The Ghost Army

During the Second World War, a select team of American soldiers embarked on an unusual mission: to stage a mobile theatrical deception on the European battlefields, with the German forces as their unsuspecting audience. Known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, they employed inflatable rubber tanks, sound trucks, and captivating performance art to repeatedly mislead the enemy, often right at the front lines. Many of the individuals chosen for these risky deception operations were artists, some of whom later achieved fame, such as fashion designer Bill Blass. In their downtime, they painted and sketched their journey across Europe, leaving behind a distinctive and poignant visual chronicle of their wartime experiences. The details of their covert mission remained classified for nearly half a century after the war concluded.