A congressional gold medal was presented in special ceremonies March 21 in Emancipation Hall of the Capitol Visitor Center to recognize the distinguished service of the Ghost Army in performing deception operations during World War II.

The award specifically honors the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, which carried out more than 20 “deception missions” near the front lines in France, Belgium, Luxembourg and Germany between June 1944 and March 1945, as well as its companion unit, the 3133rd Signal Co. Special, which practiced sonic deception in Italy in 1945.

The Ghost Army was made up of more than 1,000 troops — though they could simulate two units totaling some 30,000 service members, according to the National WWII Museum.

Just seven members survive, scattered across the country, from Florida to Michigan to New Jersey.

Three of them — John Christman, of Leesburg, N.J.; Seymour Nussenbaum, of Monroe Township, N.J; and Bernard Bluestein, of Hoffman Estates, Ill. — were in attendance to accept the gold medal on behalf of themselves and the soldiers with whom they served.

Bluestein, 100, joined the visual deception unit from the Cleveland Institute of Art and went on to pursue a career in industrial design; Christman,  99, served as a demolition specialist; and Nussenbaum, 100, an avid stamp collector,  joined the Army from the Pratt Institute. He helped make the counterfeit patches worn by the unit, and worked in package design for many years after the war.

According to the authorizing legislation, Public Law 117-85, the gold medal is to be forwarded to the Smithsonian Institution, “where it shall be available for display as appropriate and made available for research.”

Bronze duplicates of the gold medal are now available online from the United States Mint in two diameters — the 1.5-inch medal priced at $20 and the 3-inch piece at $160.

The Ghost Army tactical deception units were assembled from the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Service Company, and their tactics deceived the German army on the battlefields of Europe.

According to the U.S. Mint design narrative, the operations used four avenues of deception:

• Visual Deception: They deployed inflatable rubber tanks, trucks, artillery, and other vehicles, as well as pyrotechnic displays, to create convincing scenes for enemy observers.

• Sonic Deception: They played sound effects from powerful speakers to simulate the sounds of units moving and operating at night.

• Radio Deception: They sent fake messages to fool enemy intelligence officers listening in.

• Special Effects: Soldiers carried out theatrics for the benefit of enemy spies. They wore fake shoulder patches, had fake bumper markings on vehicles, and even impersonated generals to make their deceptions more convincing.

Designs

The medal’s obverse and reverse were designed by U.S. Mint Artistic Infusion Program designer Justin Kunz. The obverse design was sculpted by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist John P. McGraw, with the reverse sculpted by U.S. Mint Medallic Artist Phebe Hemphill.

The obverse design illustrates the four main methods of subterfuge practiced by the Ghost Army. A telegrapher shown keying a message in Morse code is paired with a soldier sewing a phony unit patch onto his uniform. In the background, a soldier stands alongside a half-track with a loudspeaker attached to it, and behind them a group of soldiers carry an inflatable tank.

The reverse depicts the emblems of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Service Company. A narrative inscription fills the field, presenting the information like a telegraph transmission, the treatment of the text reinforcing the secretive nature of the Ghost Army’s mission.

The reverse is inscribed IN HONOR OF THE 23RD HEADQUARTERS SPECIAL TROOPS AND THE 3133RD SIGNAL SERVICE COMPANY — AKA THE GHOST ARMY — FOR GREAT COURAGE, INGENUITY — IN NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, CENTRAL EUROPE, ARDENNES-ALSACE, THE RHINELAND, PO VALLEY.

The Matte Finish medals, each with a plain edge, are struck without Mint mark at the Philadelphia Mint.

The 1.5-inch medal is composed of 95% copper and 5% zinc, while the 3-inch is composed of 90% copper and 10% zinc. Connect with Coin World:  
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