TAKE A BREAK
A Fake Army That Fooled a Country
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The Secret Operation That Sent Germany the Wrong Way
We’ve all heard the saying “fake it till you make it. ” Well, during World War II, the Allies turned that into a winning war strategy. Aiming to trick Nazi intelligence, they created a fictitious army complete with inflatable tanks, double agents, and confusing radio chatter. Operation Fortitude’s deception was so convincing that the German military believed the D-Day invasion was heading somewhere else entirely. The crafty misinformation mission ultimately saved lives and helped defeat Nazi Germany. By 1943, the Allies knew that the success of the Normandy Invasion was critical in ending the war. They decided to bolster their chances by fooling the enemy into thinking the invasion would come through Norway or the Pas-de-Calais region of France. Nazi commanders already had a hunch the Allies would invade Pas-de-Calais, and this bluff only deepened their faulty theory. At the heart of this web of lies was a fake army that General George Patton would lead, one of the leaders the Germans feared most. To make it appear as though the army was preparing to attack, they built wooden, canvas-covered dummy landing craft and deployed them in harbors. They also created fake tanks, airplanes, and decoy buildings. From a plane, these props looked like the real deal. Furthering the fib, they generated radio transmissions describing troop movements and plans for the fake invasion, while also ensuring German intelligence intercepted the false information. Fortitude used double agents in Germany who fed Nazi forces even more lies. One spy even impressed the Germans so much that they gave him an award for his “intelligence” gathering. Operation Fortitude’s ruse successfully manipulated the Nazis. Convinced the main attack would hit Pas-de-Calais, German forces stayed focused there and sent few resources or reinforcements to Normandy. Even after the Allies landed in Normandy, the Germans still believed it was a diversion and held back troops for seven weeks, waiting for the real attack elsewhere. Thanks to a fake army and lots of creative decoys, the Allies were able to fool their way to victory. While we don’t often associate trickery and valor, Operation Fortitude’s mission might be one of the boldest deceptions of the 20th century.
Beef ‘n Biscuit Bake
Ingredients
• 1 lb ground beef • 1 can (16 oz) kidney beans, rinsed and drained • 1 can (15 1/4 oz) whole kernel corn, drained • 1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed tomato soup, undiluted • 1/4 cup 2% milk
• 2 tbsp finely chopped onion • 1/2 tsp chili powder • 1/4 tsp salt • 1 cup cubed Velveeta • 1 tube (12 oz) refrigerated biscuits • 3 tbsp butter, melted • 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal
Directions 1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, cook beef, breaking into crumbles, until no longer pink; drain. Add beans, corn, tomato soup, milk, onion, chili powder, and salt; bring to a boil. 3. Remove from heat; stir in cheese until melted. 4. Spoon into a greased 2 1/2-quart baking dish. 5. Bake, uncovered, 10 minutes. 6. Meanwhile, brush all sides of biscuits with butter; roll in cornmeal. 7. Place on top of bubbling meat mixture. 8. Return to the oven for 10–12 minutes, or until biscuits are lightly browned and cooked through.
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