The Ghost Army
I am a bit of a World War II buff, and this past June 6 marked the 80th anniversary of the D-Day* landings in Normandy, France. Code-named "Overlord", it was the largest military seaborne operation ever attempted and marked the start of the Allied campaign to liberate Nazi-occupied Europe. It helped turn the tide of the war and was an incredible feat of planning, logistics, and bravery.
The Germans knew an invasion was coming and naturally assumed it would take place at the narrowest point of the English Channel, at Pas-de-Calais, France. The Allies obliged by deploying a Ghost Army right across the channel in England, giving the appearance of a large invasion force. This fake army (consisting of inflatable tanks and planes) was under the command of Lt. General George S. Patton, who was greatly respected and feared by the German High Command.
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| Watch out for flying tanks! |
As a result of this ruse (and out of respect for Patton), Hitler deployed a million soldiers to fortify the area. Of course, the landings took place 200 miles to the south in Normandy, and the Germans were caught by surprise. The rest, as they say, is history.
The story of this deception was kept a secret for more than 50 years after the war, until it was declassified in1996. In February 2022, members of the Ghost Army were awarded the Congressional Gold Medal citing their unique and highly distinguished service. This is a truly amazing story that deserves to be told.
Check out this video to learn more:
*The "D" simply stands for "day". D-Day is a military term for the first day of an operation, so "D-1" would be the day before and the day after would be "D+1".
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