Unit 3, Listening 2, Caught Off Guard

Caught Off Guard

Professor Steed: Last week I posted the following quotation by Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese general: “All warfare is based on deception. Hence[1], when able to attack, we must seem unable; when using our forces, we must seem inactive; when we are near, we must make the enemy believe we are far away; when far away, we must make him believe we are near.” I was pleased with the responses on our class website, and I have chosen three of the examples you found in your research to talk about more in depth today. So, let’s get started.

As you all know, deception is the art of making others hear, see, or believe something which is intended to mislead[2] them and give us an advantage. Let me explain. In nature, animals use color changes or sound mimicry to distract or confuse predators. In contrast, in our everyday lives, the use of makeup and clothes helps humans attract attention. In advertising, companies often package small items in big boxes or use bright colors to enhance dull products in order to attract consumers.

Do all of these actions work because it is so easy to manipulate others? As most of you agreed, the answer is yes. And that leads us to our discussion topic today.

When we think of deception in warfare, the most common example is the use of color and objects which are intended to help the military blend into an environment. In the desert, soldiers wear khaki-colored[3] uniforms; in a forest, vehicles are green in color. Well, I asked you to look beyond the obvious; however, this is not the only tactic[4] the army uses to deceive its enemies.

According to Dr. Joseph Caddell, a lecturer on military history at North Carolina State University, there are active and passive forms of deception. In his 2004 paper, “Deception 101—Primer on Deception,” he explains the difference. Passive deception is “designed to hide real intentions and capabilities from an adversary.” In other words, it involves hiding something which exists. In contrast, active deception is “the process of providing an adversary with evidence of intentions and capabilities which you do not, in fact, possess.” That is, it involves fooling the enemy into believing something which is not true. An early example of deception that many of you presented was that of the Trojan Horse. Scholars may argue that this was merely an event in Greek mythology described in Virgil’s epic poem the Aeneid and later in Homer’s Odyssey, but actually historical evidence has emerged of this conflict between the Trojans and the Greeks, sometime between the 12th and 13th centuries BC. Odysseus was the leader of the attack and the creator of the Trojan Horse. Many acts of deception are involved here. First, Odysseus ordered the construction of a large hollow wooden horse inside of which Greek soldiers hid. Second, the Greek fleet[5] pretended to sail home in defeat, but the boats were really nearby, ready to attack Troy. Third, uh, when the Trojans looked suspiciously at the horse and some argued that it was a trick, the Greek warrior, Sinon, told them that the Greeks had left the horse as a gift for their victory. To further convince the Trojans, Sinon said they had to take the horse into Troy in order to please the gods. In the end, the Greek soldiers snuck out of the horse at night, the Greek ships returned to fight, and Troy was defeated. Do you agree that Caddell would classify these as passive acts of deception?

Jumping ahead to the 18th century, one of you wrote about how deceptive the first US president, George Washington, was when battling the British in the American revolution for independence. Aware of the strength of the British troops, Washington utilized deception in many of his operations. He created false documents and allowed them to fall into British hands. In order to keep the British from having accurate knowledge of his troop size, Washington purchased more supplies than necessary, constructed fake military facilities, and ordered the setting of extra campfires, all to create the illusion of a greater and stronger army. In order to misdirect attention from the movement of his troops south from Rhode Island, Washington planted information that he was going to attack New York City. While the British were distracted and concentrated their efforts on defending New York, Washington’s troops crossed the Delaware and continued on to Yorktown where the battle signaling a turn in the war was fought. Which category of deception would Washington’s actions fall under? Active, right? That is, Washington’s objective was to fool the enemy into believing things that were not true.

The last example we have time for today got the second highest number of comments from students. It involves the 20th-century operations leading up to D-Day in World War II, specifically Operation Quicksilver and Operation Fortitude South. In the first, a small army unit was falsely portrayed[6] as a large group under the command of the respected General George Patton. In the latter, the Allies convinced the Germans that this large unit was going to invade France at Pas-de-Calais. Deceptive messages and false radio signals were sent to German intelligence agents. The Germans were caught off guard when the real attack took place on the beaches of Normandy, and the Allied invasion[7] was successful.

These are a few of the important instances that show the practice of deception in warfare over a span of many centuries. They show examples of Sun Tzu’s recommendation for troops to look unable when they are able, to appear inactive when they are not, or to seem far when they are near. My question for you to ponder[8] after class is this: With the modern technology we have today in the 21st century, do you think battles are still fought using such deceptive devices?

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[1] hence: adverb for this reason

[2] mislead: verb to give misinformation

[3] khaki-colored: adjective very light brown

[4] tactic: noun a method

[5] fleet: noun a group of military ships

[6] portray: verb to describe

[7] invasion: noun an occasion in which one country’s army goes into another country to take control of it by force

[8] ponder: verb to think deeply about