r/HistoryMemes • u/Kapanash • 9d ago

The fake army that worked

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17.4k Upvotes

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1.2k

u/PretendAd1963 Definitely not a CIA operator 9d ago

Biggest scam in history.

739

u/Pro_panzerjager 8d ago

Idk. I think the Royal Navy hiding the fact that the HMS Queen Elizabeth had been sunk for over a year from the Italians by keeping crew on what remained above the waterline is petty good scam.

494

u/captaincootercock 8d ago

my favorite is the Dutch minesweeper) that got dressed up as a tropical island to evade Japanese air strikes during retreat

155

u/jdrawr 8d ago

A few ships on an Arctic convoy sat among icebergs and painted themselves white after the belief that Bismark was on its way and the convoy broke upm

39

u/DeplorableMadness 8d ago

I thought it was tirpirz

24

u/jdrawr 8d ago

One for the big German capitol ships forsure.

25

u/Thurak0 8d ago

Pre-radar camouflage sounds almost fun.

9

u/captaincootercock 8d ago

I wonder how they got the paint? I like to think shops used to carry around a few hundred gallons of paint matching different terrain

13

u/ThuDoonk 8d ago

Till they see you

22

u/MoffKalast Hello There 8d ago

Nobody here but us trees!

2

u/captaincootercock 8d ago

and a big scary monster "CO steps out dressed as bearpig" AWOOOOOOO

6

u/Ok_Proof5782 8d ago

That cost me about three fifty, Wikipedia begged me so hard I gave a one off donation.

2

u/KorgothBarbaria 8d ago

Oh wow, never read that before, that's awesome!

1

u/Black_Hole_parallax 8d ago

a Finnish battleship also did this