Ghost Army - documentary on PBS

[AmateisGal]

For a limited time, you can watch the PBS documentary, "Ghost Army" on their website at this link: http://video.pbs.org/video/2365012023

Here's the description:


War, deception and art come together in this astonishing true story of American G.I.s who tricked the enemy with rubber tanks, sound effects and carefully crafted illusions during WWII. This remarkable tale of a top-secret mission that was at once absurd, deadly and amazingly effective is told through the stories of the veterans, many of whom would go on to have careers in art, design and fashion

 

[a2jacketpatches]

Just finished it, Great story, Thanks

 

[dhermann1]

Saw it on the TCV last night. Of course there were huge deception activities in North Africa, and in England, with the great big phoney army that Patton commanded before D-Day. But to think these guys travelled all over the ETO with their dog and pony show, that's just amazing.

 

[Doublegun]

Saw it the other night. Very interesting story.

 

[Fletch]

Thought it interesting how most all were recruited from NYC. They obviously needed a lot of young talent in a big hurry and that was the place.

 

[Stanley Doble]

Hitler pulled similar tricks before WW2. Ten or a dozen new airplanes could be made to look like hundreds. The same planes did flyovers and precision flying demonstrations at various air shows around Europe, being repainted after every show and passed off as new ones at the next. Then there were newspaper articles about how this or that unit of the air force had just received delivery of their new fighters, showing the same planes, repainted . Then the next week they were repainted and "delivered" again.

By this and other tricks the Nazis convinced the world that they had an unbeatable military force.

After the war experts examined Hitler's parade limousine and were surprised that it had been repainted seven times, alternately black or dark blue for civilian occasions and olive drab or khaki for military reviews. They thought he had a fleet of them but there was just the one.

 

[Dixon Cannon]

Very fascinating. An untold story now revealed. -dixon cannon

 

[AmateisGal]

Hitler pulled similar tricks before WW2. Ten or a dozen new airplanes could be made to look like hundreds. The same planes did flyovers and precision flying demonstrations at various air shows around Europe, being repainted after every show and passed off as new ones at the next. Then there were newspaper articles about how this or that unit of the air force had just received delivery of their new fighters, showing the same planes, repainted . Then the next week they were repainted and "delivered" again.

By this and other tricks the Nazis convinced the world that they had an unbeatable military force.

After the war experts examined Hitler's parade limousine and were surprised that it had been repainted seven times, alternately black or dark blue for civilian occasions and olive drab or khaki for military reviews. They thought he had a fleet of them but there was just the one.

This is fascinating info. I had never heard of this before.