In the summer of 1944, a handpicked group of GIs landed in France to conduct a secret mission. Armed with rubber tanks, fake artillery, and more than a few tricks up their sleeves, they put on a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe, with the German Army as their audience. From Normandy to the Rhine, the 1,100 men of the Twenty-Third Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army, conjured up phony convoys, phantom divisions, and make-believe headquarters to fool the enemy about the strength and location of American units.

Author and documentary filmmaker Rick Beyer presents this amazing story in an engaging multimedia presentation that includes photos, maps, video clips and other material. Many of the soldiers were artists, including future fashion designer Bill Blass and painter Ellsworth Kelly, and Beyer weaves their wartime art into this incredible tale of creativity being used to save lives.

Alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks will be available for purchase at the limited bar.

Doors and bar open at 6:00pm. The talk and live stream portion begin at 6:30pm. To access the live stream of this event, please register here: https://forms.gle/WJX9MZHpUda26SA3A

Admission is free both in-person and virtually.

For more information about this talk and upcoming events at the museum please visit our website: wisconsinmaritime.org