Ghost Army Research Paper

Ghost Army

No one would've guessed actors could turn a war around and win. actors artists and designers all were recruited during the war for a job barely anyone knew about. Actors artists and designers all were recruited during the war for a job barely anyone knew about.

During world war 2 a project began to make an army of fake soldiers to fool hitler into thinking the american army was larger than it really was (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 1). The army started recruiting soldiers for this secret army but they weren't trained soldiers instead they were artists, actors, designers and other students from art schools and agencies (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 1). In these armies the artists

and actors were equipped with inflatable tanks, props, real jeeps and soldiers to make their plays look more realistic (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 2). The jobs of the artists were to make and use tanks uniforms and designs that weren't actually what they were made to look like (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 2).

The purpose of all this is to trick hitler and cause him to react to illusions created by the ghost army and not notice the real armies in different places (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 2). Before these people would embark on their artistic journeys they would be known for serving in world war 2 (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 2). One job these men and women would do is create disguises to make them look like high ranking officers in the army, and the actors would wear these disguises in public where enemy spies would most likely be and give them fake information about the allies The artists would make and fill inflatable tanks to look like real ones and set them up where the enemies would see them to look like the allies were moving to set up in that location and the germans would set up to counter the attack that would never happen (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 3).. Another job that these people would do to trick hitler was to set up fake radio broadcasts between the allied forces that the germans could easily tap into and listen to the false information the actors on the radios were giving (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 3). The illusions set up my these actors

were improved by the army giving them real soldiers and jeeps that they would use to setup acts of soldiers and jeep going in circles around an area that would make it seem like there were more than there really was (“Ghost Army: The Inflatable Tanks That Fooled Hitler” 3).
One example of this was with general Patton. Patton was a general in the allied forces and he was on the verge of getting thrown out but they higher officers gave him a deal that would assist them in defeating germany ("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1). FUSAG was the ghost army given to Patton by General Dwight Eisenhower the supreme commander of the allied forces("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1). Patton’s ghost army was based in areas of southeast england to make an illusion of the allies pushing across the english channel and leaving it vulnerable enough for germans to notice and look into the fake movement believing it to be an incoming attack("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1). FUSAG built a real looking allied base to convince the germans they were preparing to attack this base was made up of mess and hospital tents fuel depots and parking areas with jeeps and cars("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 2). During the night soldiers would create tire tracks and move the vehicles in the lots around to look like they were driven to make the scene look more realistic ("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 2). The harbors were filled with fake navy ships and oil rigs that would be moved around the channel to make a fake blockade against the germans ("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1). On June 6 the allies attack the germans in normandy, the germans expecting an attack from the other side with the fake ships and troops had moved their forces there to be prepared leaving the spot of the real attack open ("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1). In fear of the german reinforcements coming from behind the fake base and blockade moved and released smoke screens ("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1). Pattons real forces moved from the south and attacking the germans who were trying to withstand the assaults and false information finally losing normandy to the ghost army and patton ("FUSAG: The Ghost Army of World War II." 1).
The Ghost army was an invisible army not many people knew about yet through their hard works and cunning they turned the tide of the war into the allies favor. These artists and actors were a huge asset to the war and their bravery should be remembered for centuries to come.