Sometimes, The War Was Psychological
PhotoQuest/Getty Images
PhotoQuest/Getty Images
During World War II, both sides understood that deception could be just as valuable of a weapon as any tank or ship. Although the Allies got clever in their application of planted false information and movie props masquerading as military equipment, they weren’t alone on that front.
As this photo demonstrates, it wasn’t unheard of for German forces to build fake tanks like this to deceive Americans fighting in Metz, France, about the strength of their numbers. Each “tank” consisted of a cart, a wooden frame, and a “gun” made from a length of drain pipe.