Jump to content

WW2 - Dummies and deception - Post what you know!


Recommended Posts

The other thread reminded me of a whole lot of wacky tactics used in WW2 by Britain to try and confuse Axis powers.

 

Lot's of interesting things, but the most important thing to remember I suppose is that,

'Myth is invulnerable to mere facts'

 

There's a lot of stuff pulled out of comic book fiction when you look around, and some accounts would leave you to believe that certain things were truly effective when they weren't. One amusing example is of a German plane dropping a wooden bomb on a fake railhead in North Africa :)

 

I'm only really aware of the British rouses though, was hoping some of you could post about ones used in the Pacific, Balkans, Middle East, Pacific etc etc..

Too many cowboys. Not enough indians.

GO APE SH*T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've pulled this off http://history.sandiego.edu/GEN/WW2tIMELINE/britain.html

Just thought some quirky things would be of interest.

 

 

HILL11.JPG

Apparently the trick was creating a lifelike shadow.. :book:

 

Q-site: An electrically lit dummy airstation for nighttime deception. Q-sites required only two servicemen to adequately run the airstation. Flare paths utilized lights to indicate fictitious obstructions. Automobile lamps simulated aircraft lights and special signals were broadcast to ward off friendly flyers. The lights were controlled from a nearby underground shelter which communicated with the parent station a few miles away. Headlamps suspended on wires and carriages were used to simulate moving aircraft.

Success: By the end of 1941, there were approximately 100 Q-sites and they had received over 350 enemy airstrikes. During the period of June 1940 to October 1940, the dummy aerodromes absorbed twice as many attacks as the parent stations they were protecting.

Analysis: The Q-sites required less men and material to maintain than the K-sites. Unlike the K-site, detailed buildings and planes were not required for the Q-site to successfully deceive the German bomber. At the same time, Q-sites endured twice the number of bombing raids as their parent stations. The Q-sites were a cheap addition to the defense of Britain and proved immensely successful at misleading enemy bombers.

 

HILL12.JPG

K-sites: Dummy airstations used for daytime deception. Major problem was the high cost to construct convincing imitations. The K-sites required up to 24 servicemen to maintain. Real hedges trimmed to look like fake hedges which normally camouflage air stations were also provided. The stations housed old, obsolete and phony aircraft. By November 1940 there were 60 dummy aerodromes in Britain.

 

Success rate: By mid 1940 day dummies had endured only 13 airstrikes while the aerodromes they were constructed to protect had suffered twice that many. A German map retrieved from a shot down bomber in December of 1940 revealed that only 3 K-sites were still believed to be genuine by the Luftwaffe.

 

Analysis: However, by the end of 1940 they no longer served a useful purpose..

 

 

HILL05.JPG

Fake fires, 'QF' or Starfish sites are first used to attract enemy bombers.

 

These controlled fires were set after the first wave of bombers and before the second wave would arrive. Their purpose was to deceive the second wave of bombers into believing the fires were set by the first waves bombs. Believing the fires marked the target, the 2nd wave would drop their bombs on the QF and consequently waste them. Success: The QF sites were extremely successful and attracted numerous enemy bombers. By 1943 over 235 Starfish sites were in existence. Besides drawing enemy bombers away from military installations, the Starfish sites also took the brunt of numerous bombing raids away from the cities. The sites saved lives and increased the morale of both citizenry and soldiers.

 

Just some BoB stuff there. I find it interesting how countries facing defeat can come up with some desperate and imaginative ideas, some of which actually work.

Too many cowboys. Not enough indians.

GO APE SH*T

Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.taphilo.com/history/WWII/USAAF/Boeing/index.shtml

 

Although they were never attacked. Factories critical to the war effort on the West coast were disguised to look like residential areas. This was done by putting fake structures on the roof of the massive buildings.

H302-6.jpg

The right man in the wrong place makes all the difference in the world.

Current Projects:  Grayflag ServerScripting Wiki

Useful Links: Mission Scripting Tools MIST-(GitHub) MIST-(Thread)

 SLMOD, Wiki wishlist, Mission Editing Wiki!, Mission Building Forum

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

Ju-88C zerstörers often had "window glazing" painted on the nose and part of the tail fin sky-blued to look like regular Ju-88A bombers. Gave them a nice cannon pack surprise that otherwise would've made them a priority target.

 

British utility and command tanks often had dummy guns fitted to look like regular combat tanks.

 

My favourite is the British tactic in Egypt during 1940. They had I think two serviceable Hurricanes for a time and so flew them from airfield to airfield to give any enemy reconnaissance flights the impression whole squadrons were patrolling. Of course if you were particularly observant you'd notice it was the same two Hurricanes at every airfield you were photographing...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...