They carried out more than 20 deception missions, often near front lines, in Europe toward the end of the Second World War, according to the Ghost Army Legacy Project, which has been preserving the legacy of the unit and advocated for the Congressional Gold Medal – Congress’ “highest expression of national appreciation” – to be awarded to the veterans.ĭuring the Battle of the Bulge, the 23rd used counterfeit radio traffic to deceive German forces about efforts by Gen. To impersonate another larger US Army unit, they did things like sew fake patches onto their uniforms and paint false markings on their vehicles, according to the bill. The 23rd consisted of roughly 1,100 men, but they were capable of duping the enemy into thinking they were a force of 30,000, according to the museum. Many of the Ghost Army soldiers were recruited creatives – engineers, architects and art students who’d go on to be famous, including fashion designer Bill Blass, painter Ellsworth Kelly and photographer Art Kane, according to the National World War II Museum. Known as the “Ghost Army,” the US Army’s 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Service Company employed tactics like using inflatable equipment, including artillery and airplanes, and creating “phony headquarters staffed by fake generals” to trick the Nazis about “sizable American forces where there were none and to draw the enemy away from Allied troops,” the legislation said. President Joe Biden on Tuesday signed a bill into law that awards the Congressional Gold Medal to a top-secret US Army unit that used deceptive tactics like inflatable tanks, fake radio transmissions and sound effects to fool enemy forces during World War II.
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