Operation Copperhead was a small military deception operation run by the British during the Second World War. Conceived by Dudley Clarke, it was intended to mislead German intelligence as to the location of General Bernard Montgomery(pictured) just before the 1944 invasion of Normandy. The German high command expected Montgomery, one of the best-known Allied commanders, to play a key role in any cross-channel bridgehead. Clarke and the other deception planners reasoned that a high-profile appearance outside England would suggest that an Allied invasion was not imminent. An appropriate look-alike was found, M. E. Clifton James, who spent a short time with Montgomery to familiarise himself with the general's mannerisms. On 26 May, James flew to Gibraltar and then to Algiers, making appearances where the Allies knew German intelligence agents would spot him, but the operation did not appear to have any significant impact on German plans. James later wrote a book about the operation, I Was Monty's Double, which was adapted into a film, with James in the lead role. (Full article...)
... that Barbara Tsakirgis worked at archaeological excavation sites in Sicily for her doctoral thesis on the subject of Hellenistic houses at Morgantina?
A gas mask (Polish MUA model pictured) is a mask used to protect the user from inhaling airborne pollutants and toxic gases. It forms a sealed cover over the wearer's nose and mouth, but may also cover the eyes and other vulnerable soft tissues of the face. Most gas masks are also respirators, though the term gas mask is often used to refer to military equipment (e.g. a field protective mask). Gas masks do not protect from gas that the skin can absorb.
This Wikipedia is written in English. Started in 2001 (2001), it currently contains 5,159,579 articles. Many other Wikipedias are available; some of the largest are listed below.
