Fake

[Lusekofte]

During WW2, the Germans built fake wooden airfields with wooden aircraft and vehicles in order to trick the Allies, however, the RAF responded by waiting for them to finish and then dropped a single fake wooden bomb on it

[Mtnbiker1998]

 

[AndyJWest]

For anyone interested, an article outlining the best evidence that this actually happened, rather than being just another tall tale from wartime, can be found here.

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/355/Wood-For-Wood.aspx

 

What I don't really understand though is why the RAF would think it advantageous to let the Luftwaffe know that their fake airfields had been detected. Wouldn't it have been better to drop a real bomb or two on them, to encourage them to keep on wasting resources?

[Gambit21]

1 hour ago, AndyJWest said:

For anyone interested, an article outlining the best evidence that this actually happened, rather than being just another tall tale from wartime, can be found here.

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/355/Wood-For-Wood.aspx

 

What I don't really understand though is why the RAF would think it advantageous to let the Luftwaffe know that their fake airfields had been detected. Wouldn't it have been better to drop a real bomb or two on them, to encourage them to keep on wasting resources?

 

Human nature.

The allure of the 'zinger'/"we know, and we want you to know that we know" outweighed other considerations.

[BraveSirRobin]

2 hours ago, AndyJWest said:

For anyone interested, an article outlining the best evidence that this actually happened, rather than being just another tall tale from wartime, can be found here.

http://www.vintagewings.ca/VintageNews/Stories/tabid/116/articleType/ArticleView/articleId/355/Wood-For-Wood.aspx

 

What I don't really understand though is why the RAF would think it advantageous to let the Luftwaffe know that their fake airfields had been detected. Wouldn't it have been better to drop a real bomb or two on them, to encourage them to keep on wasting resources?

Assuming it was late war the urge to rub their noses in the fact that they were losing, and basically defeated, was probably tough to pass up, even if it broke some opsec rules.

[AndyJWest]

55 minutes ago, Gambit21 said:

 

Human nature.

The allure of the 'zinger'/"we know, and we want you to know that we know" outweighed other considerations.

 

11 minutes ago, BraveSirRobin said:

Assuming it was late war the urge to rub their noses in the fact that they were losing, and basically defeated, was probably tough to pass up, even if it broke some opsec rules.

 

Yeah, makes sense, I suppose. Not just rubbing their noses in it, but doing so in a way that suggests that the RAF has resources to spare to engage in such frivolity.

[LukeFF]

To my mind, that sounds like just the sort of thing the British would do. ?

[Monksilver]

I once read that on  one April 1st in WW1 a British plane (a fighter I think) swooped down on a German airfield dropping a projectile over the side as it did so. The Germans scattered and dived for cover only to see the projectile bounce up and down and then stop. When they went to inspect the item they found it was a football and written on it was "April fool".

[Lusekofte]

I guess, among the grunts, 

There where a acknowledging smile on German side. And genuine laughter on RAF side. I can relate to this. Not all things at all times need to be taken dead serious, not even in a war

[Diggun]

7 hours ago, LukeFF said:

just the sort of thing the British would do

Yup, sounds like us...

[von_Tom]

7 hours ago, LukeFF said:

To my mind, that sounds like just the sort of thing the British would do. ?

 

Indeed - it is a question of style.

 

von Tom

[Chief_Mouser]

15 hours ago, LukeFF said:

To my mind, that sounds like just the sort of thing the British would do. ?

 

And may we keep on doing so. I'd hate to see us lose our sense of the ridiculous. ?

[AndyJWest]

5 minutes ago, 216th_Cat said:

 

And may we keep on doing so. I'd hate to see us lose our sense of the ridiculous. ?

 

Not much chance of that. Have you seen the House of Commons lately?

[Roy35150]

LoL