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August 30, 2007
Ghost Army
It is a story of deception, showmanship, art and ingenuity kept secret for nearly 50 years.
In June of 1944, an exceptional U.S. Army unit went into action in Normandy. Its weapons included hundreds of inflatable tanks and a one-of-a-kind collection of soud effects records, and it carried out its battlefield mission without firing a shot. The unit was officially called the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, but it was known to its men as The Ghost Army.
The mission of this top-secret unit was to create a “traveling road show” to deceive the Germans about the location and strength of American troops on battlefields across Europe. From Normandy to the Rhine, they staged 20 battlefield deceptions, employing an array of inflatables (tanks, trucks, jeeps, airplanes), sound trucks, phony radio transmissions and even playacting to fool the enemy. Like actors in a repertory theater, the men of the 23rd had to ask themselves with each mission: “Who are we this week? What’s our story?” Then they would put on a show, with the Nazis as their audience.
"It's amazing... the fakery we were able to perpetrate upon the enemy."
That's just amazing! I can't wait to see this film.
Posted by LindaSoG at August 30, 2007 05:26 AM
Comments
Linda, thanks for your very kind mention of the film. If anyone feels moved to lend their support, they can donate (it's tax deductible) through the url below.
http://www.networkforgood.org/pca/Badge.aspx?badgeId=106008
We are currently in a race against time to earn a matching grant from sixdegrees.org for the film. The more donors who donate through that link (it is to our "charity badge") the better chance we have of getting the matching money. The six badges that generate the most donors will earn a matching grant. We're currently 10th, but on our way up. You can read about the matching funds campaign at http://www.sixdegrees.org
Again, thanks for the mention.
Rick Beyer
Producer
The Ghost Army
Posted by: Rick Beyer at September 3, 2007 01:09 PM