"For Mike, a scholar of history who knows that the most powerful stories are often found not in the headlines, but in the footnotes."
Dedicated to those who fought against adversity, the unsung heroes, and the obscure facets of the Second World War. A curated collection for a true enthusiast.
The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the "Ghost Army," was a tactical deception unit. Using inflatable tanks, sound trucks, fake radio transmissions, and elaborate illusions, they staged more than 20 battlefield deceptions, often operating just miles from the front lines to fool German intelligence about Allied troop strength and locations.
B.F. Skinner, the famous behaviorist psychologist, developed a project to train pigeons to guide missiles. The pigeons were placed inside the missile and trained to peck at the target projected on a screen in front of them, which would steer the missile. Though it worked in tests, the military opted for electronic guidance instead.
The only Japanese casualties resulting directly from enemy action on the mainland United States occurred when a Japanese Fu-Go balloon bomb exploded in Oregon in May 1945, killing a Sunday school teacher (Elsie Mitchell) and five children. Japan launched over 9,000 of these incendiary balloons across the Pacific, hoping to start forest fires.
The Polish II Corps enlisted a Syrian brown bear named Wojtek. He was officially drafted as a private so he could receive rations. During the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy, Wojtek actually helped move crates of ammunition for artillery units. He survived the war and lived out his days at the Edinburgh Zoo.
Project X-Ray was a US plan to attach tiny incendiary bombs to Mexican Free-Tailed bats. The idea was to release them over Japanese cities; the bats would roost in the eaves of the highly flammable wooden buildings and start massive fires. It was cancelled when the Manhattan Project proved successful.