"Secret Soldiers: The Story of World War II's Heroic Army of Deception" by Philip Gerard

UK Edition

"They were masters of the craft of illusion and deception, and their greatest disappearing act was to vanish from history. The men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops were recruited to become phantom warriors in a ghost army to help win the Battle of Eurpoe. A thousand strong, they fought in more campaigns, from D Day to the Rhine River, with more Allied armies, than any other unit in the European Theater of Operations-yet not even their fellow American soldiers were aware of their presence. The Special Troops' mission was two-fold: to deceive the German Army into believing that the Allies possessed more troops and material than they actually did and, even more heroically, to draw enemy fire on their position to allow other units to advance free of lethal resistance. Through the art of camouflage, sonic deception, and illusion this extraordinary troop of brave, ingenious men saved countless American lives-while sometimes losing their own."

"The Man Who Never Was: World War II's Boldest Counter-Intelligence Operation" by Ewen Montagu

UK Edition

"As plans got under way for the Allied invasion of Sicily in June 1943, British counter-intelligence agent Ewen Montagu masterminded a scheme to mislead the Germans into thinking the next landing would occur in Greece. The innovative plot was so successful that the Germans moved some of their forces away from Sicily, and two weeks into the real invasion still expected an attack in Greece. This extraordinary operation called for a dead body, dressed as a Royal Marine officer and carrying false information about a pending Allied invasion of Greece, to wash up on a Spanish shore near the town of a known Nazi agent. Agent Montagu tells the story as only an insider could, offering fascinating details of the difficulties involved-especially in creating a persona for a man who never was--and of his profession as a spy and the risks involved in mounting such a complex operation. Failure could have had devastating results. Success, however, brought a decided change in the course of the war."

"The Double-Cross System: The Incredible True Story of How Nazi Spies Were Turned into Double Agents" by J. C. Masterman

UK Edition

"THE DOUBLE-CROSS SYSTEM is the amazing true story of how British intelligence penetrated and practically operated Nazi Germany’s spy network within the British Isles. With great imagination, care and precise coordination, the British were able to identify Nazi agents, and induce many to defect, and supplied Germany completely false information about bombings, battles, and even the D-Day invasion. Told by the man who himself masterminded the entire unbelievable four-and-a-half-year scheme, and filled with dazzling tidbits and extraordinary stories, THE DOUBLE-CROSS SYSTEM is a testimony to Britain’s skill in the fine art of counterespionage. Also included is an appendix listing each of the 120 double-cross agents and their tasks, a comprehensive index, and a glossary of military abbreviations."

"Fortitude: The D-Day Deception Campaign" by Roger Hesketh & Nigel West (Introduction)

UK Edition

"Behind the astonishing success of D-Day was the most sophisticated deception scheme ever devised. Its code name was "Fortitude," and its objective was to persuade the enemy that the long-awaited landings would take place in the Pas-de-Calais and that any attack in Normandy could be safely ignored. The Nazis relied on aerial reconnaissance, wireless intercepts, news from London-based diplomats, and reports from the Abwehr's extensive network of agents to predict the time and place of the Allied offensive, and much of this misinformation was helpfully supplied by Roger Hesketh's team of deception specialists, who coordinated the most complex conjuring trick of the century. The classified official history of the entire operation, written by Roger Hesketh as Allied counter-intelligence experts were gathering the evidence of what had been accomplished in early 1945, has at last been declassified and released. In Fortitude, the intricate details of this fantastic diversionary scheme are disclosed with the type of immediacy that can only come from first-hand material."

"Strategic Deception in the Second World War" by Michael Howard

"Covers the British government's campaign of strategic deception of the German High Command, revealing Germany's heavy reliance on double agent disinformat which was provided through heavily surveyed channels."

"Basically, the Americans and British succeeded in convincing the Nazis throughout the war that they were far stronger than they truly were, while the Russians continually fooled the Nazis into thinking they were far weaker than was the fact. Publication of Howard's official WWII deception history was held up for a decade by British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who, according the M.R.D. Foot, "saw no reason to explain to potential enemies how Britain might fight them." Once (now) Lady Thatcher left office, the deception history was published."

"Deception in War: The Art of the Bluff, the Value of Deceit ..." by Jon Latimer

"Deception has been an integral part of warfare since Troy accepted a wooden horse from the Acheans, but it has generally been looked on as the ruses de guerre of cunning individuals rather then an essential component of the command skills necessary for success. This comprehensive account of Deception in Warfare covers everything from Ancient and Medieval war, like Ramses II fighting the Hittite's at Kadesh to modern day and General Schwarzkoph's flanking deep battle in Desert Storm. The Information battle covers a wide range of subjects covering the principles and methods of deception from tactical to operational and strategic. This book covers Land, Air and Naval deception including stories of actual operations from small scale actions in Kenya to operation "Bodyguard" the deception for the "Overlord" D-Day Landings."

"Bodyguard of Lies: The Extraordinary True Story Behind
D-Day" by Anthony Cave Brown (Editor)

"This book describes the most intricate intelligence operation in the history of war - Plan Bodyguard, by which the Allies kept D-Day secret from the Germans. The success of D-Day, the effects of D-Day not only on the soldiers who fought but also and especially upon those who planned the operation, the successes and failures of many deceptions designed to keep the Axis guessing, are all described in detail. D-Day was the culmination of the games, ruses and set-ups that had been going on for almost four years."

"Ghost Army of World War II" by Jack Kneece

"Though it sounds more like a film plot than the real thing, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops was a significant force composed of artists, actors, and sound technicians who specialised in illusion: 1,000 men were practised in all the skills required to give the impression that they were as many as 30,000 -- and heavily armed. Until recently, all information about these operations has remained secret, while the brave soldiers who saved many lives during the war were denied the medals -- even the Purple Heart -- which they had earned for the sake of preserving this great military campaign."

"Ghosts of the Eto: American Tactical Deception Units in the European Theater, 1944 - 1945" by Jonathan Gawne

"No history of the war in Europe has ever taken into account the actions of the men of the US 23rd Special Troops. These men took part in over 22 deception operations against the German Army. Some of these operations had tremendous impact upon how the battles in Europe were fought. The men who participated in these actions were sworn to secrecy for 50 years, and are only now willing to talk about their role. The 23rd was composed of four main units. A signal deception unit to broadcast fake radio signals, an engineer camouflage unit to set up rubber dummies of tanks and trucks, a combat engineer unit to construct emplacements and provide local security, and a sonic deception company. The sonic unit was developed to fool German listening posts by playing audio recordings of various sounds, such as tanks moving up or bridges being built."

"Hoodwinking Hitler: The Normandy Deception" by William B. Breuer

"Hoodwinking Hitler is a you-are-there, action-packed account of the intricate deception plans and operations that misled German intelligence professionals--and Adolf Hitler--about the timing and locale of the June 1944 Normandy invasion of Fortress Europe. Every facet of the monumental deception plan is treated in depth; diplomacy, electronic codes and code-breaking, intelligence, counter-intelligence, double agents, the French underground, camouflage, strategic feints, global whispering campaigns, and tactical sacrifices. The success of the Allies in this campaign of deception led to victory in one of the most successful military campaigns in history."