stackyFACTS
History

The fake trees British snipers hid inside

HERE’S THE INTERESTING PART

When trench warfare gets a little too boring, it's time for some aggressive arts and crafts. To spy on German lines without instantly catching a bullet, the British secretly cataloged real bombed-out trees. Under the cover of night, they would replace the dead stump with an identical replica made of steel and canvas, leaving a perfectly hidden, bulletproof observation post for a very cramped soldier.

The fake trees British snipers hid inside
STACKY / History
One discovery leads to another.

Keep exploring facts in this topic.

History →
STACKY FOR IPHONE

A bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.

Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.

Download on the App Store
ONE MORE DISCOVERY?

Keep exploring

All in this topic →
Mauryan empire employed thousands of domestic political spies
History

Mauryan empire employed thousands of domestic political spies

Ancient imperial stability heavily relied on an absolutely terrifying level of paranoid state surveillance. The rulers actively funded a massive, deeply…

Discover more
History

Monks employed by Emperor Justinian I pulled off history's greatest corporate espionage by smuggling live silkworm eggs inside hollow bamboo walking sticks straight out of China…

Imagine orchestrating the greatest intellectual property theft in history, but your getaway vehicle is a literal walking stick. For centuries, the Byzantine…

Discover more
The bizarre plan to sabotage Hitler with estrogen
History

The bizarre plan to sabotage Hitler with estrogen

Because when conventional warfare stalls, why not try aggressive, non-consensual feminization? British spies in the SOE seriously plotted to smuggle estrogen…

Discover more
Soviet spies in the Cold War spent considerable time and resources trying to plant miniature microphones into the heels of diplomatic shoes.
History

Soviet spies in the Cold War spent considerable time and resources trying to plant miniature microphones into the heels of diplomatic shoes.

Soviet spies in the Cold War spent considerable time and resources trying to plant miniature microphones into the heels of diplomatic shoes. The KGB…

Discover more
The spy who hid troop movements in knitting
History

The spy who hid troop movements in knitting

While enemy soldiers casually ignored the sweet old woman knitting by the train station, she was actively weaving troop movements and supply lines into the…

Discover more
Wu Zetian’s terrifying ancient suggestion boxes
History

Wu Zetian’s terrifying ancient suggestion boxes

The ultimate ancient suggestion box, except the suggestions usually ended with someone getting brutally executed. Empress Wu, the only female monarch of…

Discover more
StackyMore discoveries in the app
Download on the App Store