Much like last year’s Dazzle Ships, while reading Spy on
History: Victor Dowd and the World War II Ghost Army my mind was blown multiple
times. The ways in which our military
creatively supported our troop’s safety and that these secrets were shielded
from the public (as classified information often is) demonstrates the ingenuity
of our leadership during World War II.
Long story short (and spoiler alert) artists, graphic designers, sound
engineers, and weathermen (they were all men…) were recruited to be part of
camouflage units and sonic companies.
They were essentially putting on a distracting show to trick the German
troops and commanders into believing they were a full combat battalion armed
with tanks, weapons, and communication tools.
And they were. But all of those
items (except for the communication tools) were inflatable! Our first bounce houses were on the front
lines of World War II. Who knew?! When I incredulously asked my husband if he
knew about this, he referenced a Ken Burns special he had watched. But I had never heard about the Ghost Army
and I think readers will be VERY interested to learn more too. There are also clues throughout the book for
readers to decode messages at the back of the book, though I didn’t need those
to engage with this text. The creativity
of the concept of the Ghost Army is engaging all on its own. Paired with Dazzle Ships, Spy on History
demonstrates the value our military has placed on artist’s talents to protect
our country.
Title: Spy on History: Victor Dowd and the World War II
Ghost Army
Author: Enigma Alberti
Illustrator: Scott Wegener
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9326-5
Published 2017 by Workman Publishing
This book was borrowed from the public library for purposes
of review.
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