Secret Soldiers

As an amateur history buff dabbling in several different periods, I found this book to be a very interesting read on a small but very important unit that arguably contributed greatly to the final year of the war. This book gets into the technical details just enough to let the reader understand the basics of the various deceptions the units "played" without bogging the book down. Its strength is painting a whole picture of how the unit formed, the key leaders that made the unit successful, the unusual mix (for the Army) of artists that had the initiative and innovation to pull off their deceptions, the daily routines for the enlisted men, and of course the various operations that were conducted. Well balanced between interviews with the actual soldiers and the facts of the operations while setting the scene of what wartime Europe was like during their short deployment, Gerard has done a great service in documenting the unit's once top-secret history.

The book was well presented and each chapter primed my interest for the next. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and hated the moments I had to put it down. I'm not a fan of war stories but this book was different. These men were unknowingly heroic and contributed to the successful outcome of World War II. Their behind-the-scene story should have been told long before. Recognition at least by recording for all of us to experience secondhand is much deserved. Not all heroes need suffer wounds or aim guns.

This is a very interesting book. Not one like many which reiterated the war so much so you felt like you were reading the same book for the umpteenth time. There are new perspectives on what he's saying here. I'd recommend it for your home library if your a war buff and have true history interests.

I generally have little interest in military stories, but this book is exceptional. I can't recommend it too highly. I had trouble working last week because my reading hours ran long. The 23rd Headquarters Special Troops makes for a great story to begin with. This specialized and highly secret unit of guys put on "shows" throughout the Allied campaign from Normandy into Germany with inflatable tanks, stereo broadcasts over the countryside of moving tanks and equipment (where nothing was moving but show-people), and pyrotechnic light shows -- all designed to cover up weak spots in the Allied line, tie up German divisions where they were ineffectual, and to draw attention away from actual troop movements.But who do you round up to do such work? For camoufleurs you need artists, including a guy who's spent years studying how birds blend into their habitat; for producing "shows" you need scriptwriters and other show people. Fashion designer Bill Blass was involved. The antithesis of gung-ho Army grunts became a unit that saved untold numbers of lives. The interplay of contrasting styles between unconventional creative artists and career Army officers is captivating. Yet, for the most part, they all made it work. You get a sense of even the men themselves shaking their heads in wonder.Philip Gerard's writerly craft brings much to the story. The book is arranged chronologically, introducing the various players and their training before following them to England and through the operations in Europe. Early on, certain readers might find some of the technical detail a bit much, but later when the action cranks up overseas we understand exactly what's going on and appreciate the careful preparation. We know the characters, their personalities and their functions, and we know the hardware, so the stories flow during the cross-country race toward Berlin. And the technical matters are delivered through warmly human stories throughout the book, profiles of unlikely heroes, men thrown into circumstances that demanded more than they knew they had in them. Gerard's meticulous and wide-ranging research -- and surely some luck as well -- are plainly evident, not only in the stories but in the extensive notes, bibliography, and index. There is far more to the book than I can say here without giving away too much. Read it.

This is a really interesting book. Intriguing in every sense, and difficult to put down once you start reading. Some really great portraits of creative, resourceful people.