The Brave Men Behind Hollywood’s WWII Inflatable Tank Trick: Seymour Nussenbaum, John Christman, and Bernard Bluestein

During World War II, a group of brave servicemen used inflatable tanks and Hollywood-style special effects to deceive the Nazis, earning them the Congressional Gold Medal, the US Congress’ highest honor. Seymour Nussenbaum, John Christman, and Bernard Bluestein were part of covert US units that employed clever tactics to save lives across Europe in 1944 and 1945.

The group’s tactics involved using actors and various tricks to mislead the German army into sending troops to the wrong locations. They successfully led the German forces to believe a massive Allied army was about to attack across the Rhine River using inflatable tanks and trucks, sound effects, and fake radio traffic. This deception resulted in minimal resistance at the actual Rhine crossing point, helping the Allied advance greatly.

Seymour Nussenbaum prefers not to “beat his own drum” and rarely speaks of his courageous actions during the war. John Christman simply tells his family he did “camouflage work” during that time, keeping the more dangerous aspects of their missions to himself. Despite their incredible efforts, they remain humble about their contributions to the war effort.