Courtesy of www.grofjardanhazy.tumblr.com
The Ghost Army was activated on January 20, 1944 near the end of the war. They had a grand total of 22 missions, each one saving countless lives and contributing to the outcome of the war. The idea came from two people, Captain Ralph Ingersoll, and Colonel Billy Harris. General Jake Devers assisted them to put their plan into reality. They were working together in London for the American army, strategizing to give them and their allies every advantage they could get. The idea came from British deceptions in North Africa when they did a big deception at the battle of El-Alamein. The deceptions they wanted to do were a bit different and more unique. The Ghost Army would do all kinds of deceptions, from inflatable tanks to talking about fake plans in a bar. The main goal was to save as many lives as possible and hopefully make the war shorter. Their plan succeeded as they saved an estimated 10 to 15 thousand lives.
"You have to give a lot of credit to generals all the way up to Eisenhower, who said yeah let’s try this because it’s kind of a crazy idea."
- Rick Beyer
Left, Captain Ralph Ingersoll - Right, Colonel Billy Harris
Images are Courtesy of www.ghostarmylegacyproject.org
"Activated on January 20, 1944, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the “Ghost Army,” was the first mobile, multimedia, tactical deception unit in US Army history."
- Senator John Alario, Jr.
Courtesy of www.gifer.com