America’s Weirdest Trick That Utterly Duped Hitler In the …

America’s Weirdest Trick That Utterly Duped Hitler

In the summer of 1944, German reconnaissance faced a baffling situation. American armor divisions materialized in impossible locations, vanishing just as quickly. As enemy commanders searched for answers, the truth lay in the French countryside, where shortly after D-Day, two Frenchmen riding on their bicycles stumbled upon an incredible sight:

A group of four soldiers of the United States Army's 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, or the Ghost Army, were seamlessly lifting a 40-ton Sherman tank and turning it like a toy. As the cyclists gawked for answers, frozen in disbelief, soldier Arthur Shilstone simply shrugged and said: [QUOTE] "The Americans are very strong."

While other units required massive convoys and rail transport to move their heavy equipment, this covert unit arrived at the front lines carrying their tanks, howitzers, and aircraft in something far more unusual: canvas bags.