Military dummies
Encyclopedia
A dummy round is a round of ammunition
that is completely inert
, i.e., contains no primer, propellant
, or explosive charge. It is used to check weapon function, and for crew training. Dummy ammunition is distinct from "practice" ammunition, which may contain smaller than normal amounts of propellant and/or explosive. For example, the M69 practice hand grenade emits a loud pop and a puff of white smoke.
A dummy is not to be confused with a blank
, a cartridge for a firearm
that contains propellant
but no bullet
or shot
: a dummy does not produce an explosive sound like a blank does.
s are fake
military equipment that are intended to deceive
the enemy. During World War II, multiple dummy airfields and even towns were used in England to divert German bombers from the real targets. At the Battle of La Ciotat
in 1944, American aircraft dropped hundreds of dummy paratoopers (Paradummies
) just north of La Ciotat
, France
. The goal of this operation was to divert German troops away from the main landing zones of Operation Dragoon
. Additionally, during World War II, Operation Quicksilver
was an attempt to mislead the Germans as to the location of the D-Day invasion using dummy military equipment.
A naval example was the British battleship HMS Centurion
. Obsolete and disarmed by World War II, she spent two years in the Mediterannean fitted with wooden guns, to make British naval forces in the area seem stronger than they were. Likewise, Fleet tender
was the codename for a number of British merchant ships that fitted with dummy structures to resemble warships.
An intercontinental ballistic missile
may release decoys in addition to one or more warheads.
Dummies and decoys are only one aspect of military deception
.
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
that is completely inert
Inert
-Chemistry:In chemistry, the term inert is used to describe a substance that is not chemically reactive.The noble gases were previously known as inert gases because of their perceived lack of participation in any chemical reactions...
, i.e., contains no primer, propellant
Propellant
A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...
, or explosive charge. It is used to check weapon function, and for crew training. Dummy ammunition is distinct from "practice" ammunition, which may contain smaller than normal amounts of propellant and/or explosive. For example, the M69 practice hand grenade emits a loud pop and a puff of white smoke.
A dummy is not to be confused with a blank
Blank (cartridge)
A blank is a type of cartridge for a firearm that contains gunpowder but no bullet or shot. When fired, the blank makes a flash and an explosive sound . Blanks are often used for simulation , training, and for signaling...
, a cartridge for a firearm
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
that contains propellant
Propellant
A propellant is a material that produces pressurized gas that:* can be directed through a nozzle, thereby producing thrust ;...
but no bullet
Bullet
A bullet is a projectile propelled by a firearm, sling, or air gun. Bullets do not normally contain explosives, but damage the intended target by impact and penetration...
or shot
Lead shot
Lead shot is a collective term for small balls of lead. These were the original projectiles for muskets and early rifles, but today lead shot is fired primarily from shotguns. It is also used for a variety of other purposes...
: a dummy does not produce an explosive sound like a blank does.
Dummies and decoys for deception
Dummies and decoyDecoy
A decoy is usually a person, device or event meant as a distraction, to conceal what an individual or a group might be looking for. Decoys have been used for centuries most notably in game hunting, but also in wartime and in the committing or resolving of crimes.-Duck decoy:The term duck decoy may...
s are fake
Fake
Fake means not real.Fake may also refer to:In music:* Fake , a Swedish synthpop band active in the 1980s*Fake?, a Japanese rock band* Fake , 2010 song by Ai featuring Namie Amuro...
military equipment that are intended to deceive
Deception
Deception, beguilement, deceit, bluff, mystification, bad faith, and subterfuge are acts to propagate beliefs that are not true, or not the whole truth . Deception can involve dissimulation, propaganda, and sleight of hand. It can employ distraction, camouflage or concealment...
the enemy. During World War II, multiple dummy airfields and even towns were used in England to divert German bombers from the real targets. At the Battle of La Ciotat
Battle of La Ciotat
The Battle of La Ciotat was a naval engagement that occurred in August 1944 during World War II as part of Operation Dragoon. Allied forces, engaged at the main landings in Vichy France, ordered a small flotilla of American and British warships to make a feint against the port city of La Ciotat...
in 1944, American aircraft dropped hundreds of dummy paratoopers (Paradummies
Paradummy
The Paradummy is a device first used in World War II that, used with other artificial paratrooper units, is meant to cause an invasion by air to appear larger than it actually is. Paradummies can also be used to lure enemy troops into staged ambushes....
) just north of La Ciotat
La Ciotat
La Ciotat is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. It is part of the metropolitan area of Marseille Provence. La ciotat is located to the east of Marseille at an equal distance from Marseille and Toulon...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. The goal of this operation was to divert German troops away from the main landing zones of Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon
Operation Dragoon was the Allied invasion of southern France on August 15, 1944, during World War II. The invasion was initiated via a parachute drop by the 1st Airborne Task Force, followed by an amphibious assault by elements of the U.S. Seventh Army, followed a day later by a force made up...
. Additionally, during World War II, Operation Quicksilver
Operation Quicksilver (WWII)
In World War II, Operation Quicksilver was a sub-plan of Operation Fortitude, the 1944 deception plan designed to induce the Germans to hold troops away from Normandy in belief that the Normandy landing was only a feint and that the major invasion would come in the Pas-de-Calais...
was an attempt to mislead the Germans as to the location of the D-Day invasion using dummy military equipment.
A naval example was the British battleship HMS Centurion
HMS Centurion (1911)
HMS Centurion was the second battleship of the King George V class, built at HM Dockyard, Devonport.The Battleships of the King George V class had been designed as Dreadnought Battleship....
. Obsolete and disarmed by World War II, she spent two years in the Mediterannean fitted with wooden guns, to make British naval forces in the area seem stronger than they were. Likewise, Fleet tender
Fleet tender
Fleet tenders were British merchant ships that were fitted with a wooden superstructure to resemble battleships during the Second World War. They were known as fleet tenders for security reasons, and were built to fool German reconnaissance planes....
was the codename for a number of British merchant ships that fitted with dummy structures to resemble warships.
An intercontinental ballistic missile
Intercontinental ballistic missile
An intercontinental ballistic missile is a ballistic missile with a long range typically designed for nuclear weapons delivery...
may release decoys in addition to one or more warheads.
Dummies and decoys are only one aspect of military deception
Military deception
Military deception is an attempt to amplify, or create an artificial fog of war or to mislead the enemy using psychological operations, information warfare and other methods. As a form of strategic use of information , it overlaps with psychological warfare...
.