Join ASOM curator Jimmie Hallis as he virtually talks with Rick Beyer about his book, “The Ghost Army of World War II: How One Top-Secret Unit Deceived the Enemy with Inflatable Tanks, Sound Effects, and Other Audacious Fakery”.

Book Description

In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of young GIs—including such future luminaries as Bill Blass, Ellsworth Kelly, Arthur Singer, Victor Dowd, Art Kane, and Jack Masey—landed in France to conduct a secret mission. Armed with truckloads of inflatable tanks, a massive collection of sound-effects records, and more than a few tricks up their sleeves, their job was to create a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe, with the German Army as their audience.

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. Between missions the artists filled their duffel bags with drawings and paintings and dragged them across Europe. Every move they made was top secret and their story was hushed up for decades after the war’s end. The Ghost Army of World War II is the first publication to tell the full story of how a traveling road show of artists wielding imagination, paint, and bravado saved thousands of American lives.

About the Author

Rick Beyer is a best-selling author, an award winning documentary producer, and a long-time history enthusiast. With a take on history that is both humorous and illuminating, he has appeared on CBS News, MSNBC, CNN, The Discovery Channel, NPR and Fox News.

Rick wrote and produced the PBS documentary The Ghost Army, which premiered on PBS in 2013. He also co-authored (with Elizabeth Sayles) the New York Times bestseller, “The Ghost Army of World War II”. The book and documentary are currently being developed as a Hollywood movie by (American Sniper) producer Andrew Lazar and Universal Studios.

About the Exhibit

Currently, the ASOM is hosting the Ghost Army exhibit in its temporary gallery through April 25, 2021. For more information, click here.

Event Details

To listen to this event, tickets are $15. Click here to purchase your ticket.

To purchase the book, “The Ghost Army of World War II”, please click here.

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