The “Ghost Army Congressional Gold Medal Act,” which US President Joe Biden signed into law on February 2, 2022, essentially recognizes the “Ghost Army,” a tactical deception unit used by the US during World War II.
This unit was assigned a mission in 1944 to put on a show for the German troops in an effort to trick them and influence their decisions. They employed deception techniques such as sound effects, dummy trucks, personnel, and tanks that floated around. They had a 0.50 caliber machine gun, which was their heaviest weapon.
There are only nine Ghost Army veterans left, dispersed across the US, 77 years after this mission was completed.
What is the Congressional Gold Medal?
The highest national recognition for exceptional accomplishments and contributions is the Congressional Gold Medal, which is awarded by the Congress.
Participants in the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and the Mexican War were the first recipients of the medal. Later, Congress expanded the eligibility for the medal to include pioneers in a variety of other fields as well as actors, authors, musicians, entertainers, explorers, athletes, humanitarians, and foreign recipients.
The US Capitol Police and those who guarded the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, the day of the siege, received the medal most recently.
The ‘Ghost Army’
After it was established in January 1944, the existence of the “Ghost Army” was unknown for about 50 years. The unit’s “strange mission” was to conceal American troop strength and location from the enemy.
In 1996, when the official history—which was originally written in 1945 by Captain Fred Fox, an officer on the unit—became public, its existence was declared to be public knowledge.
Ghost Army is the collective name for the 3133rd Signal Company Special and the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops.
According to the unit’s official history, the US War Department activated it on January 20, 1944. Members of the units were trained and assembled pretty quickly in Tennessee. The unit served with four US armies in France, Belgium, England, Luxembourg, Holland, and Germany for a year and a half before it was on its way home.
The unit arrived in France with 1023 enlisted men and 82 officers in command. Four units provided the majority of the men and officers. Some of the members were New York and Philadelphia-based artists, while others were combat engineers and others had received special training in deception.
According to the book “The Ghost Army of World War II,” some of the members’ tasks included creating intricate models and using nettle as cover. Pilots would fly overhead and photograph these to show how the camouflage installations appeared. Since the inflatable personnel installations were immovable, they were not very effective.
Some operations of the Ghost Army
Operation Brest, in which the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops used sonic, radio, and visual deception, was one of the operations they carried out. The Ghost Army was tasked with inflating the apparent size of American troops at Brest, which was held by the Germans and was under siege by the Allies, in order to persuade the Germans to submit. According to the Ghost Army Legacy Project, they did this by fooling the Germans with inflatable tanks, noises, and illusions.
However, opinions on the unit’s accomplishments are still divided. The aforementioned book makes reference to a top-secret report that claims that overall, the army fell short of its potential. Despite a history of minor enemy intelligence manipulations that were successful, the report stated that tactical deception was characterized by a string of missed opportunities.
However, some specialists thought the work of the unit was worthwhile. One such person is a United States Army analyst by the name of Mark Kronman who praised the unit in a classified report. Rarely, if ever, has a small group of men had such a significant impact on the outcome of a significant military operation, the author noted in his article.
June and Jennifer Gibbons The silent twin who Only Spoke to Each Other
Identical twins June and Jennifer Gibbons were born on 11 April 1963 at a military hospital in Aden, Yemen where their father worked as part of the Royal Air Force.
Nathan's Famous Doctor Stunt
When Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs first opened in 1916, the owner hired people to dress as doctors and eat hot dogs outside his shop, to convince people his hot dogs were healthy.
Mother who spent entire life savings for daughter’s cancer treatment won the lottery
A mother won $2 million from a $10 scratch-off lottery ticket after she spent all of her entire life savings to pay her daughter’s cancer treatment. She bought the winning ticket after her daughter’s last cancer treatment.
Philippines, the largest supplier of Nurses in the World
Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of nurses, supplying roughly 25% of all overseas nurses worldwide.
Thomas Baker's heroic act that earned him the "Medal of Honor" was 8 bullets until death
Thomas Baker instructed his team to leave him with a pistol and eight bullets propped up against a tree after he was injured. Later, American troops discovered the now-deceased Baker in the same location, lying next to eight dead Japanese soldiers and carrying an empty pistol.
Why the Brooklyn Bridge Was Once Crossed by 17 Camels and 21 Elephants
On May 30, 1883, a rumor that the Brooklyn Bridge was going to collapse caused a stampede, which killed at least at twleve people. To prove the bridge was safe, P.T. Barnum led a parade of 21 elephants over it.
Why This Belgian Bar Makes You Trade Your Shoe for a Beer
To prevent tourists from stealing their beer glasses, some bars in Belgium require people to hand over one of their shoes as a deposit which is then put in a basket and hung from the ceiling. These shoe baskets have also become an attraction.
How Dmitri Mendeleev Developed the periodic table of the elements
1850 Dmitri Mendeleev walked almost a thousand miles to Moscow so he could apply for the University of Moscow. Although he was not accepted, he walked to St. Petersburg where he was accepted, And with that education, he developed the the periodic table of the elements
Louis Le Prince Invented the motion picture camera, and then he mysteriously disappeared
Louis Le Prince, the inventor of motion pictures, vanished without a trace in 1890. Thomas Edison quickly claimed the title of "first and sole inventor of cinema," even taking Le Prince's son to court to dispute it. A few years later, the son also dies under mysterious circumstances.
