Ghost soldier
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ghost soldier refers to a member of the United States Army's 23rd Headquarters Special Troops in World War II, a camouflage battalion deployed in Europe following the Battle of Normandy. Ghost soldiers were encouraged to use their brains and talent to mislead, deceive and befuddle the German Army.
Ghost soldiers were required to have an IQ of at least 119. They were recruited from art schools, advertising agencies and other venues that encourage creative thinking. In civilian life, ghost soldiers had been artists, actors, set designers and engineering wizards. Fashion designer Bill Blass, the artist Louis Dalton Porter and the painter Ellsworth Kelly served as ghost soldiers.
The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops consisted of only 1,100 soldiers. The contingent used inflatable tanks and artillery, cast-iron paratroopers, fake aircraft and giant speakers broadcasting the sounds of men and artillery to make the Germans think it was a 30,000 man force.
The unit's elaborate ruses helped deflect German units from the locations of larger allied combat units. "They were so successful that sometimes a huge German unit would surrender to them," said Jack Kneece, author of Ghost Army of World War II.
The ghost soldier unit was kept top secret until 1996.
