Operation Quicksilver Attack Patton Research Paper
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On January 26, 1944, Patton was brought to England to take command of the First United States Army Group (FUSAG), which was nothing more than a fake army group. Known as Operation Quicksilver, this became the largest deception plot in the Second World War. Patton was chosen to command the phantom army for several reasons. The highly controversial slapping incident in 1943 had forced Eisenhower to relieve Patton from his current duties in Italy and to give command of the invasion of France to Lieutenant General Omar Bradley. In order to fool the Germans, the Allies also had to make a well known and respected commander take charge of the fake army. To the Germans, Patton was Eisenhower's best general and one of the most well respected as well.…show more content… Tent cities sprang up all over eastern England with mess halls, hospitals, and fuel depots. Parking spots for trucks, jeeps, ambulances, and tanks were laid out. The vehicles themselves were fake. Vehicles were constructed out of wood and fabric, and entire Sherman Tanks were actually inflatable. Under the cover of darkness, the fake vehicles were moved around to give the impression they were active, and soldiers artificially made tank tread marks. Fake unit patches were also made for the soldiers who worked on the ghost army. Spies working for the Allies supplied the German High Command with misleading information in order to fool them even more that an enormous force will land on Pas de Calais. Patton also played a part in giving out fake information. Before German General Hans Cramer was to be exchanged back to Germany due to poor health, he dined one evening with Patton who "accidently" gave out information on the FUSAG. Operation Quicksilver became a complete success. On June 6, 1944, Allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, but on June 9, 1944, Hitler ordered further reinforcements for Normandy to instead head to Pas de Calais to defend against the FUSAG. By mid-August, Patton had taken command of the Third Army and raced through France, cutting the German lines