with pics.Which could have been easily shot down.
I wish I had known it was on. I don’t know what is on PBS, as I never watch it!
I remember in “Eye of the Needle”, I think that was the title, the German spy discovers the ruse and even photographs some of the fake tanks etc.
Not sure if there was any truth in the story. Probably totally made up. It was cool when Kate Nelligan put her country first and shot him.
it starts at eight my local time
I remember about this happening - from earlier reporting.
Wow, thanks for pointing that out! I hadn’t realized it was tonight, and I caught it about 8 minutes after. Entranced, now 20 minutes later, I’m finally writing this. Great footage, so far none of the phony anti-war (P)BS.
Is that a different show, or maybe a different episode?
Watching it now. Fascinating.
“The Man Who Never Was” was a British operation, and not the same as this.
The British also had Ultra (cracking the Enigma code; there was a period of some months when the Germans had added a wheel to the Enigma machines, and the British were unable to crack the messages), and Double Cross (all the German agents in the UK — except for one — were captives and feeding phony info back to Berlin.
There was a US operation in Scotland that was purported to be an entire army (I think purportedly assigned to Patton) that used fake tanks and simulated radio traffic to fool with the Abhwer.
Maybe it’s on right now? It’s on here. They just got to the beginning of the Bulge.
All warfare is based on deception. Hence, when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near. [Sun Tzu]
Perhaps “The Druid” by Leonard Mosley?
Not sure. What a story!
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