The Ghost Army

The art of war takes on new meaning in Rick Beyer's mesmerizing documentary.

Fascinating film details history of American unit whose sole objective was to fool Hitler and Nazis by creating fake armies.

Rick Beyer's fascinating, detailed and oddly delightful account of the World War II military camouflage artists whose job was not to hide men and materiel but to create battalions where none actually existed, drawing German eyes and ears to the wrong place.

A fascinating new PBS documentary.

The unit's work was top secret, its members' experiences, recounted in this film, fascinating above all for what they tell about the determined inventiveness, the all-out ambition to try everything, characteristic of that war effort.

The Ghost Army can feel a bit padded at times. Like one of those rubber tanks, it’s not as imposing as it seems. But also like those tanks, it’s memorable and not quite like anything else.

We have perhaps grown to expect a certain rhythm in these accounts. A mission accomplished amid much bravery and loss. Memories of horror and heroism carried silently for decades. The Ghost Army reminds us that in a conflict as sweeping as the Second World War, not every story fits that template.