- Three veterans of a World War II unit specializing in deception have been honored by Congress.
- They are the seven surviving members of the “Ghost Army” squad.
- They used inflatable tanks, radio signals, and costumes to disguise themselves as combat troops.
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A veteran of a secret World War II unit that used inflatables and fake soundtracks to provide false information to Nazi Germany was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal Thursday.
The Ghost Army, comprised of the 23rd Headquarters Special Forces and the 3133rd Signal Service Squadron, is believed to have saved up to 30,000 lives as Allied forces advanced deep into Europe.
The force of about 1,300 soldiers conducted more than 20 missions to create false troop movements and signs of an impending attack, leading German officers to believe that U.S. forces were attacking in the wrong location. I set it.
However, their actions were shrouded in secrecy for decades until they were declassified in 1996, and even then they have received “minimal recognition.” He said the House bill would be passed in 2022. In memory of veterans.
The award of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest honor bestowed by Congress, comes after a decade of efforts to raise the group’s profile following a 2013 PBS documentary about their accomplishments.
Three veterans of the unit, Bernard Bluestein, John Christman and Seymour Nussenbaum, attended the event, along with portraits of members of Congress and dozens of family members of the unit.
The trio are part of the seven surviving members of the Ghost Army, whose members were selected based on their experience in creative fields such as art, advertising and architecture.
Bluestein, 100, from Illinois, joined the unit from the Cleveland Museum of Art and worked with camouflage technicians. His friend, 100-year-old Nussenbaum, is from New Jersey and was making counterfeit uniform patches. Christman, 99, who also lives in New Jersey, was a demolition expert.
House Speaker Mike Johnson: “Rarely, if ever, has there been such a small group of people who have had such a profound impact on the outcome of a major military operation.” said at the eventHe quoted a passage from a U.S. Army report on the unit.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries also spoke, along with several senators and representatives who sponsored the 2022 bill.
Much of the unit’s field work took place after the Allied landings in Europe in June 1944. The troops deployed inflatable tanks, used loudspeakers to broadcast vehicle sounds, sent out interception radio signals, and sometimes came under fire from tricked German artillery teams.of Non-profit Ghost Army Legacy Project.
Nussenbaum said Associated Press It was “like performing a large-scale production.” Some members of the unit pretended to be generals wearing costumes and walking normally.
One notable mission involved impersonating 40,000 troops approximately 16 miles from where the United States crossed the Rhine River into Germany. Also, in Brest, France, members of the unit were seen patrolling the front lines playing the sounds of tank formations in the hopes of tricking the Germans into thinking they were surrounded and had surrendered.
Notably, the German military also attempted to deceive the Allies by similar means, including dummy tanks made to resemble armored vehicles.
Bluestein spoke at Thursday’s event while in a wheelchair, drawing recognition from veterans including Rick Beyer, who directed a documentary about the unit in 2013 and led the Ghost Army Legacy Project. He expressed his gratitude to the activists who worked hard for the cause.
The government’s declassification of the Ghost Army in 1996 “let the world know we existed,” Bluestein said.
New Hampshire Democratic Congresswoman Anne McClain Kuster said members of the “Ghost Army” had remained silent for years about their activities during the war, and that they have remained members since information about the unit was declassified. He talked about how long it took him to realize that.
“One of my favorite lines was the gentleman who only told his family, ‘I blew up the tank,’ but not that the tank was inflatable,” she said.