Strategic Deception: Planning and a Correlation with a Historical Case

Abstract

Examines the role of deception in war by reviewing how military writers from Sun Tzu to Liddell-Hart have discussed surprise and deception. Develops a process for planning strategic deception in consonance with the overall strategy being pursued, using results from recent psychological research and Barton Whaley's insight that deception and magic are closely related. Examines the applicability of this planning process by comparing it with what actually occurred in planning and implementing a successful World War II strategic deception, the Fortitude South Plan for the Normandy Invasion.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
May 01, 1986
Accession Number
ADA178525

Entities

People

  • Randall V. Gressang

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • C4I
  • Counter WMD
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Acquisition
  • Air Force
  • Applied Psychology
  • Camouflage
  • Case Studies
  • Deception
  • Dictionaries
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • Military Strategy
  • New York
  • Psychology
  • Second World War
  • Security
  • War
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies