

Their use in military deception was pioneered by British forces, who termed them "spoofs."


German forces utilized mock tanks prior to the start of the war for practice and training exercises. World War II Dummy tanks, mounted on trucks, going to the forward areas in the Western Desert, 13 February 1942ĭummy tanks saw significantly more use during World War II by both the Allies and the Axis. It is possible they were used in training, rather than for military deception. Dummy tanks, representing Allied models, were also found to have been constructed by the Germans, even though they deployed only a small number of real tanks. The tracks were non-functional so some were fitted with concealed wheels underneath and were towed from place to place by a pair of horses. These were constructed from a wooden framework and covered with painted Hessian cloth. Modern designs are more advanced and can imitate heat signatures, making them more effective illusions.ĭuring World War I, Allied forces made use of dummy versions of the British heavy tanks. Early designs included wooden shells and inflatable props that could fool enemy intelligence they were fragile and only believable from a distance. Decoy military tank Inflatable M47 Patton mock-upĭummy tanks superficially resemble real tanks and are often deployed as a means of military deception in the absence of real tanks.
