The Army That Never Was: D-Day and the Great Deception

Taylor Downing tells the remarkable story of the deceptions, hoaxes and misdirections carried out by the Allies ahead of the D-Day landings.

Of all the Allied schemes concocted during the Second World War, perhaps the most audacious was developed in the build-up to D-Day.

Featuring a fictitious army led by General Patton and equipped with hundreds of actual dummy landing craft, tanks and aircraft, the plan aimed to convince German forces that the anticipated invasion of Normandy was a mere sideshow.

Unpacking new research that reveals a hidden link with Britain's film industry, Taylor Downing will explore one of the most remarkable secret campaigns of the entire conflict.

About the speaker

Taylor Downing is a historian, broadcaster and bestselling author. He has produced more than 300 historical documentaries for British and American television. He is also the author of several popular history books including ‘Cold War’ (with Sir Jeremy Isaacs), ‘Spies in the Sky’, ‘Breakdown’, ‘1983: The World at the Brink’, and ‘1942: Britain at the Brink’. He regularly appears on television, radio documentaries and podcasts.