Decoy Paratrooper Dummy or "Paradummy".

By Alex in Weapons & War on Sep 8, 2006 at 1:19 am

Lore has it that the British military conceived the idea of a dummy paratrooper in 1938 – since then, decoy paradummies have been used in various military operations to confuse the enemy.

From the website:

Oddly, these 18" U.S. test dummies were molded with the appearance of tiny pilots (as opposed to looking like regular paratroopers.) Their nicely molded features included a pilot-style helmet, heavy jacket with thick collar and two large front pockets, short neck scarf, thick gloves, heavy pants tucked into tall boots, and arms folded up against the chest as if gripping a parachute harness.

The overall effect appears to resemble an old-fashioned pilot, in heavy flight garb, who has "bailed out." These dummies also have a slight resemblance to the famous Hollywood "Oscar" statuette which is given out at the Academy Awards. It is possible that this is why the paradummy first got it’s nickname "Oscar."

Link – via Look at This …


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  1. phil baquera
    Oct 30th, 2006 at 11:09 pm

    thank you thank you thank you.

  2. phil baquera
    Oct 30th, 2006 at 11:15 pm

    i knew that i had not dreamt about the Paradummy,but did not know how to get the imfo. I was telling a freind about this and was lauaghed at.Now i can show him this site. thanks again phil.

  3. Roger McCullough
    Apr 25th, 2009 at 1:36 am

    I have two Oscars – that is, two of the test dummies. A museum wants me to donate one How would I determine the value of Oscar?


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