The Ghost Army of World War II : How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived the Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, and Other Audacious Fakery / Rick Beyer & Elizabeth Sayles.
Material type:
TextPublisher: New York : Princeton Architectural Press, [2015]Edition: First edtionDescription: 253 pages : illustrations (some color), maps (some color) ; 26 cmContent type: - text
- unmediated
- volume
- 1616893184 (alk. paper)
- 9781616893187 (alk. paper)
| Item type | Home library | Collection | Call number | Materials specified | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Adult Book
|
Main Library | NonFiction | 940.5486 B573 | Available | 33111008018034 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
"A riveting tale told through personal accounts and sketches along the way--ultimately, a story of success against great odds. I enjoyed it enormously." --Tom Brokaw
The Ghost Army of World War II is the first book to tell the full story of how a traveling road show of artists wielding imagination, paint, and bravado saved thousands of American lives.
In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of young GIs--including such future luminaries such as Bill Blass, Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer, Victor Dowd, Art Kane, and Jack Masey--landed in France to conduct a secret mission. From Normandy to the Rhine, the 1,100 men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army, conjured up phony convoys, phantom divisions, and make-believe headquarters to fool the enemy about the strength and location of American units. Every move they made was top secret and their story was hushed up for decades after the war's end.
Hundreds of color and black and white photographs illuminate how their creations supported the war tactics that helped open the way for the final drive to Germany. The stunning art created between missions offers a glimpse of life behind the lines during World War II:
* Lavishly illustrated with original paintings, sketches, maps, and photographs
* Presents personal accounts and never-before-seen artwork by some of twentieth-century America's leading visual artists
* Shows first-hand the inflatable tanks, counterfeit patches, and highly orchestrated fake maneuvers created by the Ghost Army
Any collector of World War II books will find The Ghost Army of World War II an essential addition to their library.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 240-243) and index.
A cultural history/visual culture book featuring the story, photos, ephemera, and art of The Ghost Army, a World War II deception unit, which used inflatable tanks and other illusions to mislead the Germans on the battlefields of Europe. The Army recruited artists to create these illusions; in private moments, they painted and sketched their way across Europe, creating a unique visual record of the war.