On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. This would spark the start of WW2, a war between the Axis powers and the Allies. The Axis powers consisted of Germany, Italy, and Japan, while the Allies consisted of France, Great Britain, the United States, and the Soviet Union. By the end of WW2, “40,000,000–50,000,000 deaths incurred in World War II make it the bloodiest conflict, as well as the largest war, in history.” (Britannica). Because of the sheer scale of this war, there were limited supplies to go around and even fewer soldiers. Because of this, countries had to be diligent in how they used their troops and military deception helped conserve resources. Deception tactics are actions done to deliberately mislead the opposing side. This …show more content…
Overall, deception tactics were an indispensable part of warfare in WW2 because the efforts of double agents like Eddie Chapman, by misdirecting German missiles, and Agent Garbo, by rerouting the German forces, led to both less bloodshed and the conservation of vital resources. Deception tactics were an indispensable part of warfare in WW2 because the efforts of the Ghost Army led to both less bloodshed and the conservation of vital resources. The Ghost Army was an American division that specialized in deceiving the enemy. The Ghost army is unlike other divisions. It consisted of “82 officers and 1,023 men.” (Nation WW2 Museum). This is considerably less, as most divisions were made up of “10,000 to 15,000 soldiers.” (U.S. Department of Defense). Army divisions were also meant to fight with guns, while the Ghost Army’s main goal was to support the main force with deception. One of the most iconic deception tactics that the Ghost Army used was inflatable vehicles, including tanks, trucks, and …show more content…
Deception tactics were an indispensable part of warfare in WW2 because concealment tactics led to the conservation of vital resources. In WW2 bomber planes were a big issue. They were used to bomb strategic military buildings or generate fear. The latter was seen during the Blitz. During the Blitz, German bombers targeted civilian areas, causing terror. The impact of this is seen in the “1.5 million civilians—the overwhelming majority of them children. transported from urban centres to rural areas that were believed to be safe.” (Britannica). To combat this problem, concealment was used, specifically with strategic buildings. One example of this is Boeing Wonderland. Boeing Wonderland is a fake town built on top of an aircraft factory. This was done to make the factory indistinguishable from its surroundings to discourage bombers. Because of this, no bombers would ever attempt to bomb the factory. This is important because the factory can keep producing fighter planes for the war effort, leading to a higher chance of success for the side with the concealment of the