In the summer of 1944, a select group of young GIs embarked on a covert mission that included future luminaries like Bill Blass, Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer, Victor Dowd, Art Kane, and Jack Masey. Their destination: France. Their objective: deception on the battlefields of Europe, with the German Army as their unsuspecting audience.
Armed with inflatable tanks, an extensive collection of sound-effects records, and a repertoire of clever tricks, the 1,100 men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, famously known as the Ghost Army, operated from Normandy to the Rhine. Their mission involved creating fake convoys, phantom divisions, and imaginary headquarters to mislead the enemy about the strength and locations of American units.
Between their deception missions, these artists stashed drawings and paintings in their duffel bags, carrying them across Europe. Their every move was shrouded in secrecy, and their remarkable story remained classified for many years after the war ended. "The Ghost Army of World War II" is the first account to reveal the full narrative of how a group of imaginative artists, armed with paint, imagination, and audacity, played a pivotal role in saving thousands of American lives during the war.
