French newspaper Le Figaro has unearthed an incredible development from the first world war, revealing that French authorities built a life-size replica of Paris to the north of the city to trick German bombers.
According to Le Figaro, this pretend Paris featured streets with electric lighting and dummy buildings, a recreation of the famous Gare du Nord railway station and several landmarks like the Arc de Triomphe area and even approximations of outer industrial areas to complete the illusion of urban sprawl.
Paris II contained coloured lighting to give the impression of factories in operation, fake trains and tracks, and was placed 24km from the centre of the city, on a stretch of the river Seine of roughly the same line as the city itself.
But this dummy city was never attacked. The war was coming to an end when the idea was dreamed up in 1918, the German bombing stopped, and this alternate city was disassembled.[Telegraph via Gizmodo UK]
gg
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 6:55 AMI love all these tactics that were used. Ive heard of this done somewhere else and worked…also using blow up tanks and vehicles to distract from an offensive
Timmahh
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 11:45 AMBlazing Saddles?
Man
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 1:32 PMIn the build up to D-Day they had fake armies stationed all over southern England. Inflatable tanks that people walked around, tents etc.
The idea was to fool the Germans into thinking the invasion would be taking place somewhere other than Normandy, and that the normandy invasion was just a decoy.
It worked too, even after the D-Day invasion the Germans still thought a bigger one was coming.
Heavy Props Guy
Friday, November 11, 2011 at 10:29 AMGg, you’re thinking of Operation Fortitude (more specifically, Operation Quicksilver) during WW2. Really badass stuff there with DoubleCross too.
“What’s that? George Patton is going to Calais?!? Look! they’re bombing it too! it MUST mean they’re going there with their main force!” (After D-Day) “it’s a trap! this is just a feint, they’re still going to Calais!” (No one shows up) “We’ve been had!”