Weird Stories From World War II GHOSTS AND GOLD
World War II, the largest conflict in human history, saw millions of soldiers engaged in fierce battles across the globe, from the deserts of Tunisia and the muddy fields of Kursk to the streets of Singapore and the tropical atolls of the Marshall Islands. Some oddities go overlooked among the countless acts of heroism, savagery, desperation, stalemates, victories, and defeats. Bizarre events, characters, and plans that sound too outlandish to be true (but are!) prove reality is often stranger than fiction. The Ghost Army Deception is a prominent part of war, but the U.S. Army invented an entirely new way of misleading the enemy. The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, nicknamed the “Ghost Army,” was a unit dedicated to creating a fake army capable of drawing enemy attention and resources away from the rest of the front. Deployed on Jan. 20, 1944, the Ghost Army comprised of around 1,000 men, including artists, fashion designers, and geniuses. The unit utilized inflatable tanks and vehicles, sent out phony commands over the radio, and even created a landfill big enough to convince any aerial reconnaissance that a much larger force was camped at their location. Operation Golden Eye Following the Spanish Civil War, a fascist regime sympathetic to Nazi Germany, led by Francisco Franco, assumed control of Spain. While Spain was neutral during the war — partly due to skillful diplomacy by the Allies — the British Army prepared for the worst. If Spain entered the war and Germany invaded British Gibraltar, they needed a plan to repel the invasion and defeat the Spanish and German armies. The British tasked Commander Ian Fleming of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve with this task. The plan was nicknamed Operation Golden Eye. If the name sounds familiar, it’s because Ian Fleming went on to write a series of spy novels starring its titular character, James Bond.
MARGIE’S KITCHEN: A TRIBUTE TO MARGIE TRAMMELL
by Darlene Parman Guest Contributor: Aly Parman
This article is dedicated to Margie Trammell, my late Texan momma who shared her love through cookin’ that can soothe the soul. This recipe is special because, as my daughter, Aly, shares in her following story, it shows how food can connect multiple family histories, generations, and cultures. Enjoy! For our holiday party this year, the Culture Team had the idea to hold a meatball competition. Since I don’t really eat meat, it never occurred to me to participate. In one of our team meetings, we were talking about the event, and I offhandedly said, “The only meatballs my family ever made were my Midwestern grandmother’s (Avis Parman, Larry Parman’s mother) Super Ham Balls … and I don’t even know how to make a meatball.” Apparently, one of my Leadership Team colleagues misunderstood my remark as a challenge because, at a subsequent meeting, he told everyone, “Aly is making her grandmother’s famous Ham Balls for the competition, so you better bring your ‘A game.’” And that’s how a non-meat eater found herself bringing Ham Balls to the department holiday celebration. Lucky for me, mom (Darlene) was visiting right before the competition, so I was able to bring in the “ringer,” and we made Grandma Avis’s Super Ham Balls together. Going into the competition, I assumed all meatballs were essentially the same. Boy, was I wrong. I was shocked at the variety of different meatball dishes at the party! Along with the one classic Italian Meatball dish, there was a Greek meatball dish called Soudzoukakia, a Norwegian meatball called Chetcaca, Thai Coconut Turkey Meatballs, and my Midwestern Super Ham Balls — just to name a few. There was even … Continued on the insert ...
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