For those of you who appreciate well done documentaries or are interested in declassified history regarding World War II, I highly recommend this fascinating movie, meticulously done by award winning film maker and author, Rick Beyer. The information was kept secret until 1996 and the documentary process began with interviews of some unlikely veterans- artists, architects, actors, and sound engineers, most of them unofficially drafted while still in school. Recruited to basically deceive Hitler's army, using their creative talents, they were equipped with no weapons and little to no combat training.
The first assignment was stateside, camouflaging an aircraft factory in Baltimore, Maryland to look like countryside from the sky. From that, they were given the task to make inflatable decoy tanks and planes for use overseas. Sound engineers made recordings to confuse the enemy forces. There were 1,100 young men and it is estimated their efforts saved many, many lives. There is extensive use of archival footage, interspersed with interviews with the remaining members of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops. To tell this incredible story, it took eight years. This documentary was shown two nights in a row on PBS and I watched it both times. When the 68 minutes were over, I found myself wanting to know more, which all good stories based on true events should do.
For more information, here is the official website.