The Ghost Army: Conning the Third Reich

Our story is about the genesis and evolution of these phantoms and men-who-never-were, these artists and magicians at the front line who operated in stealth and secrecy.

Throughout the course of World War II, Allied forces engaged in elaborate deceptions to fool Hitler’s armies. A ragtag group of Bohemian artists and creatives were assembled to devise these strategies, including rubber dummy tanks, faux railway lines and falsified wireless intelligence. They made armies appear out of thin air, baffling German forces and ensuring Allied success in battle. For fifty years, information on the Ghost Army strategies was classified. It is only recently that details of their heroic actions have come to light.

This book includes details of SHAEF command centre who organised many of the deceptions, the First US Army Group (the so-called ‘Ghost Army’), the 23rd Camouflage Engineers, and accounts of the double cross agents who risked their lives and freedom to mislead Nazi High Command. Featuring never-before-seen information from veteran interviews, The Ghost Army brings to life the fascinating story of the men and women who conned Adolf Hitler.