"From a distance, an English farmer could see that sometime overnight a column of Sherman tanks had parked on his field. One of his bulls also noticed the American tanks and was eyeing one of them warily. Suddenly, the bull lunged. The farmer braced himself for the sight of one of his prized bovines cracking its skull against armor plating.
The bull struck the tank at top speed, and with a lazy hiss of air, the Sherman deflated into a pile of olive-drab rubber sheeting. The bull and the farmer had stumbled onto one of the most elaborate deceptions in the history of warfare: Operation Fortitude - the creation of a phantom army to divert attention from the real Allied army poised to invade France in the spring of 1944."
The Ghost Army was a United States Army tactical deception unit during World War II officially known as the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. The 1,100-man unit was given a unique mission within the U.S Army: to impersonate other U.S. Army units to deceive the enemy. From their formation in early 1944 until the end of the war they put on a "traveling road show" utilizing inflatable tanks, sound trucks, fake radio transmissions, and disguised troops and vehicles. They staged more than 20 battlefield deceptions, often operating very close to the front lines without other support.
Growing from an idea of actor Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. the ghost soldiers were encouraged to use their brains and talent to mislead, deceive and befuddle the German Army. Many were recruited from art schools, advertising agencies and other venues that encourage creative thinking. After the war members went on to have careers in the arts, including painter and sculptor Ellsworth Kelly and fashion designer Bill Blass.
The unit consisted of the 406th Combat Engineers (which handled security), the 603rd Camouflage Engineers, the 3132 Signal Service Company Special and the Signal Company Special. Although the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops consisted of only 1,100 soldiers, the contingent used the equipment they improved or designed to make the Germans think it was upwards of a two-division 30,000-man force. The unit's elaborate ruses helped deflect German units from the locations of larger allied combat units, saving the lives of tens of thousands of Allied soldiers. They were so successful that the illusion was never broken and the entire operation remained secret for 40 years.
My work to hide geocaches can never reach the levels that they achieved, but their work did inspire this cache. Please note the terrain rating. If you are looking in an area that isn't 1 to 1.5 you are in the wrong place. I think you will want tweezers for this one.
Please don't bend, cut, or pry on any part of the cache. No force is needed to sign the log. I love caches with a twist, to give that "Ah-Ha!" moment at the end. This cache is all about deception. Take the hint seriously. Read it again when you decide the cache is missing.