Ghost Army

For the film, see The Ghost Army (film). For no-show soldiers, see Ghost soldiers.

Ghost Army insignia, not used by the actual unit, but associated with the unit after the war

The Ghost Army was a United States Army tactical deception unit during World War II officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops.[1][2] The 1,100-man unit was given a unique mission: to deceive Hitler's forces and mislead them as to the size and location of Allied forces, while giving the actual units elsewhere time to maneuver.[3] Activated on 20 January 1944, the Ghost Army arrived in Europe in May shortly before D-Day and returned to the US at the end of the war in July 1945.[4][5] During their tenure, the Ghost Army carried out more than 20 deception campaigns, putting on a "traveling road show" using inflatable tanks, sound trucks, fake radio transmissions, scripts and pretense.[2]

Their story was kept a secret for more than 50 years after the war, until it was declassified in 1996.[2][6] The unit was the subject of a PBS documentary The Ghost Army in 2013.[5] In February 2022, members of the Ghost Army were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, citing their unique and highly distinguished service.[3]

  1. ^ "1st Hqs, Special Troops". nasaa-home.org. Archived from the original on 5 January 2016. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  2. ^ a b c Gormly, Kellie B. (5 July 2022). "How the Ghost Army of WWII Used Art to Deceive the Nazis". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 26 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b Patel, Vimal (4 February 2022). "Ghost Army, a World War II Master of Deception, Finally Wins Recognition". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Ghost Army: The Combat Con Artists of World War II". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. Retrieved 23 August 2022.
  5. ^ a b Binkovitz, Leah (21 May 2013). "When an Army of Artists Fooled Hitler". Smithsonian.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 23 May 2013.
  6. ^ Garber, Megan (22 May 2013). "Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler". The Atlantic. Retrieved 23 May 2013.