The post about German WWII models makes me think of something. A long time ago, at Ramstein AFB in Germany, I saw full-scale dummy models of aircraft to distract enemy bombers. I saw dummy tanks in a movie too, and I know the Germans disguised their battle ships by installing wooden superstructures and dummy guns, to confuse the allied forces that used "Janes" to identify the ships.
Would there be separate army/navy units who build this stuff ? Are they made by first line units ? Support ? Any soldier - modeler with DIY interests ?
Does anyone have pictures of such dummies ? Does anyone know how this works operationally ?
A diorama with a unit setting up such dummies would be cool

As far as deception-type stuff, I don't know if there is any unit that makes them as their mission. This is a counter-intelligence sort of thing, so I would expect the CI-types in Military Intelligence to be involved.

As far as what are known as "vis-mods" (Visually Modified) in the US Army, they are available from within the system. For those who are scratching their heads, vis-mods are lightweight shells that are grafted onto basic-issue vehicles to make them look like an 'enemy' ("Threat") vehicle. Example: a vis-mod kit for the HMMWV makes it look like a BRDM, from a distance. The point is to improve the realism of force-on-force exercises.

Most Army posts have an activity that makes training aids and mock-ups from standard plans and materials, for use in training by units. Vis-mods are only one of the many products produced by these activities. Posters, rubber mines, fake uniforms or "Identification", and even tank-shaped pop-up targets are other sorts of thing that can be had.

Hi Jan,

About Germans I don't know but, during WWII the British and US armies in England had special units that used dummies that simulate tanks and lorries to give the idea of vast areas of concentration of troops for the invasion, to the german observation planes. I'll check my references for more details.