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Psychological warfare -

Psychological warfare has been used for years to demoralize and scare enemy troops. Psychological operations (PSYOP) are developed to target a specific audience in order to get a reaction.

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How does it work? -

These PSYOP target things such as the value and belief system of the audience, and aim to have an impact on emotions and, consequently, behavior.

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Supernatural beliefs -

This includes making use of local superstitions and supernatural beliefs. If a specific audience can be affected by exploring such beliefs, then it’s a game worth playing, as far as psychological warfare is concerned.

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US military -

The US military in particular has a history of playing on their opponents' superstitions, from vampires to ghosts and astrology.

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World War II -

An example includes the tactics used against the Nazis during World War II. Playing with the superstitions and beliefs of the German people, the Allies dropped false horoscopes predicting a bad future for the country.

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False horoscopes -

“The enemy is now making use of horoscopes in the form of handbills dropped from planes, in which a terrible future is prophesized for the German people,” wrote Nazi Minister of Propaganda Joseph Goebbels in his diary in 1942.

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Counterattack -

“But we know [something] about this ourselves! I am having counter-horoscopes worked up which we are going to distribute, especially in the occupied areas,” added Goebbels.

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Astrology -

And if dropping demoralizing horoscopes wasn't enough, astrologer Louis de Wohl was hired by the British Intelligence agency MI5 during the war to write horoscopes for Hitler and other Nazi leaders. Of course, the predictions were not positive!

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Huk rebellion -

The Hukbalahap Rebellion (better known as the Huk Rebellion) took place in the Philippines between 1942 and 1954. The US military was involved in fighting the communist Huk rebels, and they decided to play with a local superstition in an attempt to gain an advantage.

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Huk rebellion -

In Filipino folklore, there is the belief in an evil creature called asuwang, which has been described as a “winged, vampiric witch that has a hankering for unborn fetuses.”

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Huk rebellion -

So what did the US troops do? They spread the rumor among locals that the aswang was on the loose in the area where the Huk rebels were (pictured: Huk leader Luis Taruc).

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Ambush -

They then ambushed the Huks. When a Huk patrol walked past the US troops, they quietly snatched the last man on the line. They then punctured two holes on his neck and drained his body of blood.

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Tactic -

The body was then be placed on the trail, so that the Huk patrol would find it and, given the signs, assume the man was attacked by the aswang.

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Recollection -

Major General Edward G. Lansdale, who was responsible for the operation, recalls: "When the Huks returned to look for the missing man and found their bloodless comrade, every member of the patrol believed that the [aswang] had got him and that one of them would be next if they remained on that hill. When daylight came, the whole Huk squadron moved out of the vicinity."

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Operation Wandering Soul -

Operation Wandering Soul took place in Vietnam. It essentially involved the US playing sounds of ghost Viet Cong soldiers who had died in battle.

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The belief -

This operation was conducted based on the Vietnamese belief that if a body isn't laid to rest near home, then the soul will wander and never rest.

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What did the lost souls sound like? -

The tape would play “moans, groans and weird sounds,” according to First Lieutenant Peter Boni of Boston, who was in charge of the Sixth PSYOP Team.

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How were the sounds played? -

The sounds were played through speakers directed to the jungle, and from helicopters. The voices of the ghost VC soldiers were played at night.

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Fear -

“Buddhists believe very strongly that if they aren't properly buried and properly mourned, their soul will wander through eternity. We play upon the psychological superstitions and fears of the enemy. The method is very effective," said Boni.

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Effect -

Though perhaps as a fearful response, US troops actually reported an increase in enemy fire aimed at their helicopters when playing the Wandering Soul tape.

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Effect -

Curiously, one boat was taking so much damage from playing the Wandering Soul tape that they started playing Tina Turner instead, in an attempt to make the rocket attack stop. Apparently it worked!

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Office of Strategic Services (OSS) -

America's first secret agency, the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), was behind one of the most bizarre PSYOP: Operation Fantasia. Major General William "Wild Bill" Donovan (pictured) was the head of the OSS during World War II.

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Response to Pearl Harbor -

Following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese in 1941, American forces had to come up with something drastic in response. Several ideas were put forward, including the bombing of Japan's industrial centers, which didn’t happen in the end.

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Plans -

So, what other plans did the OSS devise? Well, one included strapping incendiary bombs to bats and launching them in Japanese cities. But after numerous incidents during test runs, the idea was discarded.

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Operation Fantasia -

This then led to Operation Fantasia, which was created “upon the fact that the modern Japanese is subject to superstitions, beliefs in evil spirits, and unnatural manifestations which can be provoked and stimulated," as a memo describing the project read.

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How would they achieve this? -

After considering numerous potential evil signs, including evil eyes, curses, and "grotesque animals,” they went with a fox. But this was not your regular fox. This supernatural fox, known as kitsune, can be interpreted as a symbol of impending doom.

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Method -

The OSS thought the best way to do this was to make glowing foxes. Except, in the 1940s, this would involve the use of radiation. A coat of paint containing radium was the way to go.

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Test -

The OSS first tested it at home, at Rock Creek Park in Washington, D.C., and managed to scare the locals. But then the attention shifted to nuclear weapons, and Operation Fantasia was never carried out in Japan.

Sources: (Gizmodo) (Grunge) (War History Online) (RAND Corporation) (NBC News) (Psywarrior)

See also: Unsolved mysteries of World War II

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