Did Gil Pérez Really Teleport from Manila to Mexico Overnight? The 1593 Mystery
On October 24, 1593, while performing his guard duties at Manila's Governor's Palace in the Philippines, Gil Perez stopped to lean against a wall and sleep for a while. He opened his eyes to find himself in an unusual environment. Gil was in the Plaza Mayor in Mexico City. They imprisoned Perez, but the authorities in Mexico City decided to release him and return him home.
How European Rabbits Took over Australia
In 1859, wealthy settler Thomas Austin released 13 wild rabbits on his Australian estate. By 1920, their population grew to 10 billion.
Graves holding hands over wall, A Catholic woman and her Protestant husband grave
A protestant man and a Catholic woman who weren't allowed from being buried together in a graveyard in 19th-century Holland turned their graves into a monument showing them holding hands across the wall separating them.
Susanna Salter: The Trailblazing Story of America’s First Female Mayor
In 1887, Susanna Salter became the first female mayor in the United States, elected in Argonia, Kansas. Her nomination was initially a prank by men opposing women in politics. However, she won by a landslide and served effectively, inspiring the women’s suffrage movement and breaking barriers for women in leadership.
The Arabia Steamboat: Unearthing a 19th Century Time Capsule from the Missouri River
The Arabia was a steamboat that sank in the Missouri River in 1856. Over time, the river shifted 800 meters to the east, eventually turning the site of the sinking into a field. The steamboat remained under 45 feet of slit and topsoil until 1988, when it was excavated. The mud, as it turned out, was such a great preserver that most of the artifacts on board were found to be intact. They even found jars of preserved apples that were still edible!
The mysterious secret of Dr James Barry
Before women were allowed to enroll in medical school, Margaret Ann Bulkley studied medicine and assumed the identity of Dr. James Barry for 56 years while dressing as a man. After 46 years of service as an army doctor officer, her secret was not made public until after her death in 1865.
Xin Zhui And The Story Of The Stunningly Intact Lady Dai Mummy
A 2,000-year-old mummy of a Chinese woman, Xin Zhui, also known as “Lady Dai,” was preserved in 21 gallons of an “unknown liquid.” With her original hair, organs, eyebrows, and eyelashes intact, the mummy still has blood in her veins. Her skin and ligaments are soft and as flexible as that of a living person.
Nicholas Winton ‘British Schindler’: Man who rescued 669 Czech children from Nazis
A man named Nicholas Winton saved 669 kids during WWII and lived almost all his life without letting people know.
Charlie Brown and Franz Stigler incident: Enemy became friends
During WWII, a German pilot spotted an American pilot’s crippled plane in the sky. Tailing it, he noticed that gunner was dead, crew injured, and they posed no threat. Instead of destroying the plane, he led it to safety. 40 years later, the two pilots reunited.
From Flapper to Fashion Week: How 1920s Style Still Shapes Modern Trends
The roaring 1920s revolutionized fashion, introducing bold styles, daring cuts, and a spirit of freedom that still inspires today’s wardrobes. From flapper dresses to statement accessories, here’s how the Jazz Age lives on in modern fashion.
A Brief History of the PlayStation Gaming Console
Sony's PlayStation was never meant to be an actual product. Instead, it was intended to be a CD-ROM console that would support Nintendo games. However, when Nintendo backed out of the deal at the last minute, Sony went ahead and launched what soon became one of the most successful gaming consoles of all time.
1972 Andes Plane Crash Survivor recall the terrifying Struggles to Stay Alive
On October 13, 1972, a plane carrying a rugby team from Uruguay crashed in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The survivors were in brutal conditions - high altitude, bitter cold, and the lack of food—and faced the most terrible choice—eating the frozen flesh of their dead friends or starving to death themselves.
Hedy Lamarr, A Hollywood actress who also a mathematician and inventor
Hollywood actress Hedy Lamarr was also a mathematician and the inventor of frequency hopping spread spectrum, a technology still used for bluetooth and wifi
Quaker Oats Fed Children with Radioactive Oatmeal
In the 1940s and 1950s, Quaker Oats and MIT conducted experiments on radioactive iron and calcium-containing cereal. The diet was part of a study to see if the nutrients in Quaker oatmeal traveled throughout the body. In January 1998, a $1.85 million settlement was reached for 30 victims who came forward.
The Littlest Skyscraper: How J.D. McMahon’s 480-Inch Con Fooled Investors in 1919
In 1919, J.D. McMahon convinced investors to fund a 480-foot skyscraper, but he labeled the plans as 480 inches, building a 40-foot structure instead. After taking $200,000, he won in court since the plans matched what he built.
The 1814 London beer flood
In 1814, there was a beer flood in London when a tank containing more than 300,000 gallons ruptured in which 8 people drowned.
