The Company

In the spring of 1945, nearing the end of the war, Germany’s last stand and physical stronghold was the Rhine River. If the Allies crossed the Rhine, the war would be all but won.

On the evening of March 24th, 1945, the American, British and Canadian troops crossed the Rhine river entirely unopposed and surprised German troops all thanks to a gang of artists, actors, painters, musicians and radio personalities ninety miles down the river who had pulled off the greatest deception in the history of modern warfare.

This deception was so successful, it has been classified for decades in the hopes of utilizing these tactic again.

This is the untold true story of the artists, performers and misfits that made up The 23rd Special Troops Deception Unit. Using camouflage, rubber tanks, physical props, sets, sound scape, radio impersonations, costumes and scripts, they created a theater in which their enemy was their unwitting audience. A mission of showbiz and sleight of hand that was potentially suicidal as they drew in enemy fire away from other units and directly at them, with a disappearing act their only defense.

The 23rd Special Troops spent one year in action perfecting their craft. This is that year. This is their true, yet unbelievable story.

Creators: Michael Kennedy and Kelly McCormack

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