99% Invisible Show of Force
10 snips
Apr 22, 2015 Learn about the Ghost Army, a top secret unit in World War II that used deception tactics to trick the enemy. Discover how they impersonated a larger armored division using inflatable vehicles and sound recordings. Uncover the remarkable achievements of the artists from the Ghost Army and the government's decision to keep them a secret until the 1980s.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Inflatable Tanks in Deception
- The Ghost Army used inflatable rubber tanks and vehicles to visually deceive enemy forces on the battlefield.
- These inflatables could be quickly inflated and were convincing from a distance to aerial reconnaissance.
Creating Fake Tank Tracks
- Real tanks leave distinct tracks which inflatables don't, so the Ghost Army created fake tank tracks with bulldozers.
- Such attention to detail was vital to make the deception believable to enemy reconnaissance.
Acting Out Deception Roles
- Ghost Army soldiers practiced play acting to convince local observers they were a real armored division.
- They engaged local people and even performed antics to provoke German collaborators into revealing information.