On Sunday, June 19, at 3 p.m. at Antrim Presbyterian Church, the Antrim Historical Society is sponsoring a conversation with Keith McKane of Keene, whose father Mickey McKane was a member of the World War II unit known as the “Ghost Army.”
Information about this unit was not declassified till 1996, and the unit was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in February.
In 1944 and 1945, the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops was the first mobile, multimedia, tactical deception unit in Army history. Consisting of 82 officers and 1,023 men under the command of Army Col. Harry L. Reeder, this unit was capable of simulating two whole divisions – approximately 30,000 men – using visual, sonic, and radio deception to fool German forces.
Armed with nothing heavier than .50-caliber machine guns, the unit took part in 22 large-scale deceptions in Europe from Normandy to the Rhine River. The brainchild of Col. Billy Harris and Maj. Ralph Ingersoll, both American military planners based in London, the unit consisted of a selected group of artists, engineers, professional soldiers. and draftees. It used inflatable tanks and vehicles, fake radio traffic, sound effects and phony generals to trick the enemy. Following the war, the unit’s soldiers were sworn to secrecy, records were classified, and equipment packed away.
Through images and artifacts, McKane will illustrate his father’s experience and share his father’s post-war life in New Hampshire, and how he was sworn to secrecy for nearly half a century.
Antrim Presbyterian Church recommends masks for fully vaccinated people and requires them for those who are not vaccinated. It also asks people to sign in when arriving to ensure the Antrim Historical Society can contact people in case someone at the event comes down with COVID. In addition, people who test positive for COVID after the event should contact the Antrim Historical Society.
Light refreshments will be offered. Contact Rick Wood of the Antrim Historical Society with any questions at rd_wood@comcast.net or 603-345-0121.