Operation Titanic: The Parachute Dummies

On D-Day night, the RAF dropped 500+ dummy parachutists (code-named 'Ruperts') across Normandy. Each dummy was rigged with explosive charges and firecrackers to simulate gunfire. German troops were dispatched to hunt phantom paratroopers, tying up entire battalions. Some German commanders refused to believe the dummies were fake for days. The operation was so effective that German radio reports claimed 'thousands of British paratroopers' had landed near Falaise, 60 miles from any actual drop zone.