A riveting picture book about a little-known piece of WWII history where a troop of artists put on a traveling show of deception and misled Hitler's forces again and again.
During World War II, a 1,100-man unit known as the Ghost Army was sent to Europe with an important mission: mislead Hitler’s forces as to the size and location of Allied troops so that those troops would have time to carry out urgent plans of their own.
This unit of artists, musicians, actors, architects, set designers, and engineers came together to construct “shadow soldiers” and put on a traveling show of deception for over twenty different campaigns throughout the war, using everything from fake radio transmissions to inflatable tanks to convince the enemy of their presence.---from the publisher
32 pages 978-0593691717 Ages 7-10
Keywords: World War II, war, battles, art history, secrets, artists, Fine Arts Curriculum, Social Studies Curriculum, 7 year old, 8 year old, 9 year old, 10 year old
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What an impressive, informative picture book! Kudos to Sarah Glenn Marsh for bringing this important story to life and Becca Stadtlander who captures the action of American troops in Europe during WWII. This is the nearly forgotten, buried story of artists, painters, and musicians who helped confuse the enemy and keep thousands of Allied troops safe.
The world was at war and America needed troops. Most young men joined the the army; even those who were not the biggest and baddest. The Army used camouflage and "ghost" tactics to convince the enemy that the U,S. forces were much huger than fact. Painters like Charlie were assigned to a troop of a little over one thousand men. They were experts in the arts: music, painting and architecture. It was their job to convince the enemy troops that they were real.
Rubber tanks were painted to look real. The ghost troop moved them every few days. Not only that, they pretended to be fighting in the countryside, and they would wear uniforms and eat and drink in local towns, hoping spies would report their presence.
It was not until 1996 that the Ghost Army and their heroic deeds came to light. Saving over 40,000 troops with their artistry and deception, the Ghost Army was finally recognized in 2022 by President Joe Biden and awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for their huge part in saving lives in WWII.
HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommended. A must-have, must-read for every non-fiction collection and readers who love non-fiction will love this story.
Ages 5 and up. Not traditionally an easy picture book, this book has paragraphs not just a word or sentence every page. Great for early book reports with author's note of "behind the story" facts and further --
Thompson McLeod (Pamela), blogger, reviewer, literary intern, writer, Florida USA
See more of her recommendations: http://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/
