CNN —
It was a crisp December afternoon as three small planes circled above their objective, making 12 total passes overhead as they dropped leaflets from the aircraft, watching as they fluttered softly to the ground.
A form of psychological warfare, leaflet drops can be used to persuade or intimidate an enemy force or attempt to communicate with a population under enemy control. This most recent mission was like those one might see in a time of war – except for the fact that it was conducted over the US Military Academy at West Point, and the propaganda in question was, well, this:
“Beat Army,” read the leaflets, which were accompanied by a colorful array of ping pong balls. “Fly Navy,” others proclaimed.
The “air-to-ground spirit mission” that occurred just before noon on Monday is the latest in a long tradition of rivalry and pranks the US Naval Academy and West Point launch against one another on this hallowed week each year for each institution: The week of the
Army-Navy football game. On Saturday afternoon, the future of the US military’s officer corps will face off in Philadelphia at the 123rd such game, which always draws crowds of students as well as top military brass.
A
news release from the Naval Academy confirmed that at 11:59 a.m. on Monday, five midshipmen led three flight crews for the Piper PA-28 Cherokee Warriors to New York for Operation Black Knight Falling, which ultimately dropped an unknown number of ping pong balls and leaflets.
“Twelve delivery passes dropped ‘Beat Army’ and ‘Fly Navy’ leaflets, along with ping pong balls, over Army West Point’s ‘The Apron,’” the USNA release says. “Army cadets could be seen breaking formation and running for cover.”
